Wedding Curiosity

My gorgeous $2000 wedding dress is now in storage in my garage, vacuum sealed. (Bought ten years ago.) I think my divorce cost less. Kinda gross, huh?

I spent 800. It was absolutely perfect.

Maggie Sottero.

http://www.maggiesottero.com/

The dress & the photographer were my two BEST spent expenses.

My dress will not end up being cheap as much as I would like to keep it down, but I basically have to have it made for me, I am 6'2 and have not found any company that tailors to tall brides. It is a ways off for me so I am not so focused on it but I imagine I will be spending about 1000 to 1500 on the dress not to mention the accessories.

I spent a grand total of $5.35 on my wedding dress. I worked at a fabric store at the time and made my wedding dress as a "model garment," meaning it was on display for 3 months after I made it. In return for its display, I only had to pay the sales tax on the fabric and notions.

Have fun!

I went to several very upscale boutiques to try on dresses. Mostly for the fun of it but if I had seen something under $1,500 that I LOVED, I might have been tempted. Fortunately, the two I loved were $3,500 and $10,000 and so it wasn't even an option. Ah but they were soooo fun to try on!

I went to a less exclusive boutique, showed them something from a bridal mag and they said "Well of course we have it but you know, that design was released last year." As if I cared! = ). Anyhow, the upshot is I got a great dress, exactly what I wanted for <$500.

$275 off the clearance rack! It was alot of money for me but alot less money than my friends were spending on their dresses at the time. I was so hooked on the price that I forgot how much I really wanted a strapless gown. I didn't get a strapless gown that I wanted but atleast I'm not still paying for an expensive strapless dress 8 years later because I paid cash for my clearance rack dress.

I think my dress was around $300 for the religious ceremony with family. Six months earlier my husband and I were married by the justice of the peace in a library and I just wore a church dress (on a college break, just the two of us, "craziest" thing I ever did). I could not imagine spending more than that on a dress, and would have been happy with something for a lot less, but at the time I wasn't finding anything. I think some places have bridesmaid dresses that come in white and are quite lovely, though.

My husband mentioned that show to me and I didn't believe him, so we found it online and were in hysterics. We were also a little nausteated by how much people spend. To each his or her own, but I would rather have a car paid off than an expensive dress, but settled for a lower-priced dress, car payments, AND the best man I could have married. :) I hope your sister has a lovely wedding!

Well, here are two atypical answers: years ago, my partner and I had a handfast; I wore a vintage dress I loved that I found at the Goodwill in the bins, so I think it was about $1 or so. Add some cute fancy flower flip-flops, which were $14 or so at Nordstrom Rack. When we officially got married, I wore a black nursing tank ($40), a pretty bluevintage sweater ($12), a vintage pearl flower pin ($7) a red plaid Goodwill skirt ($4) and black leggings ($20) and my clogs. Oh, and the $125 Beco carrier, because our son was present and wee tiny. This is an unusual example, but I wanted to share because those outfits are still special to me. I'll never part with my handfast dress, even if I don't fit it any more! I understand that some women might like a fancy dress wedding, but it just wasn't us and other than the flip-flops, everything else was already in the closet. Does this lower your average?:)

I watch that show too!
I love the whole bridal thing.
I got married in Oregon and found my perfect dress in Portland....after hours of trying.
Price really was no object, although I never would have gone overboard. I just couldn't find anything that seemed to suit me. Finally, the owner of the store asked if I would be offended if he brought me something from the "clearance" rack. He said he had the perfect dress and he was right!
It was only on clearance because it was a very small size and when I put it on....I just knew it was for me. It was stunning with lots of hand beading. It was $300 and in Oregon....no tax!
It left so much money for other things and I wouldn't change a thing. My husband and mother-in-law didn't see the dress until I walked down the aisle. (She wanted to be surprised). I know they were both wondering what the heck kind of dress I was got for $300.
If I do say so myself, I looked like a million bucks in that dress.
My mother-in-law cried her head off.
My husband was speechless.

I got the perfect dress and it just happened to be very expensive, but a great deal.

The dress that makes you feel beautiful is worth finding at any price.
Best wishes to your sister!

It will be interesting to see your other answers.

