The High-Street Bride’s Guide: How to Plan Your Perfect Wedding On A Budget

The Dress (#ue6b9f003-1ade-5319-af0e-478647d2bbcd)

Designer, high-street or affordable W-day brand – you can afford your dream gown

If you’ve ever stood in front of a full-length bridal shop mirror, all clipped and pulled in all the right places, with your mum, sister and best friends nodding encouragingly as you gaze at the perfect fit of your dream dress, then unless you’re reading this section for a bit of fun I’m guessing you know the heartbreak of being handed that tiny bit of paper with more noughts on than a Stateside catwalk.

But hold back the tears, ladies. You can feel that beautiful again. In a dress that’s actually in your price range this time. It might be a dress with a designer label in the back of it, or one you’ve just been handed by the seamstress who stitched it to your exact measurements. It might arrive at your door hand-delivered and wrapped in tissue paper, or you might find it the traditional way – jumping up and down in your friendly neighbourhood bridal boutique.

There are plenty of ways to look amazing on your big day without selling your engagement ring to pay for it – all you have to do is keep an open mind, and pick the method that suits you best.

Before You Start

There are a few pointers that apply to almost every place you look for a dress, and they’re worth considering if you want to maximise the luxe without paying out the megabucks.

First, the length. It’s a general trend you’ll notice that shorter gowns tend to be cheaper. Whether it’s just because they use less fabric or because longer wedding dresses are more popular by tradition, if you can get away with a shorter dress – maybe at a low-key registry office wedding, on a summer day, or if a Fifties theme is your cup of tea – you’ll often end up with a totally gorgeous gown for a much more purse-friendly price.

Second, the simplicity. Keeping your dream dress simple opens up more options for how to get hold of it, as you’ll see in the rest of the chapter. But you’ll also find that a clean-cut satin dress that’s not all ruffles, lace and embellishment is often less expensive than something more full-on, even straight off the hanger – and you can understand it: more materials and more labour are needed to get a glitzier gown spot-on, and that’s reflected in the cost.

Third, the colour. White, cream or ivory are of course the most popular swatches for your average I-doer. And yes, there is a difference between the three, as you’ll be told over and over during your dress-shopping escapades. But blush shades have been creeping onto bridal catwalks for years – often light pinks, peaches and lilacs. Wedding maven Vera Wang has even sent dresses in deep reds, browns and black down her catwalk. Going for a shade less travelled is a fantastic way to open up all kinds of doors to a tinier bridalwear budget, as you’ll see below. The question is: do you dare?

The Traditional Route

If you’re finding there’s nothing within your budget in any of the bridal shops, trust me: it’s them, not you. There are a lot of boutiques that stock dresses within a particular price range – £1,500 to £2,500 isn’t uncommon – but there are great designers who pride themselves on creating beautiful bridal gowns at affordable prices.

The trick is to do three things: ask your boutique on the phone what their price range is before you even book the appointment; ask them to only show you dresses within your budget on the day; and know your designers, so you can spot the names that don’t mean uninviting your groom’s whole side of the family.

Prices will vary by individual dress, so it’s still worth asking your boutique to limit what you try on to your preferred numbers, but in general, the below labels create a whole lot of chic styles for around £500 or less.

Alfred Angelo

Most of Alfred Angelo’s gowns are classic or princess. They’re even behind the Disney Fairy Tale Brides Collection – all dresses styled to suit Ariels, Belles, Cinderellas and co. They’re also the place to go if you want to give your white gown a twist: they pride themselves on their Dream in Colour range, where bodices, trains and hemlines come in 50 different shades to tie in with your colour scheme.

David’s Bridal

David’s have been tearing it up on the other side of the Atlantic for yonks – which is why I’m so psyched they’ve finally touched down over here. You’ll hear a lot of talk about these guys – names like Vera Wang and Zac Posen get bandied about since they’ve worked on ‘affordable’ collections with David’s – but keep in mind that what’s a bargain to your average platinum-card-waving follower of designer fashion doesn’t always fit into that bracket for the rest of us.

I’ll level with you: I’ve seen Vera Wang dresses here from £675 – no doubt more-than-nice workmanship if you can get it, and yes, a total steal if you’re used to the £4,000 to £18,000 she’s been known to charge. Last time I looked there were a few Wang gowns here under the £1,000-mark, but they also went up as high as £1,650, so you had to be careful not to have your bank balance stolen as well as your heart.

Mostly for £500-minus you’re better off with the less name-droppy brands. Galina, for one: think elegant full-length gowns in modern-romantic styles; mostly strapless, often lace, always gorgeous. Then there’s the signature David’s Bridal Collection: trad-with-a-touch-of-something looks; the simpler the dress, the more likely to fall under our price range. DB Studio are modern and daring – often going for the short or sophis markets – and I’ve seen prices start as low as £80. Last but not least, David’s Bridal Woman is worth a look for sizes 18 – 30; expect plenty of flattering trad styles and occasional seriously cute retro-chic.

Ellis Bridals

Ellis have been going for more than 100 years, so there’s no doubt they’re doing something right. Again, you can expect a lot of classic cuts – A-line and fuller skirts, lace and sweethearts – but I’ve also seen them put out one or two quirkier styles, including a blush peach look and a Fifties rock ‘n’ roll hemline.

