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The Bridal Collective: Dream Wedding Dresses for the Bride on a Budget
“This is the single most important outfit decision you’ll make in your entire life!”
– Jessica, one of my best friends & beautiful bridesmaids
Ladies, I struggled with this one. I struggled with this one HARD. Why?
1. I wanted to publish this post ONLY when I thought I had EVERY SINGLE result combined into one list.
2. I wanted to hold off on doing this until after my wedding because I was afraid of revealing MY PERSONAL wedding dress and it possibly getting back to my fiance. Ya’ll know it’s bad luck for them to see that shit prior to the big day.
BUT YA KNOW WHAT?
After having to reschedule my original date due to the pandemic, change plans a zillion times, deal with unnecessary drama, peoples’ unwarranted opinions on this & that, & WHATEVER the hell else that has come along the past almost two years since I’ve gotten engaged.. who gives a fuck. I’m all about just doing what makes me (& my man) happy. Also, I don’t necessarily have to specifically name where my dress was from yet, right?
AND one of the things that makes me happy is helping other bad ass brides like myself same some SERIOUS COIN. ALSO. Did you read the quote I started with? I’d be going directly against girl code if I withheld where to find someone’s (potential) DREAM bridal gown.
A few disclosures before we begin:
*I promise that as I continue to recall more sources, this list will expand.
**Some of the links on this list ARE affiliate links. BUT, I’ve only featured the ones I’ve dealt with DIRECTLY. Either I’ve purchased from them (yes, I purchased multiple wedding dresses & returned them.. what can I say. I’m indecisive af.) or I’ve hit them up with hundreds of questions about their products & they’ve entertained each & every one with the patience of saints.
***ALL of these retailers are online. I had to scour the world wide web during the lockdown because I COULDN’T shop in person.
****CONGRATS TO YOU if you’re coming across this post newly engaged! & HAVE FUN shopping for your gown! This is such a special time for you & it goes by fast! Enjoy every moment!
Here is my personal list of the most affordable & beautiful bridal gown retailers!
(in no particular order)
COCOMELODY: This site has A TON of options & all within super affordable price ranges; I think the most expensive one on their site was $1500. I spent a shit ton of time perusing this site because there were a so many gorgeous options, I never wound up buying a dress from them, but I did order a gown through their “Try at Home” option (they’ll ship you a dress to try on at home). I did this during the height of the lockdown too, and was expecting major shipping delays. Surprisingly, the dress showed up on my doorstep within a week. I had some questions about shipping it back, & their customer service department was quick to respond. They’ve also just launched their 2022 collection which is worth a browse!
AZAZIE: ANOTHER crazy cheap option (cheap as in price wise, not style wise!) The most expensive gown I could find was $600. I bought a dress off this site ALSO during the height of the lockdown and I think it took six weeks which I found to be standard if you’re asking for a specific size. I LOVED the dress, but when I realized I was going to be rescheduling (I moved my date from December 2020 to September 2021) I needed a style that was less “winter-y”, if that makes any sense. When I returned it, they were great, and they processed my return quickly. I also have a friend who used the site for their bridesmaid dresses & they were beautiful too!
ETSY: Surprisingly, a lot of people aren’t aware that the same site well known for beautiful handmade items from around the world ALSO can be utilized for an outrageous number of absolutely breathtaking bridal gowns. You can adjust your price range to fit your budget. Trust me, by lowering your max price to $1500, there is no shortage of styles to choose from. While it may seem overwhelming at first, here are two Etsy shops that I 100% recommend (& you’ll see by the reviews, a lot of other happy brides do too!)
1.) SelfaBridal: Hannah Pham, the shop owner, is incredible. From the dress designs, down to her responsiveness when it comes to questions about products or just asking her if I could use her pictures for this post – absolutely incredible. Just LOOK at the picture below.. can you believe how TALENTED she is?!
SelfaBridal, www.loveselfa.com
^^I mean, someone actually MADE that. I could never come close to creating something that beautiful. I still can’t sign my own name in a straight line. With prices from $500-$1500 & amazing quality, there’s nothing to lose & everything to gain by checking this one out.