I bought my wedding dress at David's Bridal during one of their $99 dress sales. I was pregnant at the time of my wedding - and my mom (who is an amazing seamstress) turned the train of my dress into a baptism outfit for my son once he was born.
Honestly, I couldn't imagine spending a ton of money on a dress that I would be wearing only once!
I understand people want their wedding day to be wonderful and special... but I don't think you have to spend a lot of money on a dress to make the day great. It should be more about the fact that you're getting married and celebrating with friends/family rather than what you're wearing... but that's just my opinion.
I had 3 flower girls and 2 ringbearers - they all were under 10 years old - then my husband walked into our reception wearing a Darth Vader mask. My dress was really the last thing on my mind the whole day!

I went to a close out odds and ends store to buy some baskets, and found a rack of wedding dresses from a fire sale. Found the silouette I wanted, in my size, no alterations needed and all for $98.00, marked down from $750.00 Bought it on the spot. This was over 20 years ago! Best deal I ever found, other than the husband, who I get to see everyday. The dress is still in my closet, cleaned, but did not bother to preserve it.

M.

i spent about $800 post buying it, taxes and alterations. shoes and veil were about $50 more. to relate it to the overall budget, we ended up about $7000 total including a $2000 honeymoon, but not including the engagement ring. we did very well and cut corners where we could but kept the things that mattered to us.

Both of my weddings were in the summer and both times I bought gorgeous little sundresses for about 40 bucks..... and wore them over and over until they were frayed. Now they are both in a bag in my trunk of "stuff to be savored later".

I can't remember exactly, I know my dress was somewhere between 100 and 300.. I only looked at dresses on clearance at David's Bridal. My husband and I paid for our wedding ourselves and had a gorgeous, intimate wedding in a botanical garden with about 25 guests. I hired a live harpist to play music. Our reception had a live DJ - he is my best friends husband. I found photographers on a forum I am a part of and they did our shoot for next to nothing to build their portfolio. It couldn't have been more perfect -- nature provided the beauty. All told our wedding was about $2500, (NOT including rings) and we had our honeymoon in Jamaica.

My parents offered they would either pay for the wedding, or help with a down payment on a house. We took the advance for a house and did a small, lovely wedding we could afford. No regrets.

We did not do a traditional wedding and I did not buy a wedding dress bc I did not want one. Also, at the time we were poor grad students and we did not have any parents who were willing to pay for anything so it was out of our own pockets. I guess I'm too practical. Personally, I think it's an insane tradition to spend so much on weddings but to each their own!

I do special events and there is a group of people that do spend $1000. or more on their gowns, but they would not surprise you. They have money and they purchase clothing at full price and do not have to budget like the rest of us.

I have also sold Wedding gowns before and they were actually sewn at the companies of these designers, specifically for these brides. They were measured and not tried on by anyone else. Some of them were magnificent and are definitely heirloom quality.

That said I still loved my Sample wedding gown. It retailed for $1200. back in 1981, was on sale and with my discount I paid $149. It looked like hell on the hanger I tried it on as a joke, but it was amazing..

My Stepmother married my dad last year and had a large amount she was willing to spend.. But ended up with a perfect dress from Davids Bridal for $100. It was wonderful. She was able to purchase 3 weeding cakes! Hee,hee.. priorities..

Hehehe...my dress cost $150 off of eBay. Because I had a temple wedding, we had to find a dress with a relatively high neckline, back line, floor length and sleeves. It's hard to do! Shortly after I met my fiance (but WELL before he asked me to marry him) my mother came across The Perfect Dress on eBay. It was used...which was why it was so cheap. (However, by "used" they meant that a model had worn it once down a runway!)

Be creative...I'm glad that we used that dress!!! If my mother will ever give it back to me (she thinks she can talk my little sister into wearing it, too. haha!) I will cut it up to make a dress for my daughter when she gets baptized in a few years.

Take care!

my whole wedding including food was about $1000. I made my own dress and that cost about 350 for everything on it/in it.

S.

My total wedding expenses were $275 but that was 35 years ago. I was pregnant and did not feel right wearing a wedding gown so I bought a cute formal with white back ground a blue ribbon belt and an overlay of organza with multi colored pansies flocked on the dress. My sister in law to be made my veil. We had a 3 tiered cake and got married at our church so there was no fee. The reception was in the lower level of the church. My maid of honor and Sister in law to be decorated the church. Flowers were 2 bouquets and 3 boutonnieres. I didn't but corsages for mother and mother in law since my mother refused to attend. She disowned me. I should add we are still married and my sister who spent thouands for each of her 3 weddings is currently divorced.

