Craigslist Wedding Dress?

fitniknik

Let me just start off by saying, the idea of spending a ton of money on one day makes me feel ill. What are your thoughts on a previously used wedding dress?

For that matter, does anyone have any ideas on how to do a "budget friendly" wedding?(I still want to have the dance and the dinner and the family there)

I would really appreciate if there was no rude or insensitive comments on this thread. Thanks!

CCSunlight

I say go for it, as long as you still feel good in the dress. It's not about wearing the most expensive dress you can afford. Try The Knot's forums, a lot of times brides who have recently gotten married are selling things that they don't need anymore.

getsveltEagain

I have heard that somepeople rent their dress... I personally don't know if it is anything more than rumors but it could be true if you look into it.

Eve53

I am all for going cheap on my wedding day! I don't think that it cheapens the sentiment at all. But it just goes to show that you're more concerned about saving for your future together than being showy on that one day. My idea for my wedding is an outdoor picnic of sorts, in a local park. If they have a pavilion you can still have the dancing and everything. There are a TOOON of websites about different ideas for DIY wedding decor. It's all so cute. My dream wedding is all DIY.

PS. I'm so for the frugal wedding that I told my boyfriend that I don't even want an engagement ring, I think it's an antiquated custom and spending all of that money on a ring is irresponsible. I'd rather he put that money towards something useful like a down payment on a place for us to live together.

Bahet

I think it's a wonderful idea. My sister got married in 1991. I got married in 1993. I wore her dress. Even better, I gave her my old bridesmaid dress from her wedding, our other sister wore the bridesmaid dress she used for that wedding, and my best friend wore the bridesmaid dress she wore for her father's wedding the previous summer that just happened to have the same color and a very similar style.

My sister got divorced a few years later and for her 2nd wedding 11 years ago she rented a dress.

kykykenna

I bought my dress and the thing didnt even get cleaned after......and it is still shoved in a bag in the back of the closet....LOL....it is YOUR day....dont add more stress by conforming....do what YOU want. Congrats!!!:)

ajbeans

I personally wouldn't mind it. I didn't go that route, but that's only because I got lucky and found a $600 dress that had a flaw, so I ended up paying $200 for the dress, the hoop slip, and a couple other accessories. I don't see anything wrong with a previously-loved wedding dress though. I would have looked for one of those if I hadn't gotten such a great deal.

ChristinelovesCraig

I sell Wedding gowns and I think it is a great idea to buy a gown that was previously worn. As long as it fits, it's in great shape and the price is right, I'd say go for it. But, I wouldn't buy it sight unseen. I would try it on before you purchase it with the right undergarments on (long line strapless bra and a petticoat if needed. Loving a gown and loving that same gown on you are two totally different things.

Do you have copy of the link so I can see the gown and tell you what it is worth?

PM me and I can give you some hints and some feedback.

Christine

jennajava

A lot of people do it. You can also rent one. Go for it!

Radiva

i purchased my dress preowned as well; spending so much on a dress you will only wear for a few hours is crazy (in my opinion)

trdy77

I bought my wedding dress on e bay for $150 (including shipping AND alterations). made our own invites, went to a floral warehouse (they usually have wedding packages) and we really lucked out on our photographer. we spent about $5000 on the entire day.

DixiedoesMFP

I think it is very smart that you would rather save your money for something a little more lasting.
Are there any consignment stores in your area? I have never been married, but I have seen some gorgeous wedding dresses at consignment stores very reasonably priced. Craigslist is just a little scary to me. You would have to be in someone's home, undressed, to try the dress on. YIKES!
My friend got married in the spring. She used the church gym for the reception - free and she got the tables and chairs for free. They also had white table cloths. We purchased massive amounts of red roses at the local warehouse club (Sam's) and made our own bouquets and flower arrangements. It was very simple, but looked very elegant, and didn't cost a lot.

dlsanderscott

I bought my wedding dress off Ebay and was very pleased with the outcome. Spent much less than I would have on a brand new dress. Good luck and Congrats on the upcoming wedding. Also, for cost-cutting measures trying making your own flowers and decorations. That is what I did. We didn't have a huge ceremony, but it was a nice one.

stephevers1227

I truly believe in recycling of all forms. We have freecycle here and I get a lot of stuff that way. We also go to goodwill and salvation army. My daughter is all excited to get these name brand jeans etc. and wants to brag about how cheap she gets them and i have to tell her not to tell her friends etc. She's like "why mom? it's just recycling" Love that girl!

cmoutarimoussa

I bought my dress and the thing didnt even get cleaned after......and it is still shoved in a bag in the back of the closet....LOL....it is YOUR day....dont add more stress by conforming....do what YOU want. Congrats!!!:)

My dress is the same way!!! LOL!!! exceot for i actually dont really know where it is!!! i say if you want to wear a used dress do it!!!! I kinda wish i had!!!!

jjclem07

I love watching Say Yes To The Dress, but I would never pay that much for a dress that usually, not always, is only going to be worn once. Most say but it is a day all about you and you should look your best. Whether you have a previously worn dress or a new one the day is going to be about you. No one needs to know that the dress was previously worn. All they will see is a beautiful bride.

