Every wedding is expensive, but are there any ways to cut the costs of your wedding by saving money on your
LDS wedding gown?
There are several ways to save for the astute bride, and we're going to look into some of these inflation-busting tips right here:
Buying Off The Peg
There's nothing wrong with going to a bridal boutique to buy a wedding dress, but you must be aware that this is likely to be one of the most expensive ways to obtain a dress. Yes, you get personal service. Yes, you can try on the dress in advance, but you'll also be paying top dollar.
A good thing is that you can ask the assistant to pick out a dress for you which is both modest and can even be worn for your sealing in the temple if you wish. This is good as it can be difficult to find a dress that fits the modest LDS profile.
Cost-cutting tip:
One thing that you can do to cut costs here is to wait until a sale starts.
Many of these stores have a sale at the end of their seasons which are commonly in winter or spring, so keep an eye out. Although not the cheapest way to get your gown, at least you can shave the costs of buying in store a bit in this way while still benefitting from the personalized service.
Buying Online
Online stores offer a good alternative to stores near you as they are almost always much cheaper and have the same and usually many more choices than local stores.
There must be disadvantages though?
There are some. You're not necessarily certain of the garment's quality and fit before you get it and you have to wait for delivery, but both of these can be overcome by giving yourself a time buffer before the wedding in order to get any alterations made if necessary.
In this case time does equal money!
Cost-cutting tip:
Many online stores are constantly running promotions as the online market is very competitive.
It will pay to shop around rather than just choosing the first store that you see where they have a gown that you love.
Bookmark a list of the stores you like and then see which one is offering the most competitive promotions, such as 'Free delivery on orders over a certain value,' or 'Buy one, get one free.' Just keep an eye out for banners on their homepage!
Do It Yourself
If you don't mind a plainer dress then you could make yourself a temple-ready dress without having to be a master seamstress. All you need is to follow the example of standard temple dresses, but then accessorize with some great details like rosettes, lace on the hems or a bright sash. Just remove the sash and you're ready to go in the temple.
Don't forget as well, that your temple-ready wedding gown can be worn again and again every time you go to the temple in future which means that you're getting amazing value.
Most brides of other faiths also don't have the luxury of being able to wear their cherished wedding dress over and over again during their life, so this is a particularly attractive and cheap choice.
Cost-cutting tip:
Have any friends or relatives who are good at sewing, or dress-making?
It's time to get re-acquainted with that aunt you haven't seen for ages and press her into action. Not only will you be saving money, but she will be delighted to be such an important part of your wedding!
To review, the easiest option is probably to get your gown online, so give yourself plenty of time before your wedding and start searching today for modest wedding dresses. When you've saved lots of money on the dress, perhaps you can save it for your future together or perhaps spend it on a lovely honeymoon.
