How much did you spend on your wedding dress?

That was my original budget and totally doable. Unfortunately for me I feel in love with a designer and subsequently a dress that cost more than that. I paid £1140 for mine and haven't had alterations yet ?

Hi! You can get some gorgeous ex-samples for amazing prices.

I got a Mori Lee dress for £295 from an outlet. Needs alterations but even so should come under my budget. (I had £500 with alterations on top).

Sorry, not got a decent pic to flash. Felt stunning in it when I tried it on though!

Hope that helps!

:-)

I havnt paid anything yet but I plan on making my own although some ready made bits will be ordered, the most expensive bit is £70 and is actually an accesory then the second most expensive bit is the shareware section for underneath it should come in under £300 but im hoping more like £200

have you considered outlet stores or 'china' dresses?

china dresses can be a risky investment but if you look around some uk shops stock them (and they are usually only a few £100) which removes the risk as you can see and try them first + they are protected by british law if bought here

also you could wear a non wedding dress... tea length dresses are popular now and can be bought from non wedding dress shops

I'm waiting for this to arrive from China (excited cos I've tracked it to being on the plane ?)

Cost me £43 including postage. Just hope it fits ok (ordered a bigger size as they're tiny out there), but not a huge amount to have lost if it's horrible when it gets here...

Before I saw this I'd bought a burgundy sleeveless number from a friend for £75 as I'd always said if I was doing it again I wasn't going to get married in white. Yep, above dress is white lol

That totally sounds like a do-able budget, my dress was about that (£795) and my accessories were buy one get one free in a sale the shop had on, so I didn't thankfully have to go looking for bargains to keep it all under the grand mark.

There's some great advice on here, I would also suggest that if you're going to go to traditional bridal stores that you make it clear exactly what your budget is, so that they don't pull more expensive things from the racks for you.

Have stacks of fun looking!

You'll be totally fine!

Even if you fall in love with a designer model you can always consider getting a sample or a second hand dress.

Do shop around for accessories and shoes. You'll get some good deals on line.

Hope you enjoy the process.

I checked on the website of my local bridal shops and some had the price range of their dresses so I made sure I only went to the places I could afford. The first shop I tried was an outlet and I got my dress for £500 (the label said £1385).

I was really lucky as my mum bought mine or i couldnt afford my dress

mine was £995 with £90 for all alterations which i will need, however i did get my wedding shoes for £21

Mine was £175, handfasting dress from Ebay ? made to measure.

Boots were £5 from Ebay, tiara £5 from Ebay. Bag £3 from Ebay. Wore my Grandma's necklace. So my total outfit came in at £188....

Mine has come in at £200, but obviously as it's a short dress there's a lot less material to start with! I haven't bought shoes or a hair accessory yet, but my bag was vintage and I think cost £8, and I spent another tenner or so on vintage jewellery.

Mine was £800 so bang on your budget ;-)

It was custom made from dupion silk and lace and the price included the petticoat and obviously it didn't need any extra money spent on it for alterations!

Hitched doesn't seem to want to let me flash a photograph of my dress but you can see some here if you are interested...

https://www.melissakayphotography.com/swell-seaside-wedding

My budget was £1100 to include alterations, and I was well on track for this with my dress coming in at £900.

However, I then opted for a sparkly belt at £160....a veil at £150 and I have since changed my headpiece which is another £160.....? I expect the alterations will be another £150 or so.

I wouldn't change any of it for the world, though, and cannot stop smiling when I think of my dress, so for me it is worth every penny. I did go into the shops however with that £1100 firmly in my mind and didn't even try on dresses that I KNEW would take me over it. Damned accessories!!

Good job my underwear option is very reasonably priced!!!

Enjoy your hunt - you will be able to find something beautiful within your budget, that much I DO know - just be aware that some shops don't stock things below a certain price.....don't be worried about walking away and finding another shop that does - there are plenty around, and the right shop will make you feel like the proverbial million bucks.

And don't forget to come back and tell us all about it!!

I have my first appointment to try on wedding dresses this Saturday - hugely excited! I have set a budget of £1000 but am cluless as to what than can get me. Although feeling slightly relieved looking at the previous messages on this thread - some gorgeous dresses!

Quick question - is VAT included in the quote of the price by the shop or is this added on? That may be a silly question so apologies! x

VAT is generally included in the prices that you see on the tags.

Happy shopping!!

Excellent news, I've become paranoid about VAT catching me out!

Now I'm extra excited!

Hello.

I found my wedding dress in a sample sale and was so over the moon as it's my dream dress, lace mermaid style dress with a gold champagne underlining from the designer Mark Lesley. It was originally £1295 which I could have never afforded and I bought it for £595! The bridal shop will be altering the dress for £100 which I thought wasn't too bad (better than paying full price!!!). It's definitely worth looking at sample sales. Good luck x

My dress is going to cost £1400 plus alterations. I'm lucky as I don't have a dress budget as I'm soooo fussy!

My dress is going to cost £1400 plus alterations. I'm lucky as I don't have a dress budget as I'm soooo fussy!

