do most wedding dresses cost too much?

Question

I'm doing an editorial for a magazine, and I need to know some opinions on whether wedding dresses cost too much, or if you think that the prices are right...Thanks for your time,
-Weasle.

Answer 1

Well, first of all, everything that has to do with wedding is expensive. It's a huge business!!
As far as wedding dresses go, I think that there are some that are very expensive, but there are also ways around paying an arm and a leg for a wedding gown. If you want a designer brand like demetrios, or vera wang... then you are going to pay for that name.
I think that the idea of what costs too much is really dependant on how much money you have budgeted for your wedding gown. Some girls will go looking and not even look at prices because they don't care how much it costs they want to look perfect on their wedding day. And then there's the budget conscience bride, you wants to get that same gorgeous dress and are shocked when they look at the price tag. Like someone said above, you can catch sales, and specials at bridal salons, you can go online now and buy dresses online (which I never recommend), but there are ways around it.
Yes, I think wedding gowns are expensive, but it is your wedding gown that you're going to remember forever, but I really do think it depends on the mind set of a bride on whether or not they "cost too much." I've seen girls with PHENOMENAL dresses that paid over 5,000 dollars, and then I've seen EXQUISITE gowns of the same magnitude of the 5000, but paid 600 for it on ebay?
The bottom line is... no one will ever know how much a bride spent on her wedding gown. If she looks gorgeous and feels great... she'll look like a million bucks... no matter how much she spent on the gown.

Answer 2

I got my dress from a local bridal shop. I think the designer is Mary's bridal. I wanted a dress with sheer sleeves since my wedding is in the fall. Basically, most dresses are strapless and this was stuck behind other dresses and i don't know what made me look in that direction but i did. I pulled the dress out and it was exactly what i wanted and it was a perfect fit except for the shoulders that need to be pulled up about an inch. The lady that owns the shop forgot that she even had it! It was the second dress i tried on and bought it on the spot. The price tag was $798 but she knocked 200 off of it since they don't make it anymore. I got it for $598. Well, i paid about $70 for the veil so that brought it up a little but you get the idea. I plan on keeping it after the Wedding. I hope you find what you're looking for!! Good luck and congrats!! I marry my sweetie October 20, 2007

Answer 3

wedding dresses are expensive, there is no doubt about it considering you only wear the dress once (hopefully, unless you are renewing your vows). BUT think of the materials used and the perfection with which the dresses are made. This is supposed to be the day that a woman looks and feels fabulous.

You don't have to spend a large chunk of your budget on your dress though. You just have to shop at the right time. Shop in the off season. If you are having a summer wedding then shop for your dress right as the winter dresses come in (if time permits this).

Floor samples are another great way to go.

Last but not least, you can find someone to make your dress for you. I had my dress made for me from a picture i brought in. The dress in the magazine was $4,000 and mine was a quarter of the price...

Sure they are expensive but there are ways around it.

Answer 4

It all depends on the name brand and what store you purchase it at. There are several sites on the internet that offer great deals. You only have to know how ot measure your body so they can get the right size for you. In My first marriage, I spent $3500 on my wedding dress.....which didn't leave me alot left to spend on the wedding. But I didn't know about finding cheaper dresses. I soon learned that you are actually paying for the name on the inside. My second wedding was much more beautiful and my dress cost me $200. I would not wear a used wedding dress. I think that is something that you should have new when you marry. I found a store on eBay which offered New wedding gowns at a reasonable price. My dress came from Hong Kong and was absolutely stunning. There were several dresses to choose from. I measured my body as they specified and my dress arrived perfectly. The size fit me to a T. You just have to know where to look.

Answer 5

Well since you need some opinons I think you get what you pay for and you buy what you can afford. I dont think wedding dresses are too expensive. There are designers out there who make inexpensive wedding dresses and designers who make expensive wedding dresses. You can always make a cheap wedding dress look expensive its all about the details. If women cant afford a Demetrios wedding dress or a wedding dress from one of the Pronovias group designers then she should get a dress from Davids Bridal or JCrew, or P.C Mary.There are dresses out there for every budget. BESIDES the most important part of the day and the only parts that matter is marrying the man you love and having your family/friends to celebrate one of the biggest most important days in your life.

