Are you wondering how much wedding dresses cost? Are you confused about how much you should budget for your wedding dress? This week we are continuing the discussion around wedding dress pricing and are going to dive into more detail when it comes to the cost of bridal gowns. There are four important things to consider when you are researching wedding dresses and determining your budget for your wedding gown. As you have probably not purchased a bridal dress before, it can be hard to figure out how much you should budget and spend on your wedding dress. We are here to give you all the tips you need to help you figure out what the dollar buys you when it comes to wedding dresses.
For more details and to see different wedding dresses at various price points, be sure to check out our recent video on How Much Do Wedding Dresses Cost?
Let’s dive into part two of wedding dress pricing and what brides should expect in store when it comes to the cost of wedding dresses and learn the four things brides should know about the prices of wedding dresses.
Tip #1: Shop Early
We have already discussed negotiating and asking for a discount in bridal stores and why that is not something you should expect to do when wedding dress shopping. As you are making appointments at bridal stores to try on wedding gowns, keep in mind that the bridal dress designers set the retail price for each wedding dress and the bridal stores must abide by these prices.
If you are going to various different bridal dress stores, you may end up seeing a lot of the same inventory if the bridal shops are carrying the same designers. If one store has the same gowns that you're seeing in other wedding dress shops at a significantly lower cost, this may be a red flag.
Brides should be planning to purchase their wedding dress at least 8 to 9 months before their wedding Ideally, we love a year before your wedding day to purchase your wedding dress. With the production delays and shipping delays, everyone is currently experiencing, are encouraging brides to purchase their dresses at least one year before their wedding to ensure their order arrives in time, with time to spare for alterations. For more on when to start wedding dress shopping during supply chain delays, be sure to read up to find the best time for you to start shopping.
With the inflation market we are currently experiencing, you may find that bridal dresses are increasing in price as you are out shopping. As the cost of labor and materials are increasing, some bridal dress designers are having to increase the price of their bridal gowns. For all of these reasons, we encourage brides to shop early for their wedding dresses and when they find “the one” to place their order at that time. Don’t wait around and waste time because that dress you love could cost more when you go back in a week or a month to place your order.
For more on this, be sure to read out post on how inflation is affecting wedding dresses and bridal stores.
Weddings are expensive when you think about all the details and creative vendors and wedding design professionals involved. Shop early to avoid any price increases on your dream wedding dress so you can get the best value and not go over your wedding budget.
Tip #2: Browse Online
Our next tip for brides when shopping for their wedding dresses and wondering how much wedding dress dresses cost is to begin online. Start looking at bridal stores that are nearby where you live or that carry the designers that you are interested in. While you are shopping early and figuring out where to make appointments to try on bridal dresses, start with the bridal store’s website.
Most bridal stores will have a list of the various dress designers they carry in-store on their website. This is a great place to start browsing their bridal dress collection and see what designers or styles of wedding dresses interest you.
A lot of bridal dress stores will also list the price range of the wedding dresses for each bridal dress designer on their website so you can quickly determine if a certain designer fits into your wedding dress budget. You will also start to learn what styles and designs may be in your budget.
Video: Part 2: Wedding Dress Prices Continued
While we are talking about bridal store websites and browsing pricing online, be sure to watch our part 2 video of wedding dress prices. In this video, we go into detail about how much wedding dresses cost and what goes into setting the prices of a wedding dress so that you can educate yourself on the cost and stay within your wedding budget.
Tip #3: Online Inventory
While you are browsing a bridal dress store’s online wedding dress inventory, keep in mind that the website may not have every single dress a store has in its inventory posted online on their website. Many times stores carry additional styles or they might sell out of a certain sample. It can be hard for a bridal dress store to photograph and feature their entire inventory or wedding dress collection. So as your browsing a wedding dress shop's online inventory be open to trying on additional styles once you are in store and don't assume that they don't have a certain style in stock to try on just because you don't see it on their website.
Pro Tip: Bring screenshots or printouts of wedding dresses you love or want to try on that you found on the bridal store’s website so that your bridal consultant has a starting point and gets a sense of what styles or design elements you like in a bridal gown. For more, be sure to get our free checklist of what to bring with you to your wedding dress shopping appointment.
Tip #4: Plus Size Inventory & Costs
The last thing we want to share with brides when it comes to the cost of bridal gowns is for our plus-size and curvy brides to be. As a plus-size bride, you will definitely want to spend some time online on each website to determine what sample gowns a bridal store may have for you to try on and see what type of plus-size collection a store offers. Do your research on each bridal dress store's website and call ahead to determine if that store has the inventory of sample plus-size wedding dress for you to try on that you might be interested in for your wedding.
Some bridal designers do charge additional fees for plus-size wedding dresses due to the additional fabric, boning, and embellishments needed for the construction of larger-sized bridal gowns. Past a certain size on the size chart, some wedding dress designers charge a sizing fee, which can be anywhere from 10 to 20 percent additional. Sometimes plus-size wedding dresses require a new pattern to be made or may just require more labor time to manufacture so that is why you will see an increased cost associated with plus-sized wedding dresses.
If you are a plus size bride shopping for your wedding dress, you should be prepared for the cost of your wedding dress to be an increased price than the standard sample gowns you see displayed. You want to be mindful of the differences in sizing and pricing when browsing online or in-store to be sure that you are looking at plus-size pricing and not the cost of standard wedding dress pricing.
For more on what to expect when shopping for a plus size wedding dress, be sure to read our 5 Questions Plus Size Brides Should Ask When Wedding Dress Shopping and What to Expect When Shopping for Plus Size Wedding Dresses.
More Helpful Wedding Dress Shopping Advice
We hope you have found these tips helpful when knowing what to expect when shopping for your wedding dress and how to understand the costs associated with wedding dresses. For more helpful tips, be sure to check out these recent advice posts:
- How Much Do Wedding Dresses Cost?
- Bridal Store Etiquette: Do's and Don't's of Wedding Dress Shopping
- 5 Questions to Ask When Wedding Dress Shopping
About Lovella
If you're shopping for your perfect wedding dress, come visit us at Lovella Bridal in Glendale, CA. We carry wedding dresses in all sizes and styles, including plus-size bridal gowns and a full selection of veils and accessories. Lovella Bridal is the premier, luxury bridal wedding dress shopping boutique located in Los Angeles, California. Lovella features couture, feminine, modern and chic bridal gowns in all sizes from the best wedding dress designers. Schedule an appointment to find the wedding dress of your dreams at Lovella Bridal. We can't wait to help you!
About Wedding Fashion Expert
Our wedding dress shopping tips and advice are from Nayri, Lovella's own, in-house wedding fashion expert. Nayri is truly the expert when it comes to bridal fashion and wedding style. As the Wedding Fashion Expert, Nayri is the top bridal fashion stylist and the best-selling author of the book "I'm Getting Married And I Have Nothing To Wear," the ultimate guide to helping brides find their wedding day style and their perfect wedding dress. You can subscribe to her YouTube channel or listen to her podcast for more helpful and practical advice on wedding dress shopping.