I spent $3000 on my wedding total...that included a 7 night stay at a beach house right on the beach...a seafood feast...the ceremony...the cake....flowers...candles...twinkle lights....$700 of that was dress, slip, necessary push-up awesome bra, vail and shoes!

Ahhh...that was such a fun family time!

I spent $300 on mine b/c I was able to wear the one they had in stock with a few alterations. It was the perfect dress for me and you will know when you find your perfect dress too! It doesn't have to be thousands of dollars ~ it just has to make you feel like a million dollars!!

My wedding dress was $400. It was new at a bridal store but on a discount rack. It fit me wonderfully and was the exact dress that I wanted. I couldn't imagine spending more than that since it is only one day but I loved it.

I went shopping for a dress with the intention of finding something my mother could copy. We found a beautiful dress with a $1500 price tag and my mother was able to recreate it for about $500 (we splurged on the fabric!) At the time, I had no regrets about it. It was the perfect dress and the perfect price at the time. Eleven years later...I'd probably spend less. They are lots of lovely dresses out there for just a few hundred dollars and would probably want to spend the money I save elsewhere.

Ispent $300 at BCBG...grat dress, don't buy into the wedding industry's ploy to get you to spend so much.

$60 on the first and $90 on the second. :) I am an expensivve person.

Mine was about 400... I regretted it. I really wanted something very simple, like a pretty vintage gown, but was talked into getting something fuller. You can actually get beautiful gowns for a lot less now.

i spent $100 on mine last year at davids bridal sale. since i wanted to add flare to my dress i bought a red sash to go with the dress and i only paid $40 for that

I made mine and it cost less than a hundred and I thought that was a lot!

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I search around and found a wedding shop that was going out of business. I got my dress for 75% off, and paid around $200 for it. I loved it. I took it to a seamstress and had it take up so it no longer had a train and was about an inch off the ground so I could dance easier, and that cost me another $30. I could not have been more pleased. I stored my own dress for cheap as well. Just get acid free tissue paper, I got mine at the same dry cleaners that cleaned my dress, wrap in up, box it, and than bag it, using a vacuum to suck out all the air.

I think I spent only $350 on my dress. That does not include shoes or the skirt that goes underneath. I think the total was about $500. I can't imagine spending more on a dress than that.

I spent $100 and still have the gorgeous dress. Weddings are an industry like everything else in this country. Marriage is not about a huge party. My wedding costed $2000 total with lots of people (everyone we know) in a beautiful garden with awesome food and music by friends.

I have seen the most beautiful weddings outdoors on a mountain meadow.
My son, cellist, Oliver Aldort, was the musician on one such wedding (playing cello). They sat him on a rock in front of a beautiful view... nature is much nicer than ball rooms.

Many people these days make their wedding pot luck. It is about being with the people in your life and celebrating. Not about spending.

Look for a bridal discount boutiques..I bought a gorgeous, 100% silk dress with real pearls hand sewn on the bodice. Brand new, it was $3000, I paid $350, then $80 to alter. BTW, that was up in the Seattle area - so I'm sure Portland will have a few choices.

I spent $1000.00 all together. That includes the dress ($699.99), boustier, petty coat, shoes, hair piece, necklace and earrings.
That marriage ended in divorce and I sold my dress to my best friends sister for 300 bucks. She didn't have to do a thing because it was professionaly cleaned and we are exactly the same size. The shoes were only worn down the aisle then i kicked them off. The hair piece I still have because its pretty and I still have the jewelry as well.
My next wedding dress, probably no where near that much. =) I love that show too, some of the dresses are stunning, but way tooo expensive. Congrats to your sister!

I think I spent about $400 total on mine (that included alterations). Nothing irks me more than the women spending thousands upon thousands on dresses. You are going to wear it for ONE day!!! Plus, I have noticed that the people who had the most extravagant weddings (and dresses that cost an arm and a leg) are often the ones who are unhappily married and/or divorced. Maybe there is some sort of correlation... ;) Congratulations to your sister!

20 years ago I spent around $500 including alterations, garter, and veil. If you need a 5 or 10 thousand dollar dress to feel beautiful or loved, then I think you have issues that getting married just are not going to fix.

