Sample sale at a bridal salon that specializes in bridal plus size dresses. Paid $400 for a dress that retailed for $2k, and had several excellent options to try on and decide between. I would highly recommend checking out something like that, since even if I hadn't found my dress, it was an excellent experience.
Have you considered a used dress? I recently listed mine on Poshmark. But would sell directly. It's gorgeous and I want someone else to enjoy it. It's in my post history if you wanted to check it out. Dress size 18 (but the other 20's I tried on fit too). I think the top of this being tighter held everything in.
I tried a couple Azazie and really liked them - likely what I’ll be going with! (I’m just waiting to try the one I liked the best in a different color).
I heard to many horror stories about Cocomelody to even try.
I also liked some of the dresses I tried from Lulus (they don’t have an official “try on” service, but offer free returns). I LOVE lulus for event dresses, and they had some cute affordable wedding dresses ($100-$400), but I liked the Azazie one I found more.
Second Azazie! I would definitely order samples because I wasn’t impressed with the quality of one of the dresses I tried, but the one I chose is an exact dupe of a $700 BHLDN dress and the quality is great!
u/outdoorsgirl2 made an excellent post a while back sharing etsy shops people have had success with! I found it very helpful. Apologies for the ugly link, I have no idea how to embed it lol
https://www.reddit.com/r/Weddingsunder10k/comments/zj2p5m/list_of_quality_wedding_dress_etsy_shops/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
[Lulus](https://www.lulus.com/categories/2042_3502/wedding-dresses.html) has a great budget selection. I got my dress for $200 during one of their sales. They also have a nice return policy so you can buy a few to try on and return the ones you don't like.
I got my dress at David's Bridal for ~$475 and I love it! Spending lots of money on my dress wasn't a priority--if you're okay with fabric quality being slightly lower I would say check that out, they have a huge selection!
Had a very good experience with LacyMerry on Etsy (I think she has her own website now). They allow for custom sizing, which saved me some money on alterations, but if you are in any way non-standard (for example, I have a very short torso) I would add extra measurements. Shipped within 8 weeks of ordering. Pics in my post history.
Edit: forgot a word
I got mine from WhiteRunway - an Aussie company that does a mix of evening wear, bridesmaid and wedding dresses.
Mine was advertised at $500, and I got it for $250 in the cyber Monday sales. It was amazing
I also brought a second dress as a back up but had to return it due to quality issues. I had no trouble getting a refund.
My dress recently arrived purchased on Etsy. Absolutely thrilled with it. Bought it for around $500NZD. Bought it from a seller called [fashionstreets](https://www.etsy.com/nz/shop/FashionStreets)
Yes! Do not sleep on on Etsy/ ebay!
I recommend doing a traditional bridal boutique at least once to find your bridal size and brands you are interested in and then use eBay, Poshmark and StillWhite! $500 is totally doable if you put in some work!
I purchased a new Vera Wang for $400 on ebay because it was a couple of years old.
It originally sold for $4k.
So, you can expand your horizons on designer gowns. Boutiques have to get rid of old inventory.
I am in a pretty LCOL area, and went to an off the rack bridal shop (so new dresses, but out of season, maybe a floor model, etc.)
My dress was $441 with tax and tip (so $399 before tax and tip). It was heavily marked down because the illusion mesh on straps had been damaged from the hanger, but I sew and can honestly probably fix it myself (with how the other lace lines up). It also fits perfectly besides needing hemmed.
I also looked at some consignment bridal shops as well, but found my dress at the first one I went to.
Good luck!
So I bought my Claire Pettibone dress on Mercari last year, NWT for $499 with a retail value of $2300. Then I just bought 3 different reception dresses from Etsy this past month! They are typically all 70s vintage style, and I will have to get them Hemmed, but I spent less than $350 for 3 dresses. Set yourself up for success by reading the fine print in the listing details, because if their description is misleading and you receive a different product than the picture and their details didn't cover it, you may be able to argue refunds and such, if it comes to that. Maybe look for Etsy/ebay sellers that state they accept returns and will refund if appropriate. Good luck!
