Finding wedding dresses on a budget is not a hard process...you just have to know where to look.  Although they may be the most logical place for you to look first, you probably won't be able to find the best prices in town at your local bridal dress shops.  The question is where do I start looking?

Here are the Top 18 Ways to Help You Save Money on Your Wedding Dress:

1. Shop on Ebay - Ebay is a terrific place for the bargain hunter looking for wedding dresses but remember to always read the descriptions carefully and pay attention to how much the seller is charging for shipping and handling fees.

2. Order From the Internet - There are a number of fine online bridal merchants that offer unbeatable prices.

3. Dicker Over the Price - Sometimes local bridal shops will match prices that you find online, BUT you have to ask.

4. Buy "Off the Rack" - You can find some stores such as David's and BridesMart in the U.S. that offer a good selection of moderately priced dresses with in stock sizes of 2 to 24.

5. Check the Classifieds - Be sure to check your local newspaper classifieds or online ad service such as Kijiji.

6. Shop in the Department Stores - Another great place to look for wedding dresses on a budget. Don't discount places such as Sear's and JCPenney. They often times carry a few budget wedding dresses for unbeatable prices.

7. Get It Made - If you have fallen in love with a dress that costs over $1000, you could perhaps consider having a custom copy made for you by a talented local seamstress.

8. Sew It Yourself - If you are a good sewer (or know a friend or relative who is) you can consider making the gown yourself.

9. Buy a "Sample Gown" - Another great source for wedding dresses on a budget is buying a sample gown. You just might occasionally go into your local bridal shop and find a rack of gowns on sale.

10. Wear Your Mom's Dress or Borrow a Dress - Even if it is a little out of style or date, you would be surprised at how well a talented seamstress could jazz up a vintage gown.

11. Order a Bridesmaid dress or Less Formal Gown - Many bridesmaids' gowns can be ordered in white. You can easily find a beautiful, less-formal wedding dress this way.

12. Vintage Clothing Shops - Wedding dresses can also be found at vintage clothing shops.

13. Outlet Stores - Yes, there are bridal outlet stores for bridal designers and retailers that can offer you substantial savings on wedding dresses.

14. Fabric Swap - If your perfect gown is made of silk, ask if it comes in other more affordable fabric.

15. Travel to Another City/State/Province/Country - Combine a smaller town with other savings such as lower sales tax or favorable exchange rates.

16. Hire a Student - If you have a fashion school or college nearby, you might just be able to hire a student to make your wedding dress for you.

17. Charity Sales - You can also find wedding dresses on a budget by checking out charity sites such as Brides Against Breast Cancer.

18. Rent a Wedding Dress - Rental prices can range from $100 to $600 with deposit required and the gowns are professionally cleaned after each rental and can be altered to fit (check with each rental shop).

So you see, there's 18 Ways to Finding Wedding Dresses on a Budget...although you want to look your best on your wedding, you certainly don't want to pay more than you have to on a dress that you are going to wear for just a few hours!

Happy Bargain Hunting!

Top 18 Ways That Help You Save Money on Your Wedding Dress is a post from: My Wedding Blog

Your wedding day is around the corner, and you haven't yet decided what to choose for your wedding dress? Is it the perfect time to panic? No it isn't. This is but a very normal situation that today's working professionals find themselves in. However, it must be kept in mind that there are few things to be considered before picking up a wedding dress. You simply cannot step inside a store and grab any wedding dress that you set your eyes on. This is your wedding and you just can't be that casual while picking up a wedding dress. There are a few things to be considered while choosing a wedding dress. Sure it is natural for you to get really excited after you accept the proposal from your beau but soon it's time to concentrate on the wedding dress.
One of the first and foremost things that you can do in regards to choice is to decide on a particular style In case you have no idea about wedding gown styles then you need to consider the following tips:

You have to make sure that the wedding dress that you choose suits your age. In case you are pretty young, you may not have much knowledge regarding what to wear. Certainly an old fashioned dress that is complete with longish sleeves and also has a high neckline may not be the right style for you. Similarly, in case you are not in youth, a strapless as well as a short dress probably would not be the very best idea for you because of weight issues that come with age.

The wedding dress that you choose should suit the particular body type you have. In case you have a curvaceous body, you probably would look nicer in a loosely fitting wedding dress that is flowing as well. In case the bride is petite, she should definitely go for a wedding dress with lots of decorations on them especially at the bust line and lower hips. Such decorations may comprise of beads as well as laces, or floral designs.

