More and more brides of today are taking the plunge and opening themselves up to the idea of wearing someone else’s wedding dress down the aisle. If you aren’t entirely sold on the idea, here is a brief run down of why you should consider a second hand wedding dress.
First – what is a second hand wedding dress?
We here at Easy Weddings like to refer to second hand wedding dresses as pre-loved. After all, at one time they have been lovingly worn down the aisle on what is to be many brides’ most important day of their lives.
A pre-loved wedding dress is one that has been worn before. These garments are often already altered and modified to suit the first owner’s sizing and fashion tastes, which can pose as either an opportunity or an issue when it comes to purchasing a pre-loved wedding dress.
This brings us to our first point of why you should consider jumping on the band wagon and purchasing a pre-loved wedding dress.
Endless options and opportunities
Opening your mind to the pre-loved way of life can also present endless options and opportunities that you may not have considered prior. Purchasing a wedding dress is often a stressful and all-important decision in the wedding planning process. Adding to the mountain of wedding planning decisions you must ultimately make, bridal boutiques throw in the choice between tulle, lace, satin, silk, corsets, strapless, sweet-heart necklines, and more. While it’s great that bridal boutiques are able to offer so many choices to suit brides of all fashion styles and tastes, some brides simply want to choose something and be done with it.
Pre-loved wedding dresses give brides the opportunity to view a dress, decide if they like it, and purchase it. The great thing about pre-loved is that some brides may not have even considered a particular style or fabric before they fall head-over-heels in love with it when they see it listed on a pre-loved wedding dress site. And, with the help of a great alterations company, someone else’s wedding dress can be transformed into your dream wedding dress.
Cheaper expense
According to the Easy Weddings’ 2016 Annual Australia Wedding Survey, the average price of a wedding dress is $2,475. For some Australian brides, forking out that kind of money simply isn’t an option, while others may just prefer to spend more on parts of their wedding that ultimately carries more importance in their eyes.
The great thing about purchasing a pre-loved wedding dress is that you may be able to snag a gorgeous garment for the fraction of its original cost. This gives you more wedding budget to splurge in other areas – perhaps a honeymoon to the Maldives? – or more money in your pocket to kick off married life together.
Take it off another bride’s hands
Thousands of couples marry each year in Australia – and this means thousands of stunning wedding dresses hang sadly in their garment bags in their owner’s wardrobe. Purchasing a second hand wedding dress not only releases dresses from the constraints of their garment bag, but takes it of the bride’s hands and gives her some money in her pocket as a bonus. You win because you snagged a gorgeous wedding dress at a fraction of its original cost, and the original owner wins because she frees up some space in her wardrobe and receives a nice bit of spending money for an upcoming holiday. Second honeymoon, anyone?
Vintage possibilities
More and more brides today are open to the possibility of wearing a vintage dress down the aisle. With the option of purchasing a pre-loved dress, finding a one-off or a vintage garment becomes an achievable and affordable fete.
Designer brands open to you
While some brides simply don’t have the means to fork out thousands of dollars for a designer wedding gown, this doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t want to rock a Gahlia Lahav Haute Couture gown on what’s meant to be the most important day of their lives. With the ability to buy pre-loved wedding dresses, designer branded wedding gowns can be purchased at a fraction of their original cost. This is a win-win situation because you can wear the designer brand you deserve, and the original owner can recoup some of the money she spent on the gown.
Gives the dress another trip down the aisle
Wedding dresses are created to make brides feel like A-list celebrities on their special day. These gowns are worn on what’s meant to be one of the happiest days of your life, so it makes sense to breathe life back into the garment and give it another trip down the aisle. Plus – what is another bride’s dream wedding dress could also be yours!
What to remember
Remember, when considering a pre-loved wedding gown, we recommend negotiating with the original owner to include dry cleaning in the purchase price. Most brides take careful care with the wedding dresses, but dry cleaning the dress before purchase can ensure any makeup marks or wedding cake smudges are taken care of. And, with the often high price of dry cleaning a wedding dress, your bargain pre-loved gown could end up costing you just as much as new.
Additionally, you will have to be prepared to alter the pre-loved garment to fit. Wedding dresses are often made to fit a particular bride, and purchasing a pre-loved wedding dress can pose the issue of finding one that you not only adore, but that fits your body shape.
Where to start
Did you know Easy Weddings has a section of the site dedicated to connecting pre-loved wedding dresses with brides who wish to purchase one? Our pre-loved wedding dress page allows brides to search pre-loved garments filtered by location and their desired shape, size, colour, length, back, fabric, style, sleeve, neckline, and even designer. The possibilities are endless!
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