Eternity Bride

Quite a lot of classics here, but some simpler styles thrown into the pot, and a healthy dose of spectacle in black lace and inky blue numbers – plus, there’s even a collection made especially for larger ladies. A real mixed bag, Eternity is likely to be a Marmite experience: some of their dresses will be the opposite of what you’re after, and some you’ll totally love – but it only takes one to get it right.

Impression Bridal

Fans of the ruffle, rejoice! Impression Bridal has them in all cuts, shapes and sizes. There are some slimmer gowns – think sheath with a sexy side split – but for the most part brides who aren’t fans of froth need not apply.

Kitty & Dulcie

Magazine editors are constantly in awe of the price of these super-cute retro- and vintage-style gowns. The capsule collection of Fifties tea dresses and full-length lacy Twenties looks is too gorgeous to betray the price tag – which is generally around £250 and up.

Minna

Not only are Minna dresses a boho bride’s dream come true – think swingy, loose, relaxed styles with lace and tiers, often long-sleeved or off-the-shoulder – they’re by an award-winning designer who’s often splashed across the pages of Elle and Vogue, and they’re all ethical and sustainable. Not that you’d ever guess it to look at them – why aren’t all dresses this heart-warming?

Are you ready for this? Gowns on the site have been known to go for as unbelievably little as… £155!

Pronovias

There’s a real range of prices here, but as a baseline Pronovias bridal gowns tend to start around the £1,000 mark. For a showstopper that’s closer to our £500 ideal, opt for their cocktail dresses in shades such as ivory, blush pink, peach and dusky purple. Expect a variety of styles and shapes that all ooze class and true glamour – think delicate sequin and beadwork, simple satin belts and even striking modern ruffles, mostly in slim or swishy styles.

Pure Bridal

Pure’s small selection covers most of the essential shapes and styles – skirts full and slender, hems above and below the knee, strapless, one-shoulder and halter – and yes, it does it simply and effectively. They even throw in a few wildcards with unusual colouring and appliqués, just for good measure.

Tobi Hannah

Tobi Hannah’s standard collection is seriously retro cool – think knee-length Sixties shifts and Fifties tea dresses with a modern twist. But it’s also that rare thing: a higher hemline at a bigger price – expect to pay about £1,200 to £1,800 a pop. Don’t despair, though – the limited Alive! collection is talking our language: the short and tea length dresses are real one-offs, vary in size from 8 to 20 and are priced around just £600 to £800.

Best for: All sorts of wedding styles, but if you’re a traditional ruffles-and-big-skirt bride in particular, I’d say this is the best route for you.

Sample Sales

If you really have to have a dress by a more expensive bridalwear designer, one way to save as much as 70% is in a sample sale. Most wedding shops have these a couple of times a year, when the dresses they stock for brides-to-be to try on are sold to make way for new collections – but some have ongoing samples for sale, so it’s worth giving stockists of labels you love a quick call to find out.

Depending on the shop, you may need to sharpen your elbows at sale time – some offer appointments, many it’s first come, first served, and occasionally it’s a free-for-all – but you’ll definitely need to be organised, patient and willing to be decisive.

The top tip I can give you? Turn up early. Bribe your maid of honour with coffee if you have to, but being first in line is the number one way to find that dress for hundreds of pounds less. They’re sold as seen, on the spot, so if you’re not at the front of the queue, every bride-to-be who turns up before you could walk away with your dream dress before you even get a look-in.

Bear in mind sizings, too. A lot of boutiques stock samples either in average sizes (10 to 14) or in large ones they can clip and tug smaller on each bride. Occasionally you’ll find ones that sell sixes and eights, but they tend to be less common. While it might seem like a clever plan to buy big and have your dress slimmed down, some styles can lose shape and detailing if they’re tailored too far. Your best bet? Ask the boutique owner before you buy – you might even be able to agree a price for her to fit it for you.

Best for: Brides who have fallen in love with a bridalwear designer who’s out of their price range. Sample sales are especially good for brides of average or larger sizes, but it really depends on what the particular boutique stocks.

High-Street Bridalwear

It might not be as glamorous as a bridal boutique when you’re trying on your wedding dress in the next fitting room to a girl pulling on a pair of jeans, but believe me, it’s worth it – some of the high-street brands we know and love have gone to the trouble to design dresses that really are worth coveting.

I’ll be straight with you: try on a £2,000 Ritva Westenius goddess gown and your high-street dress isn’t going to feel as sumptuous. Meanwhile, if you’re after full-on ruffle-mania you might even do better with a standard bridal boutique. But if you’ve set your sights on a fun, chic style that can be seriously elegant, since these labels often come in at less than £300, you really can’t go wrong.

BHS

Styles are mostly simple and classic with a modern finish. In the past I’ve seen longer and fuller gowns at about £125 to £495, while shorter or simpler gowns – including a Pippa Middleton lookalike with cowl neck – have sold for around £80 to £175. And a little bird tells me you can expect even more affordable dresses from here on in…

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