The wedding dress you choose should suit the seasonal trends, as you sure wouldn't like to be called a ?slob with zero sense of fashion' by anyone on that special day of yours. Summer wedding dresses can be strapless while a winter wedding dress should have more coverage in the form of a short jacket, short wrap, a shawl, or a stole over the shoulders.

Another need that can't be overlooked is to match your wedding dress with the grooms clothing so you look like the perfect match.

Finally, the wedding dress chosen should gel with the thematic approach undertaken at the wedding and should not look out of place. In case of a renaissance themed wedding, you have to dress accordingly so as to look gorgeous, trendy and beautiful all at the same time.

Things to Consider When Choosing a Wedding Dress is a post from: My Wedding Blog

Weddings are one of the most important occasions in a persons life. As a result, every bride strives to look good on this occasion.  Even though other factors like make-up and hairstyle will play a role in your appearance on your big day, the wedding dress will play a major part. Again, both you and your family will be looking at your wedding pictures for decades to come. As such, it is important to let your wedding album remind you of that one moment in time when you looked your absolute best.

How can you look absolutely wonderful on your wedding day?

Here are some factors to consider when deciding on your wedding dress.

1. The occasion

When looking at wedding dresses keep in mind that some dresses will be better suited to some weddings than others. The type of wedding dress to choose will partly depend on the type of wedding you will be having;  your wedding could be formal or informal, take place indoor or outdoor. It could also be a grand occasion in a massive cathedral, a sophisticated evening event with a civil ceremony, a simple church wedding, or a beach wedding in the tropics. This will help to inform your choice but by no means limit it. There are many wedding dresses to choose from for all types of weddings, so it should not be difficult finding one you like and that fits the occasion.

2. Keep your wedding dress in proportion to your body.

There are all different types of body shapes, some people are tall and slender, while others are short or petite, some have large bust and others have wide hips, and many other body types. When choosing a wedding dress, consider ones that flatter your best features while hiding the not so good ones. In order to this, you must know your body type. Remember that a particular dress may look fabulous on someone, but the same dress may seem unattractive on another . For example, If you are a tall and thin bride, huge ball gowns will not do justice to your figure, but rather gowns which are straight up and down (sheath gowns)  will show off your figure and make you look great. Likewise, If you are a short or petite bride, stay away from gowns with too much fabric. These tend to swallow smaller women. A-line wedding dresses are great because they lengthen the body.

3. The Colour

Your wedding dress does not have to be white. More and more women are opting for dramatic reds or soft pinks, pale golds or pretty lilacs. The only condition is that, the colour of your wedding dress should compliment the theme of your wedding. Also, remember to choose a colour that best suits the colour of your skin and makes it look gorgeous.  Some popular shades are an off-white, ivory or cream shade, these are often easier to wear. Other frequently used colours are light blue, pale pink, cappuccino brown and champagne red. Instead of wearing a coloured dress, you could also decide to just add a bit of colour. It could mean just having a wedding dress  with colorful beading, hints of colour fabric, or wearing colourful accessories such as jewelry or shoes.

Your wedding occasion may be the most important day of your life. You are going to spend a fortune for the perfect dress, so look stunning in it. You will have your wedding pictures for the rest of your life. You'll show these pictures to your grandchildren one day. Let it be a perfectly preserved memory of your special day. Choose the perfect wedding dress and turn heads when you glide down the aisle.

Wedding Dress – How to Choose the Perfect One is a post from: My Wedding Blog

When you dream about your wedding, you always picture yourself in the perfect wedding dress. You will be the center of attention, and you want to remember your wedding day as the best day of your life.

Here are some tips for choosing the wedding dress that's both affordable and absolutely perfect for you.

Set a budget for your wedding dress - Wedding dresses can cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars. Decide what you are willing to spend on your wedding dress ahead of time.

Only look at wedding dresses that are within your budget - Once you start looking at dresses over your budget, you'll start rationalizing why you should buy a more expensive dress. Don't tempt yourself. Stick to your budget and don't get sidetracked by wedding dresses outside of your price range.

Buy a wedding dress because it looks fabulous on you - Forget about the latest trends. If the dress doesn't fit your size ad body shape, it's the wrong wedding dress for you. Take your mom or a good friend along with you when you try on dresses. Ask for their truthful opinion, and listen to their advice. They want you to look wonderful on your special day, so they'll be honest with you.

