Project Wedding: The Dress

Man, wedding dresses are SO expensive, aren’t they? I’m really quite frugal and it pains me how much weddings cost. I mean, it’s basically a glorified party, right? Why is it necessary to charge $2000 on a white dress that you’re going to wear only one night? I was determined to find a more economical alternative.

The main way to find an inexpensive wedding dress is to not shop for a wedding dress. I mean, really, just add the word “wedding” to anything and the prices double or triple. In order to find a dress well under $1000 (which was my budget), I had to keep an open mind on the style and material. I shopped at all sorts of non-traditional wedding places such as J.Crew, Nordstrom, Ann Taylor, Black & White, and random smaller online boutique shops like ModCloth and Etsy. I also shopped at David’s Bridal, wedding liquidator shops, and other wedding boutiques. The process was exhausting! But it helped me narrow down what I wanted and needed my dress to be, which were:

1. The fit of dress that was most flattering on me was mermaid or fit and flare.
2. I wanted to wear a strapless dress because, well, I like how my shoulders and collarbone look. Also, the less fabric around my torso, the better. Provence in the summer is bloody hot!
3. The material should fit in well with the French country atmosphere. I felt the look of lace would bring that vintage touch.
4. It should be lightweight and easy to pack as this was a destination wedding, therefore I thought it should be relatively plain without too much detailing, beading, sequins, and tulle. (You can’t imagine how difficult this was to ask for.)
5. I wanted a short (or no) train as I would be dragging extra fabric down a dirt path.
6. It had to cost less than $1000, including taxes and alterations (which meant the dress had to have a sticker price of about $600-700).

Then, while browsing Goodwill one day for anything but a wedding dress, I found this, just hanging there in the evening dress section amongst other colorful dresses:

Here were the cons of this dress:

• The bust was WAY too big.
• I barely squeezed through the waist.
  (Who was this dress designed for anyway? Barbie???)
• All the gathering and ruching.
• It was made of satin without an ounce of lace. To me, this said more Paris than Provence.

Here were the pros:

• The fit and flare shape was exactly what I was looking for.
• It was lightweight and packable.
• There was a short train.
• The price tag read: $34.99!!! (Seriously, no joke.)

SOLD!

Goodwill has a seven-day return policy, so I took it home, tried it on for my friends, and pondered the logistics of turning the dress into something fitting for the lavender fields of Provence. In the end, I determined all it needed was a good dressmaker, a few yards of lace, and to lose a few inches around the waist before the big day. Here is what the dress looked like at the first fitting:

It wasn’t until I put this redesigned dress on that I finally had my “say yes to the dress” moment. All those months of searching and calculating and rejecting… I finally felt like a real bride.

Here’s the cost breakdown:

Satin thrift dress from Goodwill: $34.99+tax = $43.43
3 meters of lace material from Fabricana: $57.05
Labor to remake the dress: $300+tax = $336
Absolutely gorgeous detachable rhinestone beaded belt from Etsy (I wanted it to detach, so I could wear it again [as my friend wisely put it] like, when I’m cleaning): $250+shipping = $257 (This belt has increased in price since I purchased it.)
Total, including all taxes and shipping: $693.48 <— swoon of pride at this final total.

My dressmaker said that she would have charged me $700 alone for making this dress from scratch. What a deal, huh?

 

If you missed any part of the Project Wedding series, you can view them here:

How It All Began
The Ceremony
Pom Poms and Fans
Tin Punched Candle Holders
No Sew “Just Married” Bunting
The Dress
DIY Hair Fascinator
The Reception
Creating The Invitations
DIY Ticket Booth
Passport Guest Book
Stenciled Burlap Table Runners
Our Wedding Cake Alternative
Traveling Trunk Prop
DIY Photo Booth Props
Out of Town Gift Boxes
Organize Your Wedding Mementos
Tips For Planning Your Engagement Photo Shoots