We get lots of brides who come into our bridal shop in L.A. and are conflicted over buying their wedding dress versus renting it for the big day. If this is you, if you are on the fence about buying a bridal gown and perhaps think you might want to rent it instead, you aren't alone. This is a common question, so you aren't alone in wondering which is the best option for you.
Are you a bride who is recently engaged and wondering where to start when it comes to buying your wedding dress? Is a wedding dress something you can rent for your wedding day? After all, you only wear your wedding dress for one day and when it comes to wedding planning, there are so many other items available to rent from tables and chairs to linens and place setting items.
Is renting a wedding dress a good idea? Or are you better off purchasing your bridal dress? We’re sharing all the insider details you need to know about the difference between buying a renting a wedding dress.
Video: The Real Difference Between Buying and Renting A Wedding Dress
If you are a bride who is curious about the possibility of renting a wedding dress and if this is a good idea, be sure to tune in to our latest advice video sharing the real difference between buying and renting a wedding dress.
Renting Vs Buying
Lately we have gotten a lot of calls and brides in store at Lovella Bridal asking if we rent wedding dresses. There are a lot of cultures around the world in different countries that do in fact rent wedding dresses and that is sort of the norm. In the United States, it’s standard that you order your wedding dress to be made and purchased from the bridal store. You may find some stores that do rent wedding dresses in the US, but we do not at Lovella.
Renting bridal gowns can be a complicated process. The United States has a lot more diversity than other countries around the world. Of course every population is going to have their own variations as each person is unique, but a country that is predominantly the same culture is going to have a people that are more likely close in size and height. The US is full of immigrants from around the world and so you have a lot more variety in body sizes and heights. Once you alter a wedding dress, that’s it and it will only work for people of that size. Once a dress is hemmed, it’s only going to fit people of the same height or someone shorter with another hem done.
Cultural Differences
In addition to location, cultural and religious differences play a role in the feasibility of renting wedding dresses. In a county that is largely made up of the same ethnicity, you are going to have the same majority religion and so everyone may be looking for a similar dress style and look.
Whereas in the United States, because it is such a melting pot of backgrounds, there are a wide variety of cultures and religions and every bride is looking for something different. At any given day in our bridal store in Los Angeles, we see brides from all over the spectrum looking for different styles of wedding dresses from modest to edgy. This is why we carry so many different styles of wedding dresses at Lovella
Bridal Alterations
We mentioned earlier that alterations play a role in why renting wedding dresses can be difficult. You could have two brides who want the exact same dress but they could be very different in their bodies from their height to their body proportions, their hips size and bust size. If you only have one version of this dress, it’s not going to fit them both properly. A bridal store would need to carry multiple versions of the same gown to rent out, and that’s not practical from an inventory standpoint or cost effective.
Wedding dresses are designed to fit a body in perfect measurements and are constructed to have support and structure. If you were say the fifth or sixth bride to wear a wedding dress you are renting, it’s not going to be the same quality as a brand new dress. Of course you can clean a wedding dress, but they are white and even expert cleaners can’t always remove every stain or discoloration. Things like beading or lace can be damaged in the cleaning process as well. Just like your favorite pair of jeans stretch out after wearing them for a day, a wedding dress that has been worn is going to fit differently for the next person.
Cost Effective
We certainly understand that brides are looking to save money when wedding planning - all of those expenses add up! And it makes sense that renting a wedding dress might be cheaper than purchasing a wedding dress when they cost thousands of dollars. At the end of the day, wedding dresses are designed to be altered and tailored to fit your specific body and that is why we recommend buying a wedding dress instead of renting a bridal gown. Buying your wedding dress allows you to be the first person to wear it and you can make any alterations that are needed to make sure the gown fits you perfectly and is as fresh as possible.
Wedding dresses go through a lot on a wedding day! If you are having an outdoor wedding or want to do bridal portraits outdoors, you’ll be walking around in grass or dirt possibly and there is debris that your dress will pick up. Wedding dresses are worn all day long and there is body heat and sweat that the gown will absorb from moving around and dancing and there’s always the chance of spills happening. Take it from the experts, your wedding dress is going to get dirty! It’s your wedding day, you deserve to celebrate how you want and to not have to worry about ruining a rental gown. To have someone wash a well-loved dress that’s been through a wild wedding day and then wear it over and over again as a rental item doesn’t make the most sense.
If you are looking to save money on your bridal fashion, we would recommend buying a sample sale wedding dress versus renting a bridal dress. A sample dress has never been worn a wedding day, just tried on by other brides-to-be when shopping for their wedding dress. So they may be gently used but are still going to be in good condition because bridal stores want to protect their inventory investments. Sample dresses are usually discounted based on their condition so you can still get a fabulous wedding dress but stretch your dollar a little farther. For brides who are a little more eco-conscious and concerned about sustainability, opting for a sample sale dress can still be sustainable option because that may end up being a gown that otherwise would not have been purchased.
Secondhand Bridal Dresses
Being the first one to wear a wedding dress means you can have it tailored to perfectly fit your body proportions and height and know you will look amazing on your wedding day. You can certainly explore selling your wedding dress after wedding day and you may be able to recoup some of those funds you spent on your wedding dress.
A note here on secondhand wedding dresses as brides may opt to buy a gown that has already been worn as a way to save money, that gown is going to have alterations done to it. A secondhand wedding dress has already been worn on a wedding day so that first bride likely already had the dress hemmed and maybe taken in or adjusted to fit her size so make sure the measurements of that dress are going to work with your body, don’t just go off of the designer’s size on the tag.
More Helpful Wedding Dress Shopping Advice
We hope you have found this advice helpful when it comes to knowing what the pros and cons of renting versus buying a wedding dress are. For even more helpful advice when it comes to shopping for your dream wedding dress, be sure to check out our past posts:
- Why Spending Thousands on Your Wedding Dress is Worth It
- The Real Reason Why Wedding Dresses Cost Thousands of Dollars
- How To Resell Your Wedding Dress After Your Wedding
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.