Answer 6

I think it depends on how you look at it. If you're looking at it solely as a dress you wear one time, then the value per wearing IS pretty pitiful. However, as someone who has sewn a wedding dress, let me tell you it's not as easy as it looks. The more hand sewing that's involved, the more trim that's involved, and the more alterations that are involved can drive the cost up quickly. Trim in and of itself is expensive--I've seen lace trims for up to $50 a yard, and if you're putting lace all around the hem of a gown with a full skirt and cathedral train, you're looking at 8-10 YARDS of lace alone. Dresses that are trimmed with Swarovsky crystals--well those little 2mm round beads I buy a bag of 50 for about $4.50, add a dollar if you want the AB finish on them (which is what makes them irridescent). Fine silk fabric can run about $20-30 per yard, and a big ballgown dress has roughly 15 yards of fabric in the outer layer. So, do the math, it adds up quickly. From that standpoint, the prices are probably pretty right on, considering what you're buying.

P.S. I'm with Bubbles too, the stuff that comes from overseas is poorly made, without the materials I'm talking about. Which is why I make it myself. I've sewn my daughter's prom dress, and she needs a white gown for her high school graduation next year, I'll be sewing that as well.

Answer 7

No, I don't think so. There are hundreds of gowns for less than $500. I've seen wedding gowns in JCrew. There are sites on here all the time (treads and dessy i believe they are) that have hundreds for less than 500.

You can get simple white gowns for the same price you'd get any other prom dress (100-200). The material is much more expensive than cotton.

My dress had 5 layers with lace applique, boning in the corset, and layers of crinoline underneath. Just in material alone it was yards and yards. And the bottom of the dress had over an 80 inch circumferance.

I compare my dress to the period time gowns. If you go pricing for renaissance style gowns or especially scottish tartan--look at how much that runs for. I have been looking at just ordering tartan online to make my own renaissance gown. But an ornate, Marie Antoinette style gown with accessories would run your between 2,000 and 3,000. A less ornate one somewhat around 1,000. And that would be custom made to your measurements. I spent far less on my bridal gown.

And of course a smaller boutique charges more--they have higher operational costs and a higher level of customer satifaction. Big stores (the walmarts if you will) have lower prices, but skimp on service.

Now if you are bridezilla who wants a custom made vera wang gown for the ceremony, yes I think thats outrageously overpriced. but if thats what you want, the only reason you want it is so that everyone will know you spent 10,000 on a wedding gown. So If it didn't cost that much, you wouldn't want it to begin with.

You can spend as much or as lil as you want on a wedding gown. From $100 to thousands. A very plain sundress at Macy's or Nordstrom's is around $100 as well so I don't consider it any more overpriced than any markup on clothing. Especially for the work involved in hand beading and lace work.

Answer 8

Yes, they are too expensive. Even the cheap ones (david's bridal) are made out of very very cheap material, the craftsmanship is awful, and the design is copied...so God knows what youre paying $500 for!

I paid $1500 for a silk Jim Hjelm dress that was off the rack (originally $2800). Did I spend too much? yes! but at almost half-off, what a deal!

When you start planning a wedding all of the prices are so ridiculous that expensive items start to seem reasonably priced. If you talk to enough places who say that it costs $175/per person for the reception, $100/per person starts to seem reasonable. This whole wedding industry is out of hand...too bad I managed to get myself caught up in the chaos.

Answer 9

There are some good sales, but for the most part they do coast too much. Paying $1000 dollars for a dress you're only going to wear once is nuts.... but then again if you put the word wedding infront of anything it seems like people mark up the coast 100%.

Answer 10

If you go to a wedding boutique, then the answer is YES.
I found shopping around on the internet to have an incredible variety not only in styles, but in prices as well.
Not only did I find the perfect dress, it was at the perfect price as well.. Way less expensive than the boutiques or wedding shops I had visited.