If you are a bride to be who is shopping for their wedding dress or starting to browse online for bridal style inspiration, you are likely wondering how much wedding dresses cost and how much you should spend on your wedding dress. When thinking about setting a wedding dress budget, what is the ideal number? Is it worth it to spend thousands of dollars on something you will wear only once?
If you are wondering if you should splurge or save on your wedding dress, you are in the right place as we are going to be diving into the controversial topic of why spending a lot of money on your wedding dress is worth it - even if you are only going to be wearing it for one day. We've worked with thousands of brides over the years, helping them find their dream wedding dress and we definitely have thoughts about the wedding dress. We can't wait to share with you the advice that we give our brides who come into the shop wondering about the costs of a wedding dress and how to justify the price tag of a bridal gown.
Video: Why Spending Thousands on Your Wedding Dress is Worth It
If you are a bride who is wedding dress shopping or considering how much to budget for your wedding dress, don't miss our expert bridal styling tips sharing all of the things you need to consider when purchasing your wedding dress. Even if you are only going to wear your wedding dress for one day out of your whole life, it can be worth it to spend thousands on your wedding dress.
Save vs Splurge
As a bride to be looking for bridal style inspiration and wedding dress ideas, you may have come across social media influencer videos sharing “wedding dresses under $1,000 because you’re only going to wear it once” or “why spend thousands on your wedding dress when your daughter probably won’t want to wear your dress anyway”. As bridal stylists, we have seen and heard it all and completely understand not wanting to splurge on something you will only wear for one day.
We recently shared advice on setting a wedding dress budget and how to reframe your mindset into investing in your bridal fashion versus budgeting. What a bride chooses to spend on her wedding day attire is all going to come down to what they value and want to invest in and prioritize. It’s going to be a personal decision for each bride based on what aspects are most important to invest in for wedding day.
Budget vs Invest
Every bride will have different thoughts on how much to spend on their wedding dress and different requirements for what they are looking for in their wedding dress. We have seen it all in our years of helping brides find their dream bridal dresses - from brides who want full glam to ones who want something very simple. We’ve heard that brides are shopping with the mindset that they want to be able to use the bathroom alone on wedding day so big ball gown dresses were out. We’ve had brides come to shop with us carrying very expensive handbags but only wanting to spend $1,500 on their wedding dress.
We understand that some brides may value investing more in articles they will wear over and over again. Maybe they really want those designer shoes or handbags or a nice quality leather jacket that they will wear time and time again whereas their wedding dress will only be worn once. Everyone will value different things and how you feel about investing in your wedding dress is important to figure out before determining your wedding dress budget.
You might be wearing your wedding dress only once in your life, but it may be worth the investment. You are making a commitment to your partner in front of so many people and your wedding day is an event that is documented with professional photography. There is not likely to be another event in your life that you will have this high level of professional photography. These photos are going to be shared and displayed in your home for a lifetime and for generations to come. When you are wedding dress shopping or even just thinking about what you want to spend on your bridal fashion, we encourage you to remember that while you only wear the dress once, the photos live forever.
No Price on Happiness
We may be a bit biased as we are in the wedding fashion industry, but your wedding dress is the most important article of clothing you will ever wear. The photos will live on in a way that a handbag or shoes or even a car or house does not. What you choose to invest in is going to be a personal decision, but you can’t put a price tag on happiness.
If you are more inclined to invest in other things because you value them more than you value investing in your wedding dress and your wedding, that is okay. Buy an inexpensive dress online or at a bridal sale and feel your best. That will work for some people, but it won’t work for everyone. At the end of the day, we want each bride to do and feel what is the most authentic and true to them. So if that is a $99 dress or a $9,000 dress, choose what makes you feel the most beautiful and confident to marry your person in.
The last thing we want to see is brides making a mistake that we see far too often. Wedding dress shopping and weddings in general are emotional. Emotional moments can’t always be practical. You might be the most practical person in your day to day life, but you have to also consider your emotions when it comes to wedding planning and your bridal dress. You are bringing together loved ones and celebrating and wedding days are emotionally filled. Too often we have seen brides pick a wedding dress that fits on their spreadsheet but did not fit in their heart and excite them.
You want to choose the wedding dress that sparks joy and makes you feel beautiful, confident and excited to marry your person. One that you will feel happy seeing in photos for years to come. If you make the practical decision on budget alone, it can lead to unhappiness. We’ve had many brides choose the dress that fits the budget and then they end up buying another dress that they love so now they’ve spent more than they would have originally if they had just splurged a little bit for the dress they fell in love with. You might not have to spend $10,000 for a dress you truly love, but if you limit yourself to $1,500, you could be missing out on a dress that is really great at the $2,000 or $3,000 level and will elevate your joy on wedding day.
At the end of the day, there is a time and a place to be practical and then a time and place to splurge in moments that are intentional. Your wedding day is about creating forever memories for you and you really can’t put a price on that.
More Helpful Wedding Dress Shopping Advice
We hope you have found this advice helpful when it comes to understanding why it might be worth a splurge on your wedding dress. For even more helpful advice when it comes to shopping for your dream wedding dress and finding your bridal style, be sure to check out our past posts:
- How Much Do Wedding Dresses Cost?
- The Truth About Setting A Wedding Dress Budget
- The Complete Guide to Wedding Dress Pricing
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.