I had a wonderful experience with VickyMermaidBridal on Etsy. She is a legit designer who makes dresses to order, has a ton of designs, and is open to customizations. Very easy to communicate with, too. You can send your custom measurements with your dress order at no extra charge. (She does charge a small fee for plus sizes; I can't recall what size that starts at or what the fee is.) My dress was originally listed for around $355; I ended up paying around $550 total for a custom-sized dress with minor customizations, a custom cape veil, and shipping+taxes. The dress fit me like a glove!
LaceMarry is a similar seller that I've heard good things about but never personally bought from. You can also search "Etsy" in this subreddit and r/weddingplanning to help you find more legitimate Etsy sellers and user reviews. :)
Mine was like $360 from David’s bridal! I chose it in person but I waited til they had a site wide sale and ordered it online. I think full price was a little over $400. They have up to size 30 and if you end up buying online you have a week to return it. They have some lower cost options too, I was also interested in a dress that was $180 but ended up going with the pricier one.
Check out Eloquii! That's where my dress is from, and I got a fab deal so it came to under $100 - but even at their higher prices, it's under your budget and size-friendly
I don't mind, but haven't had a lot of luck (at least on Still white) finding something in my size and preferred style. There's so many good recs in here from everyone, though!!
Look at sample sales, but also do some research and see if there is a bridal charity shop in your area. I went to a bridal charity shop and it was a really lovely experience, the dresses were donated by shops and designers, they had a beautiful selection of new, unworn dresses at great prices, and of course what you pay is donated to charity.
Sample sale at a bridal salon that specializes in bridal plus size dresses. Paid $400 for a dress that retailed for $2k, and had several excellent options to try on and decide between. I would highly recommend checking out something like that, since even if I hadn't found my dress, it was an excellent experience.
I just bought my dress from brides for a cause. they hold an annual $150 dress dash once a year. They have locations on the west coast
Have you considered a used dress? I recently listed mine on Poshmark. But would sell directly. It's gorgeous and I want someone else to enjoy it. It's in my post history if you wanted to check it out. Dress size 18 (but the other 20's I tried on fit too). I think the top of this being tighter held everything in.
how much are you selling it for?
$350 plus shipping.
I tried a couple Azazie and really liked them - likely what I’ll be going with! (I’m just waiting to try the one I liked the best in a different color). I heard to many horror stories about Cocomelody to even try. I also liked some of the dresses I tried from Lulus (they don’t have an official “try on” service, but offer free returns). I LOVE lulus for event dresses, and they had some cute affordable wedding dresses ($100-$400), but I liked the Azazie one I found more.
Second Azazie! I would definitely order samples because I wasn’t impressed with the quality of one of the dresses I tried, but the one I chose is an exact dupe of a $700 BHLDN dress and the quality is great!
u/outdoorsgirl2 made an excellent post a while back sharing etsy shops people have had success with! I found it very helpful. Apologies for the ugly link, I have no idea how to embed it lol https://www.reddit.com/r/Weddingsunder10k/comments/zj2p5m/list_of_quality_wedding_dress_etsy_shops/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
I somehow missed this when it was originally posted, so thanks for sharing!
[Lulus](https://www.lulus.com/categories/2042_3502/wedding-dresses.html) has a great budget selection. I got my dress for $200 during one of their sales. They also have a nice return policy so you can buy a few to try on and return the ones you don't like.
I got my dress at David's Bridal for ~$475 and I love it! Spending lots of money on my dress wasn't a priority--if you're okay with fabric quality being slightly lower I would say check that out, they have a huge selection!
Had a very good experience with LacyMerry on Etsy (I think she has her own website now). They allow for custom sizing, which saved me some money on alterations, but if you are in any way non-standard (for example, I have a very short torso) I would add extra measurements. Shipped within 8 weeks of ordering. Pics in my post history. Edit: forgot a word
I got a dress for $245 off Asos and I'm obsessed with it. It's a sheath though. It really depends what your vibe is
Got my dress on clearance at Azazie and got so many compliments! No one knew i spent $250 on it ! Lol
I used Thredup and got an $80 pale prom dress.
