Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Whether you are a platinum bride or a budget bride, when you spend less, you can make more of your dream come true:). You can put the money in the bank, finance your first home or take a more extravagant honeymoon. Where you put your savings is up to you but here are some tips on saving money on your bridal gowns.

Couture Gown Savings

1) Save on designer gowns at trunk shows and sample sales

A trunk show is when the designer comes to a local store or sends an enviable quantity of their gowns to a local store for brides to see, real life in person . This is a great time for you to see the dresses in person versus having to order them unseen, which is customary. AND, nearly every trunk show offers savings for brides who order their gown that day. This is one of the BEST ways to get the gown of your dreams for 10-15% less.

Bridal salons offer sample sales on gowns they usually plan to discontinue. These dresses have been tried on by other girls but with a good cleaning - it’s like new. Oakwood Cleaners specializes in cleaning and altering bridal gowns - from $500 gowns to $20,000 gowns. In fact, they are the only couture cleaner in Nashville. They are also eco-friendly. (Wonder if my leather coat is ready yet - need to call and check.)

Here are a few sample sales that you SHOULD consider:

- The Bride Room is having a HUGE sample sale this Sunday at 11am sharp, selling dresses off the floor & discounts on re-orders. Please note - They are extending the deepest discounts ever and expect a LARGE turn out. Oakwood Cleaners have extended a generous rate for cleaning the sample gowns and also for alterations through their expert seamstress. Bottom line - if you haven’t found your dress, you need to be there.
- They are also offering 10% off any purchases Thanksgiving weekend.

- Faccio Bridal is hosting an early bird sample sale Sat, Nov 28 8-10 am. Special perks for special ordering that day too! No appointments necessary.

last week was their Rivini trunk show. girls - you couldn’t gotten this dress…for less!:)

2) Save by buying pre-owned wedding dresses

Local stores - the Nashville area has a few used wedding gown stores like Memories Consignment in Hermitage and Encore Bridal (encorebridalandformalwear.com) in Murfreesboro, which sells new and nearly new wedding dresses.

Memories Consignment (above) - where an ABG bride (below), bought her pre-owned wedding dress

Encore Bridal in Murfreesboro, TN

Online - be careful. There are some great deals out there BUT there are also lots of scams. If you buy on Craigslist, only buy locally - with someone that you can meet, see the dress. DO NOT BUY without seeing the gown as there are sooo many scammers on that site. Ebay is another option but again, beware.

There are a few sites devoted to used wedding dresses, like preownedweddingdresses.com.

3) Save by hiring a custom designer

When I spoke with Designs by Sara Marie and learned that many of her bridesmaid dresses range from $100-150 (and look great) I thought this was a great idea for bridesmaids. She also does custom bridal gowns and can create a design based on your desires (which could include budget).

I know that Beth, a Nashville newlywed who had one of my favorite weddings of 2008, wanted a designer gown but didn’t want to pay the designer cost. She contacted Maria Elena Bishop, of Romantic Creations, who was able to create her custom gown for less.

I hope I’ve given you some great ways to save on your perfect wedding dress. Don’t forget the upcoming sample sales and special incentives. Happy shopping!!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 1:28 am and is filed under Bride - Budget-DIY, Bride - Luxe, Bridal Gowns / Wedding Dresses, Daily Scoop. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.