2.) GuCiDesigns – Another positively mesmerizing resource for handmade bridal gowns! I had a hard time tearing my eyes away from one of the dress designs on this page, & when I blew up the shop owner’s inbox with a bunch of annoying questions, she was SO friendly & accommodating that I wish I could’ve bought ten dresses from her. There are a bunch of reviews with pictures attached, and I actually contacted one of the verified buyer’s Etsy pages personally just to get some more photos of the dress (she was awesome also!). Definitely worth checking out for your own gown!
LULUS BRIDAL SHOP: Lulus seriously should be one of your bookmarks for formalwear IN GENERAL. They have everything – for the semi-formal event down to the backyard BBQ. I had no idea they had a bridal shop though, & pretty much squealed with glee when I discovered it. I also purchased a gown from them & it’s actually one of two options I’m debating over at the moment. Their sizes are on point, comfortable, and their customer service department responds immediately if your bridal paranoia gets the better of you. Which will happen. Maybe once or twice. Or maybe more.
AVERY AUSTIN: I discovered this option pretty late in the game but I still perused the site pretty hard. (Reread the quote at the top of the page if you want to know why). LOTS of beautiful choices & ALSO incredibly reasonable. I heard from someone who ordered from them personally & had a great experience, so it definitely made the list for you gals looking for your bridal gowns on a budget!
COUTURE CANDY: Okay, so confession. I’m definitely a bride who needed “bling”. I wasn’t going to be satisfied with just the plain, simple white dress. I needed some damn glitz & sparkle. COUTURE CANDY is your GO-TO if you share that similarity with me. Whether you need “extra, extra” or just a little “extra”, they’ve got you covered. With price tags that don’t exceed the 2k mark, pour ya fine self some Prosecco & get comfy because you’re going to be shopping this site for a few hours!
SOUTHERN FRIED CHICS: There was a brief moment where I deeply explored canceling my entire wedding production & doing a very, very small & intimate gathering. Which is totally fine & cool if you’re going that way, but my fiance & I had planned for our wedding day to be our one big blow-out before settling down & being responsible adults with plans to produce offspring. So, we moved our wedding day in lieu of keeping the date & sacrificing the party aspect. BUT, during that moment of deep exploration, I purchased a dress from Southern Fried Chics & was NOT disappointed. The dress arrived on time, was a PERFECT fit, & only cost me $135. Worth a peruuuusee.
AMAZON: Yes, you heard me right. The worldwide shopping giant has WEDDING DRESSES. Here are two VERIFIED wedding dress options you can add to your cart for less than $200. Why? Cuz homegirl did it her own damn self, & was pleased af with the results.
1.) RUOLAI – God bless this seller, for real. I had to be the most annoying person on planet Earth with the amount of questions I hit them up with. Totally worth it in the end because the dress is GORGEOUS, and arrived within a month. How can you beat that?
2.) LIKEDPAGE – With over 1,249 reviews (with pictures) & less than $150, there is little risk involved with trying this beauty out. Bonus – it has a corset tie back which adds reassurance that your purchase will FIT. Remember when I said I loved bling? This satisfies all the “extra” requirements for the bride who loves sparkle!
ALAMOUR THE LABEL: Glittery, sparkly, twinkling dresses EVERYWHERE. One visit to this site and you’ll see why it makes my list. I inquired with them about custom designing one of their styles in white (ANOTHER BONUS – you can get ANY of their dresses custom made to the color of your choosing!) and their customer service department was LIGHTNING fast with getting back to me. I went in another direction, but still totally worth the inquiry!
A&N (designed by ALAMOUR): Alamour’s sister site – with EVEN MORE options to fufill your wedding gown desires! They’re just as responsive as their sister site, and they’re just as SHINY!
BRIDES ACROSS AMERICA: My friend Kim (a fellow bride & a BAD ASS one at that) utilized this service for her gown. Any future wives of first responders or any of my girls in the military can go through this site & get their dress PAID for. Check it out if you fit in either of those categories!
That’s what I’ve got for you so far, girls – but as I said before, this list will continue to expand as my personal research results start coming back to me! Let me know which sites you’ve had some good luck with too, so we can keep this growing for other brides! Congratulations to you all on your engagements, & happy dress shopping!
Check back soon for the next post in the Bridal Collective!
For more wedding day planning tips EVERY bride should know, click here!
For some casual dress options to wear this summer, click here!
