"Say Yes to the Dress" is a favorite TV show of mine to watch but it's not a reality for me or most people I know. Although I love the dresses and some of the show drama I can't stand that the sales people make clients feel bad or ashamed when they have a small budget of $3,000. News flash $3,000 is a LOT of money!!! and no one should make you feel like you can't get a dress you absolutely love unless you sell your first born child for it.
I love David's Bridal for wedding dresses, they have a huge selection and reasonable prices. David's is always running a sale on top of the great prices. The one issue I have with David's is they can at times have pushy sales women. They might find you a dress within your budget but then try to pile on the extras which are normally not so inexpensive. You may want to spend $500 on a dress but then add the bra ($75), slip ($60), veil ($150), blusher ($20), and headpiece ($99) and your budget is out the window at an extra $404. My advice is to know your budget and don't get sucked into the little extras even if they can give you 15% off or 20% because of some special promo.
When you go to your dress appointment come prepared with a good strapless bra (TJ Maxx or Marshalls) and don't buy into the excitement of what your whole wedding day look will look like and NEED all the extras. The sales women told me that it would be hard to shop for my veil online because the color would not match my dress - guess what? I found the veil I LOVED at half the cost of the one I liked at David's Bridal at,
http://www.smartbrideonline.com/
and they had a huge selection of colors to match any dress. (PS veils are shear and if they are just slightly off from your dress color no one will notice as the light goes through it) This site also has inexpensive extras like headpieces. Smart Bride Online is also a favorite site because of customer service, they personally contacted me when they had a backorder to make sure I have enough time to get me veil before my wedding date or they would refund my money. Inexpensive and good service - love it!
If you are a size 4/6 or 10/12 you might be in luck at sample sales. Once or twice a year bridal salons will run a sample sale to clear their inventory to make room for new dresses. If you fit the sizes of their samples (small salons carry fewer sizes) you can get a deep discount on a very expensive dress.
If you are on a super tight budget try checking out David's outlet dresses most are $99 or less, or www.oncewed.com a web page that sells used or non returnable dresses that brides want to sell cheap. I recommend going to a bridal boutique to try on styles before deciding on a online buy. You want to make sure the style will look good on you not just the model in the picture because returns are not an option when getting such a deep discount.
Once you have your dress you will need alterations. Make sure you shop around, a bridal salon can rip you off as they know you don't know any better. Normally if you ask around you will find friends and family know a great seamstress who has much more reasonable prices.
Happy dress hunting and remember your perfect dress doesn't need to cost a fortune.
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