For our daughter we held a huge fancy wedding at a country club which was rented out to non members at the time.
The dress cost $350. and it was exceptionally beautiful.

My mom made my dress- it was $50 for the material- very simple and elegant and beautiful! My husband and I were working in Alaska before we got married- so that is where we got married. We paid $35 for the marriage license and my dad was able to fly up and preform the ceremony- he's not even clergy! But in Alaska, as long as you have approval by a judge before hand, anyone can preform the ceremony.
My husbands suit cost around $100 I think(it was 11 yrs ago) so less then $200. My sister's friend who lived in Alaska at the time made us a cake and my parents treated everyone to a nice dinner after the wedding. I think we had about 12 people there! We got married in front of a lake- it was perfect for us! I wouldn't have done it any other way!
The only thing was- we got married when we were 20- so no car company would rent us a car(you have to be 23) so my parents had to drive us the 6 hours to our honeymoon!!!!! it was a little awkward!
~C.

I spent $500 on my dress in 2004. That didn't include alterations, slip, veil or shows. That was what in my budget range. I tried not to look at dresses that were a lot more expensive. If I hadn't found a dress that I was happy with in my price range, I would have looked a little higher but there were tons of options in my range and I loved my dress. Oh, and I bought my dress in NYC, which actually may have given me more options.

Updated

I spent $500 on my dress in 2004. That didn't include alterations, slip, veil or shows. That was what in my budget range. I tried not to look at dresses that were a lot more expensive. If I hadn't found a dress that I was happy with in my price range, I would have looked a little higher but there were tons of options in my range and I loved my dress. Oh, and I bought my dress in NYC, which actually may have given me more options.

Total I spent about $1000 that included:
-dress $440 (trunk sale)
-alterations $100 (family friend)
-shoes $50
-veil/headpiece $300 (my dad paid for that)
-undergarments $50
-jewelry $50

that was 3 years or so ago and I still adore everything I picked =)

My dress was $700, I tried it on before I saw the price. It was a little more then I wanted to spend, but I LOVED it and it was gorgeous. We paid for our own wedding, so I guess it's what you feel a dress is worth costing you out of your budget. I was willing to cut some corners elsewhere. But in the end it didnt make a difference. I never felt better that day!
I dont know how people justify thousands of dollars. They are either wealthy or mommy and daddy are!
I would tell your sister to set a budget, then she can have a better idea of what can be spent on the dress!

I bought a dress from JCrew for $200. Two months later I found out I was pregnant with my first...we postponed the wedding ceremony until about 6 months after I gave birth. My original dress did not fit the same as before :) So I bought another dress from Dilliard's for $130. Neither dresses were traditional wedding dresses. I would guess the dress probably averages a certian percent of the total cost of a wedding, so an expensive wedding calls for an expensive dress...and vice versa.

I spent around $400.

I knew the dress would only be worn once and then put into storage, so I just couldn't see spending a ton of money on it.

I absolutely loved my dress!

i only spent about $300... and it wasn't even a "true" wedding dress. it was ivory and sequined all the way down. i think i spent plenty... considering it hasn't been looked at since (7 1/2 years ago). guess it depends what you plan to do with it after... how sentimental you are

I saw a beautiful dress for $1,200 and thought about it, but then bought some lovely material for $250 and my mom made me a dress. I will never regret that. Besides, we needed the extra money for the extra long honeymoon we took!

I think mine was around $800. I loved it and think you can find a beautiful dress for hundreds. Although, there is a part of me who wishes I had gone all out and found a spectacular dress, even if it was a couple grand. The photos last a life time, so you want to look amazing. Look for classic styles and definitely go for a classic tux for the guy. That really begins to look dated even after only 9 years. lol.

I spent $350.00 on mine. My dad paid for it and thats about all he could afford. It was the perfect dress for me. I never felt like I was cheated out of something else. In fact when I see how much other women spend I think, wow! Mine was just as gorgeous and it only cost 350!

I think its about the feeling you get when you slip it on, not the price tag.

18 years ago, I spent a total of $950 for the complete outfit (dress, veil -which was made for me, undergarments, shoes, fittings). My budget was $1,000 so I guess I did allright. I had friends that were spending much more than me at the time.

I made my dress, knit gloves, and added lace and beading to a hat (hey it was the 80's and hats were in). Total cost was about $100.00 and everything is sitting in my closet. I'd probably be unhappy if it costs me several thousand and was sitting in my closet.

