Dress meltdown 😫😔

Have a look at Monsoon, they have some lovely wedding dresses for under £500!

ASOS, Ghost, Monsoon, Anthropologie, Karen Millen, Reformation, Reiss, Coast... all have some lovely options!

I'm talking from experience as we're actually having two 'weddings' - one little legal ceremony, one big traditional wedding - and for the legal one I didn't want to spoil the suprise of my main wedding dress so I've been looking around for affordable alternatives and a suprising number of high street brands do some gorgeous options!

Worth also checking out places like Boden, Oasis, etc. that do a decent 'party dress' or bridesmaid dress - as a lot are actually an off white or champagne/blush colour that's very bridal and might be an option if you're not wedded (lol) to pure white.

I’m selling this size 14/16 for £200. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Hi, as it’s January some places do a 90% off sale to clear last seasons stock. There is one this Sunday in my hometown but it’s appointment only, some you just turn up, buy and have someone else do the alterations. Would be worth a look at all your local ones or near by towns. Good luck. I’m sure you will find one in your budget. Wed2Be is also good. My friend got a beautiful one for £700 and you would have thought it was thousands!

100% look at second hand dresses too! Vinted, facebook marketplace, Still White, etc. I found some beautiful dresses on there. And if you find one in the style you like, look up local stockists online as you might be able to go and try one on in a boutique and then buy the second had version if you love it.

Wed2b sell dresses starting from 300ish. They have some stores as well so can try before buying, lower risk than buying second hand without trying on. https://www.wed2b.com/wedding-dresses/main-collection?product_list_order=price

I wore a midi dress from Monsoon and I struggled to find many midi styles.

Check out second hand

As well as the companies already mentioned, you could also try Alie Street London, Ivy Oak, Phase Eight and Sister Organics also have a few under £500.

There are a few wedding charity shops- have a Google. I'd also maybe go to wed2b or even a fancy boutique just to try on a few different styles to see what suits you and how you feel. You have no obligation to buy, it's it's big decision. Obvs, you don't want to waste anyone's time, but you kinda want to know what's what with dresses.....

Try JJ's House - they have standard sizes but there is also the option to custom size to your measurements

P.S my name is Jade and I am writing from my partner's account!

I’m selling this dress, brand new Wed2b Elena. Size 14 (so a 12) it’s a beautiful dress, I just stupidly let my FMIL talk me into trying on some more dresses and fell in love with another, I even have a brand new veil to go with it

Wed2B have lots of options and they start at £300. They have stores in the UK and are brilliant. They also do dress competitions every week so you should definitely enter (I won one myself) I am going to use it as my reception dress as I didn’t want a princess ballgown with a massive train on all night. Wed2B have boutiques everywhere in the UK and they are lovely. Very accessible if you have a pram or a wheelchair. Lovely!

Have you been to try any on? A lot of people I know who have gotten married have said they see dresses they like but when they try them on, they don’t like how they fit. I think you should go in to a shop and try on a few styles and don’t settle. You’ll know which dress you like by how you feel and look in it. I’m sure you’ll find something within your budget too. Good luck 🫶🏼

Look at sample sales, I got my dress for £750 instead of £3000

Try House of CB

We have a local oxfam bridal shop- a lot are new /end of line donated dresses! And no more than £250
You get the whole try on feels too and usually have a fb page to look at to see what they have

Hi Rachel have you tried ever pretty mine is was under £80 now it's gone down to under sixty they have some really nice dresses




This is mine it's worth a look x good luck with your search x♥️

View quoted message Thanks so much everyone! I have 8 dresses at home now to try on, needle and thread, monsoon and coast. Going to try all on with some prosecco and friends!x

Download Stillwhite, it’s dresses second hand but amazing condition

View quoted message I hope you have an amazing time with your friends trying them on and that you find your dream dress x♥️

I got my dress from WED2B and was £699, however this would have been a £3000k dress. They have a large range and prices start at £300 ish.

Look on stillwhite second hand and new dresses. I got mine from the app brand new never worn for a massive discount

Deffo agree with people saying wed2be we had to move our wedding up due to a family illness. Decided end of Dec to get married 4th March this year. I went to my local wed2be and I walked out with my dress that day and the experience was great. They start dresses at 300 and I found mine for just over 500. They have so much choice which is nice as I felt a bit hopless with the timeline! The only thing is, if you find one you like and it needs slight alterations, start contacting seamstress as soon as you have the dress! Good luck! I truly empathise with the stress! x

Try second hand dress shops or outlet shops

Phase 8 do wedding line as well, my friend got hers for 200 there. Would you consider a hire? There's quite a few of those available as well.

ASOS have some really nice “ASOS design” bridal dresses. I’ve actually just ordered one that I found on there as a dress to wear for an event leading up to the day. Just a tip - if it’s not ASOS design, they get their dresses from other providers and these dresses are often cheaper on their independent websites. This dress I’ve got is £140 on ASOS but I got it for £48 on Hope & Ivy directly! You could then spend more on accessories to make it look more expensive.



There are also loads of options on Etsy that are far cheaper
and aren’t as expensive as they’re remakes of designer dresses. Just look for photos of actual brides with verified purchases to check quality.
Hope you find what you need! X

Have you tried online, there is a shop called JJHOUSE and others around for affordable dresses x

Where do you live? I’ve heard so many good things about Wed2Be x

Try phase eight occasion bridal

I can send you a pic of a style I chose! I bought new, but you might be able to find it used. I’m a size 14, 5’0. It was a Justin Alexander midi-length. So beautiful.

Glad you've got some to try on - let us know how you get on!

Thanks everyone so much for your help! O have chosen one of the 8 and sent the other 7 back. Have gone for one from Needle and thread, really gorgeous quality!