Friends and family can help with food. (We did that for ours and it was better food then any other wedding I've been to).
Family friend took pictures
Friend of a friend did the cake.
We got married in the same place as the reception.
I made the flowers and arrangements. Mother made my dress. (Not what I wanted, but I can't have everything)
Total cost was around 2,000

Been married for 12 years now.

Good Luck to you!

catfish9

It isn't about the dress, or the cake, or how much money you spend. It's about you and your significant other making a commitment to each other, and bringing together those closest to you to help celebrate your love. There's no shame in Craigslisting, in my opinion. Congraulations!

tchrnmommy

Nothing wrong with it at all. Lots of people do it. It will still probably have to be altered to fit you perfectly. If you LOVE the dress who cares where it came from.

For a more cost effective wedding, look into places that do everything in one place. For example, when I got married in 2009, we did a small family & friends (about 100 people) at a local winery/restaurant. They had a beautiful outdoor setting and the officiant came to the place. Then everyone just stayed for dinner/reception catered by them too.

pixieakabigd

We did our wedding for about €6000 in total. I bought my wedding dress in a charity store, bridesmaids dresses on sale, bought the grooms suits for cheap as was more expensive to hire; asked a friend to make the cake, another to drive us to the venue, another to dj, another to decorate the church (gave them €100 to go to local flower market) and we booked the venue last minute so got a very good deal. The engagement ring was actually just a normal sapphire ring so didn't cost half as much. As soon as you mention 'wedding', it's funny how things triple in price!

atiffany1

I don't see anything wrong with that.. If I wasn't so picky on exactly what I wanted i would buy a previously owned gown too. I am going the cheaper side of things and am only spending just over 600 on my dress. I would never spend thousands on a dress though like some women do.. There are losts of ways to save money on a wedding by doing a lot of things yourself.

ChristinelovesCraig

The problem with renting one is having that "custom fit". You can't sew it to fit you perfectly. They will tape hem the dress and it will show wear and tear after time. There are some things that are worth saving money on but you will be looking at your pictures for the rest of your life and will want to love the way you looked on your wedding day. You can "cut the fat" on so many other things (invitations, limos, favors, cake, centerpieces, etc. ) but I think the gown, the DJ, the photographer and the food are the ones you and everyone else will remember the most.

Sparksfly

Jasmine's Bridal Shop!

http://www.jasminesbridalshop.com/

You can buy new, great quality, for a quarter of the price!

I am looking to buy a custom short dress.

Also, I am doing a destination wedding in Mexico. You could do the whole wedding for under 5K, and have some truly goregous pictures.

kaetmarie

my wedding was in august and my husband and i paid for it ourselves, so we did it very much on the cheap -- i got my dress from david's (it was a discontinued style), so it was cheaper than the same kind of dress in a current style. i've also heard that going to bridal shows and buying a dress displayed there is way cheaper (a friend of mine did this!) and her dress was GORGEOUS.

other ways we saved money ... we had our wedding on a friday night and got a discount on EVERYTHING from venues to vendors, just because it was an off-peak time. our photographer was just starting her business, so her prices were way lower than anyone else in the area and she gave us all the rights to her photographs ... we just had to write a testimonial! to save a little more, we didn't have dinner but had appetizers and desserts --a cake, cookie table, and candy table.

even though we have a little more money this year, i would still do everything the same way. our wedding was so much fun and i was so relaxed throughout the planning process. bottom line...it's YOUR day, so make sure you do it how you want. feel free to add me if you want! congrats on the engagement!!

Mom2rh

I had my wedding dress made. And I loved it. That may be a more economical way to go as well, especially if you do NOT want intricate beading or stuff.

meg7399

My friend saved ALOT of money by NOT buying real flowers. Instead she found some previously used amazing bouquets on ebay that we used. It worked perfectly!

DreamLittleDarling

Def do it that way! I bought my dress at a bridal shop and it was SO expensive... but that was the onyl big expense we had! And I have loaned my dress, veil, and tiara to 3 different friends for their wedding, so I've definitely gotten good use out of it for sure!

