How to bag the perfect wedding dress without breaking the bank

Most little girls dream of getting married and we women are no different when we grow up. We still have that picture in our mind of how our big day is going to be. You imagine walking down the aisle in the perfect wedding dress, looking just like a princess, wearing a sophisticated tiara or hairpiece, and holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Everything is just perfect, and money is not a thought that enters your head.

Now your dream becomes reality and you've gotten engaged and are beginning to plan the perfect day. Except when you do start, you soon realise that the reality is that funds are not endless and you have to work within a budget. That budget must cover so much, fees for rental of your ceremony and reception site, decorations, catering/food, bar, flowers, music, photography, video, marriage license, invitations, wedding rings, transportation, honeymoon, attendants, gifts, guest wedding favors, and a myriad of other miscellaneous costs. So how much is then left for your wedding attire, which could also include not only a dress for you, but your bridesmaids, flower girls and of course the men's wear too.

Not many of us have the luxury of spending over £2000 on a designer dress and even if you could you might prefer to allocate less towards the dress and use a larger portion of your budget for a more elaborate honeymoon or reception party. Whether or not you are working to budget, everyone enjoys the feeling of accomplishment when locating and acquiring a bargain. These days it's not so hard to come across a bargain with little effort. The best way to start is to have a look in some bridal shops. You may not have the intention of buying from them but you can certainly establish the style, size, and cut of the kind of dress you are going for.

Make notes of what kind of styles and colours you like the best. Sometimes you find a style in a magazine and when you try it on you find it isn't really how you imagined and it doesn't flatter your shape the way you expected. Bridal gown sizes can come up smaller than your usual size so the best thing to do is to go by your measurements and ask dressmakers for the bust, waist and hip sizes that make up the size in general. Some bridal shops don't keep the manufacturers labels on and instead re-label and price with their own internal tagging system (many salons do this to avoid competitive shopping and price comparisons). The shop should tell you the name of the designer or manufacturer if you ask.

Once you have got an idea of the styles you like and the size you need, then you can begin searching for your gown and accessories. It's best to purchase your dress before shopping for accessories. Certain elements of the dress will help you choose the best accessories to match.
When you start looking for a gown it is better to find a dress that either fits perfectly or is just a little bit big. Because of the delicate fabrics making alterations can be done easily if the dress needs "taking in" but to "let it out" can be quite tricky. Most gown designers always allow about an inch or slightly less for seem allowance. If a gown is very tricky to alter then this will reflect in the price of the alteration. So remember your dress budget needs to be for the dress itself and any alterations needed.

Bargain dresses can be found in a number of places. Some bridal shops will sell ex-show dresses at a cut price. Some of these gowns will have been modelled on the cat walk but may no longer be manufactured. Some dresses are available due to brides changing their minds and therefore forfeiting their deposits. Generally these kinds of dresses are almost new but can still be dry cleaned and altered for that perfect fit.
One of the best ways to bag a bargain is online via the internet. Internet shopping has reached record levels and it is great way to be connected to thousands of sellers and great offers. There are a number of good websites dedicated to selling bridal wear. Some sites host new dresses and some nearly new. Either way, because the sellers have no overheads in terms of premises and stock, they can sell you the same dress that a store will, for a fraction of the price.