My daughter's dress was from a bridal consignment store for $125.00.

I was a single parent with a ten year old when I first met the man I loved enough to marry... and as he had been married before, we had no desires for a large event. I think it is really a waste, all the money spent on lavish weddings. I spent less than $200 on my dress, which was lovely - I found it at a bridal shop. It was not technically a wedding dress... it is a pale silvery lavender color, but it fit me very well and I liked how it felt on and I bought it. He wore a matching tie. We had a smaller ceremony with our six kids and close friends and family, in a parlor suite at Skamania Lodge. We had about 200 candles glowing and it was intimate and perfect. Then we went on a Royal Caribbean Cruise for our honeymoon and THAT is worth the money! The dress may never be worn again... but the memories of that cruise vacation will be replayed over and over! My advice, have a nice low key wedding (can still be memorable and perfect) and spend the money on your honeymoon vacation! Or put the money towards your mortgage or pay off the car.... depends on how things are financially!

my dress was $ 600 at one of those wedding dress places in NYC, it was on clearance though, so I got a great deal(I think it was originally couple thousand)

I spent $600. If I'd had my wits about it, I probably would have gotten a marked-down off-white prom dress from a department store for less....

I spent about $500 or so on mine, I don't remember exactly, it may have been $550. It was about 10% of our total wedding budget of $5000. I don't regret the money I spent at all, but the dress also came in red, which I really wanted and let my mom talk me out of. I wish I had stuck with the red gown.
I'm also hooked on Say Yes to the Dress, and am constantly shocked at how much people spend on their dresses.

The wedding industry capitalizes on the emotional nature of the day in order to charge crazy prices for wedding items. Most wedding dresses would cost half (or less) of what they do if they weren't being marketed as wedding dresses. It kind of makes me sick.

That said, I did want a lovely wedding dress to wear, but I was determined not to buy into the bridal hype. I went to an upscale wedding shop, and found my perfect dress for about $900. I went home, went to the designers website, looked up other local vendors, and found a little hole-in-the-wall shop in Woodburn that mostly catered to Russian brides that had the dress for $279. Yeah! I also shopped around for a seamstress to do the alterations. I got a couple of quotes for hemming that were more than the dress (seriously!), but finally found someone to do it for $70.

I think it's important to feel like you look gorgeous on your wedding day, but you don't have to spend a ton to do it. I have a friend who spent over $4,000 on her dress a few years ago. She's in the middle of a divorce now, and wishes she'd saved the $.

I spent less than $100 at Macy's. My daughter bought hers at a David's Bridal sale for $200. It was nearly an exact copy of one that she'd drawn and really wanted. I never wore mine and my daughter is divorced. Her dress is hanging in my closet, still waiting, 7 years later, to be decided about what to do with it.

My philosophy is that a successful and fun wedding should be the prelude to a successful marriage. The dress is so unimportant to both. There are many really beautiful dresses in which to have fun. And.......the money may help provide what is needed in a successful marriage. Statistics say that finances is listed as a major cause of divorce. Is the expensive dress the beginning of financial pressure?

I wish that all brides focused more on their relationship than they do on their dress. There is a balance there and I praise those who find it!

I've only seen "Say Yes to the Dress" once. Is the program advocating a splurge or one that the groom chooses, or ?

Mine was $750 and it really was the dress of my dreams. My limit was $1000, just because that's all we could afford and I couldn't justify more on a dress I'd wear once - even if it WAS for my wedding!

14 years ago I spent about $400 on my dress. I never cared much about the big fantasy wedding. I'm just not that type. I didn't have a train or anything... but the alterations cost me 25% of the cost of my dress. (I was JUST BARELY needing the next size up. If I had known then what I know now... I would have opted to order the next size down instead of having all the alterations done. Nobody would have known and it would've saved me $100.) But I listened to the person at the bridal store... oh well...
I had a simple beaded fitted dress. I paid another $100 or so to have it "antique boxed" or whatever they call it. It is in the bottom of my closet. My daughter will never wear it, so I don't really know why I did that....

