1Second-Hand Wedding Dresses and Consignment Shopping

Because wedding dresses are only worn for one day, they are usually in excellent condition after they have been worn. Many brides don't even wear the dress for the entire day, but change after the ceremony into a dress that is easier to dance in. Second-hand wedding gowns are a great way to save money and get a fabulous gown at a fraction of the price. Let someone else take the hit on the retail price of a designer gown, and then buy it second-hand and look just as good for less.

Consignment shops are a great place to find affordable wedding dresses and accessories in great condition. Most shops have high standards for the dresses they will accept for sale, so you are guaranteed to find gowns free of stains, rips or other damages. You will also find a great selection of gowns without having to go far. It isn’t unusual to find gowns that have never even been worn, but were purchased for weddings that were later canceled, or a different dress was selected.

2Find Cheap Wedding Dress and Accessories Online

Additional great sources for affordable wedding gowns are websites like Craigslist and eBay, where people sell their never-warn or gently-used gowns for low prices. Buying direct from the seller gives more room for bargaining, and the internet offers access to the widest possible selection of dresses and accessories for sale. With eBay, you can bid on the gown you want and hopefully pick up a dress for far less than it is worth. Craigslist will help you find gowns and accessories for sale locally so that you can also try them on first before making the decision to purchase.

Popular online sources for wedding gowns are online consignment and sample sales sites such as whiteXchange. These sites let you shop online and choose from a selection of sample wedding dresses as well as once-worn wedding dresses.

3Brand New and Still Affordable Wedding Dress

If a new dress is really what you want, there are some ways to get a brand new wedding gown at a great low price.

• Start your search at the local bridal show. Many shops bring sample dresses to the show that they will sell at a discounted price if you buy the dress that day. Although they won’t have the same selection as they do at their shop, you will find that nearly every bridal shop in town is represented and you will get a feel for what they have. Who knows...you could walk out with an affordable designer wedding dress! Many shops also run drawings at the bridal show – you could win the wedding dress of your dreams for free!


• End of season and sample sales at bridal shops can bring incredible discounts on the most beautiful gowns available. Ask the bridal shop when they have their clearance sales – most will occur once or twice a year, generally as the wedding season comes to a close towards fall, and again when the winter wedding gowns are being cleared out. These sales are often very busy and competitive, and you will probably need to arrive early in order to get a chance at the best selection of affordable wedding gowns. It may be well worth it, however, as discounts can be as much as 50% or more.

4The Right Fit

While shopping online can help you find great discount prices on wedding gowns, it is important to remember that you will not be able to try them on until they arrive. A good plan is to visit several bridal shops, get the name and style number of the wedding gowns you like, and then try to find the same gown or very similar for less online. This will allow you to try on the dress before you order online to prevent having to pay costly return shipping – gowns can weigh a lot!

5Save Money on Your Wedding Dress by Hiring a Seamstress

Having a wedding gown made can be a great way to save money if you purchase the fabric, pattern and all the required notions yourself and then take the whole package to a reputable seamstress. Unlike having a dress custom made by a bridal salon, hiring a seamstress and shopping for everything yourself will bring big savings, and allow you to pick the gown of your dreams from the many patterns available.

6Affordable Wedding Accessories

Bridal accessories like your veil and shoes can also be very pricey. These things can certainly also be found second-hand however; if you purchase a gown from a bridal shop, don’t be afraid to ask them to throw in accessories for free when you purchase your gown. For these shops, the gown is usually the big ticket item, so you can often get a great deal or even pay nothing for a pair of shoes or a veil.

Making your veil yourself is another great option for affordable wedding accessories and not really all that difficult to do. Most sewing stores will have everything you need, and with step-by-step instructions, you can put together a beautiful and personal veil and headpiece that will be a true family heirloom.

7Hand-Me-Down Wedding Dresses

Speaking of family heirlooms, having a gown that was worn by a parent, grandparent or other family member tailored or changed a little bit to work for you is another way to get a beautiful and affordable wedding dress with special meaning. A lot of people pay large sums for vintage wedding gowns – find out if there is one collecting dust in an attic or basement; usually a good dry cleaning and a few alterations are all that will be needed to make the dress work for you.

Your wedding dress should make you feel like a princess, but if you don’t happen to have the bank account of royalty, you can still look and feel fabulous. You are only going to wear that wedding dress for one day, so shop around and get a great deal so that you have some money left to start your new married life.