As far as a "cheap" wedding, it's absolutely doable! Aside from my expensive dress (my grandma bought it, she wouldn't NOT buy it, she actually picked it out too, it was amazing, grandma has awesome taste, LOL!) our wedding was very inexpensive and it was beautiful! I did all of the decorating myself with things I bought on clearance at Hobby Lobby and/or borrowed from friends. I actually used the beads my grandma uses on her Christmas tree as garland to decorate my archway (they are pearl pink and white, not Christmas-y LOL). It was a little time consuming I suppose, but it was well worth it for the money we saved! My dad and uncles barbecued, and my grandmothers and aunts all made a covered dish or dessert, and my sisters best friend made my cake and it was AMAZING! Total, not including my dress, we spent about $2100. Thats renting the hall, paying the preacher, DJ, and photographer, decorations, and food!

How I got my photographer so cheap... she's an awesome photographer, but she was just getting started and needed to build her portfolio. I agreed to let her use any of our photos she wanted for her website, ads, whatever... and she did our wedding (the entire day) for $250, and gave me a disk with a copywrite release so I was able to print all the photos myself.

Our "DJ" was just a guy with a laptop and thousands of songs, who happened to have some big speakers and a nifty light bar in his garage that he wasn't using. He wsan't busy that day so he did it for $50 and beer, LOL! He was actually really good and the light bar added so much fun to the reception!

carriem73

It would be "New to you" so go for it! you can also then consider it your "something old"- or maybe even borrow one from a friend!

We did a lot of our wedding stuff ourselves- we had a Christmas wedding, so our centerpeices were wrapped Christmas packages in gold foil paper from Costco ($7 a roll- we used 2) and big black bows- the boxes we got for free from the post office (we have a friend with a mail order business, so we broke them down and gave them to her after- she uses them from the post office anyway, so it was a win/win)

We didn't use real flowers, my siser lives in Texas and there are marketplaces that sell wooden roses- 2 dozen for $10- we bout 30 dozen and made all the boutineers, corsages and bouquets ourselves (and had a nice keepsake for the bridesmaids after- theya re gorgeous!)

Make sure you find a photographer who will sell you the CD after, then just make your own prints- OR aska friend with a relly nice camera to take the wedding photos suring the ceremony and after as the wedding gift to you-

These days an Ipod with a nice play list and a friend who isn't too shy can do your announcements- saves on a DJ-

If you need more ideas or more details, pelase feel free to friend me!

jett0206

I am so glad to see that many people agree with a "budget wedding and dress" I will be doing the same for my wedding.

gigiwaterloo

Let me just start off by saying, the idea of spending a ton of money on one day makes me feel ill. What are your thoughts on a

I would really appreciate if there was no rude or insensitive comments on this thread. Thanks!

1st of all, it's YOUR day and whatever makes YOU happy is ALL that matters!
2nd of all, you can very easily do the "inexpensive"... Just have to make the most out of everything & do a lot of the work yourself or if you have friends that are willing to help, even better!
3rd of all, as long as YOU are happy with the dress, you're the only person that is truly going to know where it came from or how much you spent, so buy what you want, wherever you want! I wore a PROM dress as my wedding dress! lol

ajbeans

Oh, as far a budget-friendly wedding, here's what we did:

A relative made our bouquets and pew decorations with silk flowers and clearance ribbon and accessories
We made our own programs with faux parchment -- everything was printed in a vintage font and the programs were rolled like scrolls and tied with ribbon that matched our colors.
My mom made the bridesmaids' dresses and my veil
We made our own favors (votive holders with potpourri wrapped in tulle) and table decorations (mirror tiles framed with fabric, with an oil lamp and silk petals on the mirror)
We hired a semi-pro photographer who gave us the CD and negatives so we could get prints at our leisure
We did not serve alcohol, and instead we had an "after-party" at a local pub where people could buy their own drinks
We had a DJ make us a mix CD beforehand, which was cheaper than paying him to be there in-person

Hope this helps!

chatterbox3110

One of my daughters used her sister's wedding veil, which I carefully handwashed as it had a lot of diamante on it including dangle diamante - it looked brand new!

She made her own invitations, and all the wedding party buttonholes and table floral decorations we made together. The main flowers came from a florist on Ebay at about quarter of the price we'd have paid in a shop. Some careful shopping meant that we never paid over the top for anything for their wedding, and they had a beautiful day.

I don't see any problem in buying a previously worn wedding dress - provided it's been professionally cleaned it should look as good as new.

Ultimately, it's all about the commitment two people are making together, not how much you spend.

Enjoy!