But, hubby and I are happy 14 years later, so who cares?! I suppose if the bride is "into" all the big flashy wedding stuff and has dreamed about that day her whole life, then it makes sense to spend a lot of money to make that dream come true. But for me, it was about marrying the MAN of my dreams.. not having the WEDDING of my dreams. That just lasts an hour or two at best, plus the reception. Big woop. I know I'm not the "norm", but again, I say "Who cares?" We spent the $ we "saved" by not having an over the top wedding on our honeymoon (10 days in New Zealand! WOW. We made so many memories there! Ever plunged over/down a 20ft waterfall while whitewater rafting in the middle of nowhere? We did. And will always remember.. that and other experiences we couldn't have had anywhere else.) Still want to go back again one day...)

It's all about the couples' priorities.

My dress was $800, and once all the accessories were added it was around $1200. Accessories included my veil, tiara, shoes, bra, and alterations.

I spent $800 and then $160 on alterations. I loved my dress and I'm happy I got it, but I made the mistake of trying on a dress out of my price range ($500). Maybe that's some advice you can give your sister, don't try on dresses you can't afford. I thought I spent a fortune on my dress. However, 2 friends and I got married within 8 weeks of one and other, the one spent $4000 on her dress, and the other spent $6000. I remember I was talking to the one that spent $6000 and we were talking about getting cheap white shoes because we won't wear them again. I went to Payless and got mine on sale for $15. She got Jimmy Chos, that were $300+. I guess we have different ideas of cheap. My friend got a great deal at the Running of the Brides in DC. She got a $2000 dress for $600. Check Filene's Basement online and see if they are doing a Running of the Brides near you.

Mine was $700 but after alterations $900. I do think you can find awesome deals that will not cost you even this much. I do think it's worth spending the money - it's your day, the focus is on you and you want to feel beautiful. If I was to do it again I would probably give myself a the same budget ($1000 or less). :)

I had a great wedding that I tried to do as inexpensively as possible (still cost $12,000 - it's tough to do a cheap wedding when you both have huge families). I spent $90 on my dress. I thought spending huge amounts of money on a dress I was going to wear once was ridiculous. I also suggest telling the bridesmaid's to go buy a black dress, whatever style they want, and then accent with your colors. I am so glad that I didn't spend more on my dress.

I spent a little over $1000 at David's Bridal and years later, I STILL think my dress was the most beautiful I've ever seen (And I watch SYTTD too - my dress was just as pretty as those $10,000 dresses!)

I spent 1100 at the snooty bridal shop. I loved the dress, though she showed me one that was similar, a sample for only $400. My husband insisted I keep it, though I would like to have the space in my closet and I would like others to be able to wear it.
I am short and overweight. I honestly wish the saleswoman had been more blunt and told me about a more flattering style that was not so hot and weighed much less. I had trouble dragging the train around in a tiny, cramped reception hall. It actually ripped slightly from being stepped on.

crazy $3,000 for my daugher's wedding. it was lovely though and she married the best man alive so I'm happy.

Mine was $900 at David's Bridal...waaaaaay more than I wanted to spend and there were several others that were a lot cheaper that I liked okay, but this dress was "THE ONE" for me and I have no regrets at all. My kids and future grandkids will see me in that wedding dress every time they look at our wedding pictures, even after we're dead and gone...that makes it all worthwhile.

I spent $750 on my dress. I paid for the dress, but my parents were nice enough to pay for the rest of the wedding. I think their cost for the wedding was about $3500. I went to a lot of stores and tried on dresses, and did not find anything that had that "this is the dress" feeling. I didn't pay attention to the price-tag to dresses when I was trying them on, because none of them were what I wanted. Then I saw my dress in the window at a little bridal store, and knew it was the “one”. It was the last dress I tried on at the store, and I just loved it. I was not used to spending 100s of dollars on anything, but I felt that it was worth it to have the dress I wanted for my wedding. I defiantly would not have spent over $1000 on a dress, though. The only thing about the wedding that I wished we had spent more on was photography. I had a friend do the pictures who did it as a hobby, and I really wish I had hired a professional. All of our wedding pictures have shadows, and some are hard to see. So just a note not to skimp on the photography. You only get to do the pictures once.

I spent less than $1000 and would have paid much less if I'd found a dress I liked as much or if we didn't have some financial help.

$1400, though it was $1900 & I talked them down. I loved it and felt beautiful. I had friends who spent much, much more, but I have wondered the same thing about the show!

