If you have your heart set on a designer wedding gown, you’d better come into that equation with deep pockets. Wedding gowns by major designers such as Vera Wang, Richard Glasgow or Priscilla of Boston don’t come cheap, and in fact can run into the thousands of dollars for a single garment. But let me answer the question posed by the title of this article with a qualified ‘Yes.’ It is indeed possible to find designer wedding gowns on the cheap.
However, in order to achieve a significant cost savings, you will have to buy a used designer bridal gown. If you’re willing to make some compromises in what you want, and simply accept the fact that the beautiful designer wedding dress you’ll wear was worn once before, you can save significant amounts of cash over the cost of buying a designer wedding gown new. The place to go is consignment shops. These are stores that take the used bridal gown, generally worn only once, and resell it at a much lower price than it originally cost. If you don’t live in a major metropolitan area such as New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles where you can easily visit the consignment shops and view and try on the different gowns you’re interested in, then the only sensible alternative is to go to an online discount wedding store to look for the best deal on the styles and designers you’re interested in.
Fortunately, for you stylish but budget-conscious brides out there, the Internet provides a wealth of resources to help you in quest for bridal sartorial perfection at a reasonable price. One of the best places to start looking for designer wedding gowns is The Bridal Garden, a non-profit sales outlet that carries bridal gowns by some of the top designers in the business. Not only will you be able to find gorgeous designer gowns at bargain prices (would you believe 75% off of retail?), it’s all in service to a great cause. The top designers donate their surplus wedding gowns to benefit children’s charities in the NYC area, so you might even be able to get a brand new gown that’s never been worn at an outrageously low price.
Some other good bets for good deals on bridal gowns and other bridal accessories include sites like House of Brides. You won’t find a Vera Wang gown there, but you will find gowns by major manufacturers that have been featured in bridal magazines. NetBride.com is another good source for discount bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, as well as veils and other wedding accessories. If you’re not intimidated by bargain shopping, there are cheap bargains to be had on designer wedding gowns.