Buy a wedding dress that you'll be comfortable wearing all day - There's no reason you have to be uncomfortable at your own wedding. You can find a beautiful wedding gown that also makes you feel great. When you try on a dress, walk around it in, sit down, bend, and move around normally. If it still feels good, consider buying it.

Shop for a wedding dress when you don't think you look your best - if you still think you look good in a dress, it will look even better when you're at your best.

The most important thing to remember is to have fun when you shop for a wedding dress. Make a day of it. Plan your itinerary, bring your mom or friend, have lunch, stick to your budget, and find the wedding dress of your dreams.

How to Buy the Wedding Dress of Your Dreams is a post from: My Wedding Blog

Let's face it - getting married can be an expensive proposition! But it doesn't have to be, for the savvy bride who knows where to shop.

There are lots of tricks you can use to find items of choice at below retail value, and your wedding dress can be the best find of your whole planning experience!

Consider the following ideas to locate an inexpensive wedding dress:

Heirloom: Your mother or grandmother may have a dress tucked away in an attic and would absolutely love for you to wear it. Perhaps they don't mention it because they don't want to offend you. Ask around and you may find an aunt or someone who knows of an heirloom dress you can make your own for no cost whatsoever. You can even spend a little money and have a seamstress update the dress's look to suit you by removing the sleeves, for example, or adjusting the length. Auctions: Online auctions such as ebay, and local auctions you find by searching online or in the papers, can be a great source for cheap wedding dresses. Often women will want to recover a little of their investment after their special day, and you can get deep discounts on beautiful dresses. Once it's been dry cleaned it will be as good as new, and you save lots of money for your other wedding expenses. Second hand or never-used: Local second-hand shops can be a great source. Set aside some time for sleuthing in your local shops, and put the word out to the salespeople about what you're looking for. Often they will have something come in that you can work with and which will cost you very little. If you are in North America, your local craigslist, kijiji or backpage online classifieds can be a super source for a cheap and perfectly good wedding dress. Sample sales: Keep your eyes and ears peeled - many designers and wedding shops hold sample sales at the end of each season or once a year. These sales are a fantastic opportunity to acquire a new dress at a deep discount. Be prepared to go early and to shop until you drop, and be prepared for many other eager and possibly aggressive brides-to-be! Discontinued, damaged or returned dresses: Ask around at your local bridal shops. Let them know what you are looking for and that you are on a budget. They may have something that has been damaged but can be corrected by a seamstress, or perhaps something that is discontinued or has been returned and already altered (thus considered by them to be no longer saleable at retail). Friends or relatives: Put the word out among your friends and relatives. Maybe your best friend's cousin's best friend had her wedding last year and would LOVE to sell you or give you her dress. In this day of email and instant messaging, your request could go far and you may stand a good chance of finding something that will work for you, especially with a little tailoring. Non-traditional: 'Fancy' dress stores such as those which carry evening and cocktail dresses often carry dresses that would be suitable for a wedding. Cream, white or pale pastel gowns can be perfect for a wedding if paired with the right accessories, and can often be hundreds or even thousands less than what you would pay for a 'true' wedding dress in a bridal shop. Some of these stores and boutiques even carry traditional wedding dress styles that are very affordable.

This should get you started on your hunt for an inexpensive or cheap wedding dress. There is nothing wrong with wanting to save money on planning what can be a very expensive day. No one will know any different, but you can enjoy a smile to yourself knowing you have been smart about your money!

How To Find A Cheap Wedding Dress is a post from: My Wedding Blog

A-Line or Princess Style

This is a great dress that is suitable for most body types. The way the dress is made gives the impression of height and is good for the bride who wishes to look taller. The cut also helps to make the bride look slimmer which is a bonus. The style means that there is a full skirt and the whole dress is very versatile. It accentuates the best bits of your body and hides the others!

Empire

This is a very good dress again for most body types but especially good for those women with a smaller bust or those with a larger bust. This is because the dress brings the focus of attention to around the neckline. With some jewellery here, the effect is increased and the neckline becomes the centre of attention.

Column

The column style dress is quite well fitting and is more suitable for the slimmer lady. It is not the most forgiving so if you have body areas that are perhaps a little larger than you are happy with, this dress will not do well to hid it. Due to the hugging nature of the dress, it will make the bride look taller, the downside is that it can be a little harder to move in!

Ball Gown

This style of dress is good for the slimmer bride and also for those who do not wish to show off the leg area too much. The way the dress fans out at the bottom does not show off the legs at all but the centre of focus if at the upper half of the body. This style is also probably not best suited to shorter women as it can look proportionally unequal.

