Recession or no recession, you may want to wear designer wedding dresses on your wedding day. And who can blame you? It is your moment of glory, after all, and moments of glory deserve only the finest finery!
With that being said here are the three S's of getting your manicured hands on cheap designer wedding dresses.
Sample Sales
When you were a single lady, you probably heard of brides-to-be stampeding into stores in search of the Holy Grail of wedding dresses, designer or not. You probably thought, too, that there is no way on Earth you are going to be one of the masses, figuratively speaking of course.
However, now that you are about to add another ring to your finger, then you need to consider sample sales to save on wedding costs. Simply put, sample sales are events where stores sell their wedding wares at a discount, a hefty discount. This happens about once a year so you need to tap into your network of family and friends to be on the alert for these sales.
Here is how it works: You line up very early in the morning in front of the store. You then join the throngs of brides-to-be who dress and undress themselves in designer wedding dresses at the speed of light. You choose the dress and you pay for it.
Some tips: Go in your bathing suit to save on the hassles of getting into fitting rooms. Bring along a friend to help you with the process. Have an idea of your wedding dress to save time on looking at dresses that you will not like anyway. Most importantly, try to be a size 8 to 10 because that's usually the largest size available.
Second-Hand Shops
There is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing second-hand designer wedding dresses especially when these are heirlooms. Think vintage and you can become one of the most fashionable brides on the block.
When you buy from second-hand stores, however, always opt for those in upscale neighborhoods for better finds. Or better yet, go to consignment shops. You can usually find better dresses in these stores since they only accept items in perfect and near-perfect conditions, which means more bargains for you.
Be sure to check if you can afford the cost of alterations and repairs since most second-hand shops don't have return policies. Even if they profess to accept returns, put it in writing.
Sites over the Internet
Yes, the Internet is one of the best ways to save money on designer wedding dresses. Usually, websites will offer lesser prices than brick-and-mortar stores mainly because the profits of the middlemen are eliminated.