Recession Proof your Outfit!

Spending thousands of pounds on your wedding dress? There really is no need, my whole outfit cost £100 and although this is not everyones style it was perfect for me and my tendency towards vintage style.

My dress was second hand from the high street shop Monsoon, which I bought from Ebay for £40. My shoes were from Debenhams and were £18, my shrug was again monsoon/ebay £15 and I made my veil, (I will show you how in an upcoming tutorial).

So what options are out there for you to get your perfect wedding dress at a fraction of the cost?

Well I would say there are three main options:

1) The High Street

2) Second Hand, Ebay

3) Vintage

4) Sew your own.

The high street:
The high st has some great options for low cost and stylish wedding dresses, heres a few I've picked out but there are lots more out there!

Strapless

Eloise side wrap beaded satin wedding dress
by BHS
£250

lovely A line skirt and strapless bodice dress, simple and elegant.




Historical

Tulle dress with diamante brooch

by Elizabeth Emanuel for BHS
£495

A bit more expensive than other high st dresses out there, but I love it reminds me of a costume drama set in the 18th Century.


Retro

Autograph Occasions Jaquard Wedding Dress & Bolero Set
by Marks and Spencer
£125

Love this 1960's style dress, it reminds me of my mums wedding outfit, so cute!




Second Hand/Ebay:

As you know I bought my dress from ebay and loads of great outfits can be found on there. There are also lots of great sites with former brides selling there wedding dresses and have therefore only been worn once and are a fraction of the original retail price.

http://www.sellmyweddingdress.co.uk/database/form_selection.html
http://www.preloved.co.uk/fuseaction-adverts.listadverts/sec-Home+and+Family/cat-Marriage/subcat-Wedding+Clothes+and+Bridal+Wear/5395f0ac.html

You can also try the charity shops who often have great wedding dress bargains to be found. Oxfam in particular has 10 dedicated wedding departments throughout the country;
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/results.aspx?catalog=HighStDonated&category=ClothesandAccessories_Bridal

Vintage

Again ebay has great vintage wedding dresses available but there are also dedicated vintage bridal shops online with everything from Victorian wedding gowns to retro sixties shifts.

http://www.thevintageweddingdresscompany.com/
http://www.vintagedress.co.uk/wedding.html
http://www.poshgirlvintage.com/

Sew Your Own

If you are a confident seamstress or have a friend or family member who is then why not sew your own, there are some great patterns out there;

Vogue $16.50

http://www.voguepatterns.com/list/evening_bridal_includes_designer/page-2.htm





Burda £6.85

http://www.burdafashion.com/en/Patterns/Main_Collection/8057_Wedding_dress/1270778-1128998-1005430-1314310.html








Butterick £7.50

http://www.sewdirect.com/acatalog/Sewing_Patterns___Bridal_Gowns.html






Hope this post as helped a little bit for all you out there that are looking for the perfect wedding dress on a budget. Remember, small price does not always mean poor style or quality, as ever it is about shopping around and finding what is right for you.