Mermaid

This style of dress is best suited to the slender bride as it does show off the figure and does not look flattering for those who do not enjoy their body curves. There are a range of styles to choose form and you can see if there is one for you.

Just remember that once you have decided upon your dress, you need to invest in the proper dress storage box for it otherwise you risk ruining your investment in many years time through fabric degradation.

Wedding Dress Styles – Choosing the Right One is a post from: My Wedding Blog

Acids Destroy Fabric The acids in the cardboard box will damage the fabric over time. The point of storing your dress is so you can have it perfect condition in however many years, to pass on to a daughter or a sister, or maybe even wear it again when it is time to renew your vows.

Why pH Neutral? Even if they aren't acidic, the boxes may have a reverse alkalinity which may also work to damage and discolour the fabric. This is why it is very important to make sure that the box you store your dress in is not only acid free but pH neutral. This will keep the box from causing any damage to the dress.

Viewing Window or No Viewing Window No viewing window, because light will cause the fabric to discolour. When you are looking for a wedding dress storage box, make sure that in addition to being acid free and pH neutral, the box has no windows to let light in.

Once you have selected the proper box for your dress, remember not to use tissue paper inside (unless it is pH neutral!) the box to cushion the dress, because with the right box, you should not need the tissue paper. Also remember to clean the dress and allow it to dry completely before storing it to ensure that it will be in the best condition possible later.

Temperature fluctuations could also cause damage to the fabric, so the place where the box is stored should be a fairly consistent temperature year round. Store in a dry, dark place to prevent discolouration. Take time to inspect the dress each year to ensure there are no new stains and admire its beauty. So, the key is a pH neutral wedding dress box.

Why you need an acid-free, pH neutral storage box for your wedding dress is a post from: My Wedding Blog

A Proper Wedding Dress Box

A proper wedding dress box will be acid free (because the acid will break down the fabric and cause discoloration) and will also be pH neutral, because a box that is acid free without being neutral will likely have a reverse alkalinity which will cause the same kind of damage as not having a acid free box. The proper wedding dress box will also be solid with no viewing window, because a viewing window will let light in.

A Plastic Bag

While it may be good to help you get your dress from the store to the seamstress for alterations and to the cleaners after the wedding, using a plastic bag allows light to get to the dress which will break down the fabric and lead to discoloration. In addition to light, the bag will likely be more susceptible to moisture which can cause the dress to mildew and mold. As time goes on, the plastic bag will break down, whereas the proper dress box will stay intact. Chances are the plastic composition of the bag will also contain acids that will break down the fabric.

While it may be more cost effective to store your dress in a bag initially, in the end it will do more harm than good when you go to take out the dress in a few years to give to your daughter, friend, or other loved one to find it ruined with discoloration and weakened fabric.

Save yourself potential heartbreak later and store your dress correctly with an acid free, pH neutral wedding dress box. This way you know your dress will be safe through it all and when it is time to renew those vows, you will be ready to go.

A Wedding Dress Box vs a Plastic Bag For Your Valuable Dress is a post from: My Wedding Blog

During the actual wedding, in having a great time and enjoying yourself, your dress will get some dirt on it no matter how careful you are trying to be. Panic not as you can always clean your dress. You can always try and clean the dress yourself but this is not recommended! There are professional dry cleaners who specialise in cleaning wedding dresses.

Wedding dresses are usually substantial garments and therefore cleaning them is a a task in itself. Not only that, the value of wedding dresses means that the dry cleaners do need to cover themselves with insurance in case anything goes wrong. Due to these factors, having your dress dry cleaned is an expensive business. It can cost a couple of hundred pounds and in some cases can cost a percentage of the cost of your dress. I have come across people who were charged 10% of the cost of the dress! A large proportion of this goes towards the insurance.

Once your dress is dry cleaned, then you need a proper dress storage box for it that is the right size and more importantly is pH neutral. This means that there is no acidity or alkalinity within the material of the box. This is important because over time, any acidity or alkalinity can over time degrade the fabric of the dress or discolour it. So, when you have your dress boxed, store it somewhere at room temperature so you avoid wide temperature fluctuations.

The main piece of advice on this site is to invest in getting your dress professionally dry cleaned rather than doing it yourself. Once cleaned, store it properly in a pH neutral dress box.

Cleaning Your Wedding Dress is a post from: My Wedding Blog