I'm sorry to ask a possibly dumb question (I'm clueless!) and go slightly off topic, but what do you need a bag for on your wedding day? I'm assuming you wouldn't need to buy any drinks or phone anyone?

I had a budget of £1000 for a dress, to be honest when I went dress shopping I didn't even look at the price tags on the dresses, it was more a case of trying on different styles to see what I liked and didn't like. I think the most expensive one I tried on was a Benjamin Roberts at £1400, the one I chose was the cheapest of the lot as it was an ex sample dress (not what I'd planned but happy all the same as it's a 'one off' design) at £595! Went back a week ago when she had a sale on to get my veil, hair comb and jewellery, which in total cost £200. Shouldn't cost too much for alteration, planning on losing a bit of weight to slim into it (about 7lb should do it), and it will need taking in a little on the bust

I guess you might want your phone to call/text/tweet someone who couldn't be there, but I'm more thinking makeup supplies for touch-ups, hanky or tissues in case of any crying, plasters if you're wearing new shoes, safety pin for any dress emergencies, bobby pins depending on hairstyle, maybe a key for your house/hotel room...I could go on...

Argh! Phone won't let me flash. I wore a mori lee and it was £775. Can't remember how much alterations were, but veil was £30, tiara was £70, and shoes were £70. So definitely a doable budget!

I had a budget of £600 for my dress, then h2b said I could have £1000 for a dress I went shopping and fell in love with this dress and the price tag was £1300 I still need alterations but the are about £100 so all in all £1400

http://www.ronaldjoyce.com/en/collections/ronald-joyce/67071#.VHOgQucgGSM

I had budgeted £1000 but then decided to have mine made which came in at £1450. I had quotes up to £2500 though so pleased with my negotiating! It is my dream dress and it has been one of my favourite parts of the planning designing it and seeing it come together. I can't believe I've spent that much really though, there were loads of dresses I tried on in shops that were well within your budget, so it's definitely doable. I think it comes down to how strict you are with yourself, only look at dresses in your budget and if you do see something outside of it be strong - unlike me!

Shoes were £150 plus £45 for some flats, but again there were loads of nice styles at a lower price.

My veil was £16 off eBay and my bag will be about £30 I think. Jewellery I'm borrowing so free.

Have fun finding all the perfect bits

This time, way more than intended! ?? I budgeted £250 and spent £1139 and there will be alteration costs on top of that! My dress is Nicola Anne's Cristina.

I went to a bridal store open day to get an idea of prices, I really had no idea. My mum had been freaking out about the cost of the dress since I have a skill for picking the most expensive thing without knowing! The dresses I liked were between £800-1300 and while I freaked out a bit about the price, my mum was reassured that they were cheaper than she expected! Couldn't believe it! I'm so scared to go and try dresses on, I don't want to fall in love with one that's out of my budget.

But I'd say £800 with £200 for accessories will be fine

I had no idea of how much to budget, luckily just before me and my mum left to go wedding dress shopping she asked to pay for my dress, which I am so thankful for.

When we walked into the shop they asked my budget etc and I said around £800.

My dress is £1290 plus alterations.

Ooops!

I always had a ballpark figure of £1,000 in mind, I have found some shops that only do dresses under a certain price - in one place I went to every dress was £600 or under and they were stunning. Unfortunately I have also fallen foul of a designer dress which I love, so I think it will cost me £1,400 without alterations but I won't be spending much on shoes or accessories

Dawn

My dress was £240 reduced from £400. It's an evening dress and my parents paid for it so it actually cost me nothing.

Thanks everyone! I'm Sussex/Surrey border so if anyone knows of an outlet store nearby please let me know!

You've all put my mind at ease, and knowing my Mum if I fall in love with something over budget she'll sub me the remainder, although hopefully I'll be as lucky as some of you folks and grab myself a bargain!!

I think you just have to be realistic and just look for dresses within the budget you have to spend. £800 seems a respectable amount to me. I adore the dress from China but at the same time it is a little risky not knowing what will turn up. Not too much money to gamble on though. As I am sure you are finding out there are a whole host of bridal wear shops that differ in pricing depending on your budget. Give them a call in advance to let them know your budget and whether they have dresses within that range. I remember when I got married I did not quite find what I was looking for so ended up having it made which I was very happy about at a fraction of the price of London dresses. There seems to be much more choice in dresses these days as I think a lot are manufactured in China which helps to keep the price down. Best of luck with your search, how exciting : )

I got mine from a shop in Liverpool called Copplestones Bridal; they buy off surplus stock from designers end of season and sell them on at massively reduced prices. Mine was £499, original price was £1,300. It has one or two make up marks on where people have tried it on so will have to be professionally cleaned before the big day (an extra £70). The store also has a seamstress who has a capped fee of £130 but I don't think I'll need any alterations as it is a ribbon corset back.

I actually couldn't tell you who makes my dress (!) I didn't think it was that important but whilst I was browsing I spotted some Amanda Wyatt and Veromia dresses, I recognised those as reputable designers.

Bought my hoop from ebay for £12.99, had my veil hand made from a lady who has her own home business making them, £70 for a 114" cathedral length veil. Just need shoes now but all in all I'll be dressed for under £750. And I gave myself a budget of £1k initially.