Fashionably Frugal in a Used Wedding Dress

Make no mistake, with the combination of the cost of weddings someone’s yearly salary, and the tough economic times, buying a used wedding dress or even selling your already worn wedding dress is perfectly acceptable. It’s even, dare it be said, fashionable to be frugal.

Buying a used wedding dress can save you literally hundreds of dollars. A new wedding dress could cost thousands of dollars while many used dresses are under a thousand. That’s a huge savings and maybe even enough to pay for your honeymoon or a down payment on a house! While the savings is big, one thing to still factor into your dress budget is alterations and not just because it is used. Every person is built differently and even with a new wedding dress alterations are almost always needed.

When looking for a used dress, cast your net wide and give yourself plenty of time to find your perfect dress. Since you aren’t buying a new dress, used dresses won’t come in multiple sizes so it may take some time to find a style you like in the size you need. Plus it doesn’t hurt to look many places. One logical step is to ask family and friends, you never know, someone you know may have a dress you can wear. Also check with your local classified listings as someone local may be selling their dress. Finally, a great place to find an already worn wedding dress is online. There are many online wedding shops that have hundreds of used wedding dress listings. This is a great option because you will have many choices and you can learn the details about the dress such as size, specific measurements and how many people have worn it. Plus you can usually shop these listings by size, price or location.

Remember, just because it’s used doesn’t mean the wedding dress you find will be in bad condition. Chances are the dress you find has only been worn once and may just need a good dry cleaning, so don’t be turned off by small stains.

While you’re at it, consider looking at used bridesmaid dresses too. Online wedding shops often have many used bridesmaid dresses to choose from in addition to wedding dresses and it can be a great way to outfit your wedding party without having them spend a small fortune. Like wedding dresses you can shop by size, price and location.

In addition to buying your wedding dress used, you can also sell your wedding dress after you wear it. Think about listing it in the local classifieds or selling it to an online wedding shop. This way, not only will you save money buying your dress, but you can make a little back by selling it. If you are looking to make a little cash back, thrift stores or consignment stores are not the best places to unload your dress as they take mostly donations or give very little compensation for the clothes they take. Of course, if you have a sentimental attachment to your used wedding dress as many women do, by all means keep it after your wedding and be comforted by the fact that you saved money and bought it used.