I don’t want to shock you but my commitment to my marriage, my husband and making our wedding day memorable for all (but mostly us) wasn’t really affected by the fact that I wore a $300 dress.
I bloody loved my dress, a Wayne Cooper off the rack number.
Although I never endeavoured to look like ‘a princess, or Hollywood starlet’…I was aiming for ‘upmarket me’ I felt amazing and it had nothing to do with the price tag on my wedding dress and to be honest if ASOS and their online counterparts were selling wedding dresses three years ago, I would have been in like Flynn with that stuff.
Buying a ‘cheaper gown’ for me didn’t mean that I was less committed to the day because I didn’t spend an amount comparable to purchasing a small car on a dress that I was only going to wear for 7 ½ hours. When we got engaged and started planning our wedding, we decided that getting into debt for a party, for us, simply wasn’t an option.
I like holidays, and eating, and being able to pay rent.
A big factor for me when dress shopping was avoiding the cookie cutter gown. I actual bought a gown on a whim on a work trip to the US at David’s Bridal, it was pretty, it was off the shoulder, it had pockets, but I spent four months trying to find a way to feel comfortable in it. I tried to imagine myself dancing and being me without hitching it up and having a small bosom explosion. I purchased fancy and terribly uncomfortable bras, boleros and snazzy cardigans and belts until I came to the conclusion that quite frankly I think strapless gowns can look pretty mediocre on most people. I ditched the gown and called my bestie one Sunday morning three weeks before our wedding and we hit the shops. As soon as I zipped up my future dress, I was lunging in the shop, testing out my dance moves and feeling amaze.
Seeing the amazing array of affordable wedding dresses online blows my mind. We have so many options. It’s mental. No one…and let me say that again NO ONE is going to know or care about how much you spend and where you purchased your wedding dress (nor do they care about chair covers but that is for another article).
NO ONE CARES.
Hear me?
Watch: How much should a wedding dress cost? Post continues below.
My personal theory is that many pricey bridal gowns, like our cosmetics, are probably manufactured in the same place by the same people but are given snazzier labels.
The price of something like a wedding dress is relative.
And you know what, I LOVE the freedom of buying 10 dresses on ASOS and trying them on in the comfort of your own home without a bridal shop person potentially making you feel inadequate about your body/dress/budget choices.If you don’t like them, then post them back. Buy a simple gown and add some kick arse accessories to it, spend more on shoes that you’ll wear over and over again.
Or how about renting your wedding dress?
The cost per wear ratio of a wedding dress is pretty low, with the average bride wearing her gown for 6-8 hours, it doesn’t give you a bunch of time to enjoy your big purchase in the long term.
