How much does a wedding dress cost? Really? Anywhere from $50 to $ 250,000. Averaging at around $1,300. At my shop the average price is $300. At our other shop it's $800. Why? There are 3 factors that go into why a dress costs what it costs. First is materials, how much bling bling is on your ding ding? LOL Seriously though... The more lace and beading you have on your dress the more it's going to cost. Also what type of beading is it? Are they just cheap plastic beads you'd see white girls with dread locks lacing onto some twine at girls camp? Are they clear glass beads with a cut that catches the light? Are they Swarovski crystals? Take a look at the quality of the pearls and the embroidery, is the silver thread bright and thin? The second is the designer label. Pnina Tornai is one of the hottest wedding dress designers in the country. All of her dresses have distinct style luxury, they start at $3,000 and she only sells her dresses exclusively to a very small group of salons around the world. Basically, the bigger the name the bigger the price. The third is style. If its a current dress, just out this season, latest and greatest style expect to pay much more. For your convenience I've given these two examples. The dress on the right goes for about $1,600 the one on the left averages for $700.
So why then are the dresses at my shop $300 and $800 at the other place? Style. Most discount shops do not have the most current dresses, and may not even be in the best condition. Everything I have is at least 2 years old. You will not find an all over lace dress with a stunning key hole back at my store. Nor will you find the Queen Ann neckline that's becoming so adored for $500. I'm sorry honey, it just doesn't exist. I've chosen this topic because I had a bride in my store today that asked for just that. This happens more than I'd like to admit. An excited bride comes in she's heard that all my dresses are under $700 and just my luck her budget is $500, I've got her dress right? Wrong. She then states, I want an all over lace dress, trumpet style with little beading, size 6 please nothing over five hundred. She rattles it off like she's ordering a cheese burger expecting me to back in a snap with exactly what she wants for that price. I told her, "I'm sorry I have one lace dress in the store at its $699." She looked at me like I slapped her mother. And when I showed her the dress she looked at me like she wanted to slap me! She hated it! I mean, if she could have vomited at that moment she would have. The dress was 2 years old, and it its prime cost $1,200. But now it might as well have been a trash bag in her opinion. Then she whipped out her hot pink iPhone and started moving her turquoise painted thumbnail frantically across it, flipped the phone around and presented it to me. I saw this beautiful lace dress by Allure bridals from the spring collection. "Yes I know that dress, our other store carries it, its from the spring season wont come in till march." "My wedding is in March, how much is it?" I went to the back and checked the price list, the dress is $1,600. "When I told her, I thought she'd break down and cry in the middle of my store. "Do you have anything like it at all in my price range?" I had to be honest with her "No." Lace has suddenly become incredibly popular, and last summer I sold every last one of my lace dresses. It's become a look people have to have. The designers know it so they charge more. I told her if she had any wriggle room in her budget say about three or 4 more hundred dollars we could probably find something for her, she told me she could not go over budget. In fact, her parents wanted her to stay more around three hundred she confessed. I felt terrible for her. I really wished I could have done something more. I asked her what else she liked if she had seen any other dresses she might consider, not made of lace. As she described to me her other desires I started pointing out dresses that fit that budget, she tried on two, disappointed in each, and left. I told her I'd keep an eye out for her and call her if something in her size and style came up she'd be the first I'd contact. This is the only thing I find frustrating about being a Bridal Consultant. The bride has unrealistic expectations for her dress, and refuses to bend on price or what she wants. If you or someone you know is looking for a wedding gown, please please, know what your budget is for the dress and how much something like that will cost. You don't have to try a dress on to know for sure, you can do a pre-shop. Walk into a store and see what they have and if what you like fits your budget, make an appointment to try those styles on, if not, you may have to re-consider one or the other. Last piece of advice: Don't buy online unless you know they are an authorized retailer of that designer! Many websites offer the top designer brands at way low prices, remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. You might be happy with only paying a couple hundred dollars, but you will not be happy with the counterfeit result!
Where can i find the dress on the right (with the cap sleeve)?
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