I spent around $800 on my wedding dress and around $200 to have sleeves added to it. That was 10 years ago. I watch those wedding dress shows and can't believe how much people waste on dresses. So many more important things in life you can spend money on. Mine has been in a bag in a closet for 10 years. I loved the dress and think I budgeted appropriately for us. I would definitely not be spending thousands on a dress I'd wear one day only.

Hi there ... I spent about $350.00 on my dress. And I couldn't have been happier with it. It was a beautiful dress and, as they say "when I tried it on, I just knew." I had tried on about 10 - 15 other more expensive dresses and just couldn't find the right one. Then I tried this dress on and fell in love (without even looking at the price tag). When I did, I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was so inexpensive compared to the others I had tried on. I think it is all relative and that your sister should just find a dress that she loves and not base that on how expensive the dress is. Good luck and congratulations to you and your family!

I spent $100 at a David's Bridal sale.

I spent 895.00 at a designers showroom in NYC. Michelle of Australia was the designer. I am glad I didn't spend an outrageous amount like 5,000 for a few hours of wearing. My wedding was in '97.

I wore my grandmother's sleeveless v-neck, v-back satin ivory wedding dress and spent $70 having it specially cleaned and another $45 or so having a hidden zipper put in the side. I think it's silly to spend thousands of dollars on something (ANYTHING) that you're going to wear once for about 6 hours. Splurge on your honeymoon trip or better yet use it to pay down your mortgage or use it for a downpayment on a house.

For my wedding dress.... I spent $150... from a wedding boutique "sale" rack.
It was fitted for me... and it was perfect. I LOVED it and so did my Husband.
I then had gloves and the veil of course.
It was just lovely... and I was very happy with it.
And a lot of people, complimented me on it.

The price tag of a wedding dress, will not make a bride happier or not.
It is how much you like the dress... price has nothing to do with it. But pride does.

All the best,
Susan

I bought mine at JC Penney's for about $350 twenty six years ago! Back then that was a fortune to me and it took me awhile to save up for it. It was beautiful and everyone else thought so as well. :-)

I love, love, love my wedding dress. I paid $1200 for it. It was one of a kind. It was supposed to be much more but I found some less expensive fabric and they made it out of that for me. I love it.
We had 2 weddings one in Seattle and one in Australia for my family so I wore it twice. I guess you could say it really only cost $600...lol
I wouldn't change a thing even though it is in a box in the attic. It was beautiful.

I spent around $350 on my dress and $100 for alterations. (don't get them altered, at the store! They charge crazy amounts.) It was more then I wanted to spend, but I had a really hard time finding dress I loved in a smaller size. And...I was incredibly naive about how much wedding dresses really cost! I only tried on 3 dresses and the third was the charm!! One of my co-workers commented on how my dress looked just like her daughter's dress. Her daughter's dress was over $5,000! My dress was from Alfred Angelo.

I spent $349 on mine this summer. I loved it, although I don't feel like I got $349 usage out of it, but it was worth it..... Maybe I will clean house in it!! HA!

I got married 10 years ago and I spent $700. I was lucky and didn't need any alterations. I thought it was reasonable considering the price of some of the dresses I tried on. I would have loved to spend less, but once I tried it on...I knew it was mine. I think it all depends on how much you can afford and finding the dress that is "the one". My advice, do not even try on dresses that are not in your price range.....that is asking for trouble.

We got my dress at a JC Penneys outlet store. Paid $115 and about $75 for alterations. That was 23 years ago. I hated it when I bought it but I was paying for it myself. So it was what I could afford. When my daughter got married we got her dress at a wedding dress store. It was a $2500 dress that was a left over from a couple seasons past. It was $100 bucks. It was beautiful needed no alterations and we paid cash and walked out with it. She hated it lol. That marriage lasted exactly 18 months just enough time to have 2 babies. She married several years later and got the dress she wanted. It was about $1100 it was also beautiful but it just hangs in the back of one of my closets.

I spent about $200 at David's Bridal. I absolutely loved my dress & wouldn't trade it for the world. I think my husband & I spent for our whole wedding only about $5,000 as we got married outside on a gazebo on a ranch about a half hour outside of Vegas. We bought a house instead of the crazy huge wedding. Perfect!! :-)

A $899 dress and I paid $175 off the rack. Who cares if others tried it on! LOL.

I spent $300 and I wish I would have borrowed a dress....My dress has been hanging in my closet for 19 years...LOL