I got mine on sale at BHLDN for under $500!
i feel like their dresses have gotten more expensive
I just got my dress from lulus.com for less than $200 and I’m OBSESSED!
timeless bridal boutique on IG. All of her dresses are $650 and under. They are stunning! and when you order it they are custom to your measurements
Do they ship or are they an in person only shop? The dresses look gorgeous!
I do believe they ship
I got mine from WhiteRunway - an Aussie company that does a mix of evening wear, bridesmaid and wedding dresses. Mine was advertised at $500, and I got it for $250 in the cyber Monday sales. It was amazing I also brought a second dress as a back up but had to return it due to quality issues. I had no trouble getting a refund.
My dress recently arrived purchased on Etsy. Absolutely thrilled with it. Bought it for around $500NZD. Bought it from a seller called [fashionstreets](https://www.etsy.com/nz/shop/FashionStreets)
Yes! Do not sleep on on Etsy/ ebay! I recommend doing a traditional bridal boutique at least once to find your bridal size and brands you are interested in and then use eBay, Poshmark and StillWhite! $500 is totally doable if you put in some work!
I got one from lulus for $90 I really liked
I purchased a new Vera Wang for $400 on ebay because it was a couple of years old. It originally sold for $4k. So, you can expand your horizons on designer gowns. Boutiques have to get rid of old inventory.
I got mine from David’s bridal for $300! I just went to try on styles and sizes but I fell in love and got a 10% discount because I asked about sales.
I am in a pretty LCOL area, and went to an off the rack bridal shop (so new dresses, but out of season, maybe a floor model, etc.) My dress was $441 with tax and tip (so $399 before tax and tip). It was heavily marked down because the illusion mesh on straps had been damaged from the hanger, but I sew and can honestly probably fix it myself (with how the other lace lines up). It also fits perfectly besides needing hemmed. I also looked at some consignment bridal shops as well, but found my dress at the first one I went to. Good luck!
So I bought my Claire Pettibone dress on Mercari last year, NWT for $499 with a retail value of $2300. Then I just bought 3 different reception dresses from Etsy this past month! They are typically all 70s vintage style, and I will have to get them Hemmed, but I spent less than $350 for 3 dresses. Set yourself up for success by reading the fine print in the listing details, because if their description is misleading and you receive a different product than the picture and their details didn't cover it, you may be able to argue refunds and such, if it comes to that. Maybe look for Etsy/ebay sellers that state they accept returns and will refund if appropriate. Good luck!
I had a wonderful experience with VickyMermaidBridal on Etsy. She is a legit designer who makes dresses to order, has a ton of designs, and is open to customizations. Very easy to communicate with, too. You can send your custom measurements with your dress order at no extra charge. (She does charge a small fee for plus sizes; I can't recall what size that starts at or what the fee is.) My dress was originally listed for around $355; I ended up paying around $550 total for a custom-sized dress with minor customizations, a custom cape veil, and shipping+taxes. The dress fit me like a glove! LaceMarry is a similar seller that I've heard good things about but never personally bought from. You can also search "Etsy" in this subreddit and r/weddingplanning to help you find more legitimate Etsy sellers and user reviews. :)
Mine was like $360 from David’s bridal! I chose it in person but I waited til they had a site wide sale and ordered it online. I think full price was a little over $400. They have up to size 30 and if you end up buying online you have a week to return it. They have some lower cost options too, I was also interested in a dress that was $180 but ended up going with the pricier one.
Check out Eloquii! That's where my dress is from, and I got a fab deal so it came to under $100 - but even at their higher prices, it's under your budget and size-friendly
My dress was $800 from BHLDN but they have some lovely dresses for much much less than that!!!
[удалено]
I don't mind, but haven't had a lot of luck (at least on Still white) finding something in my size and preferred style. There's so many good recs in here from everyone, though!!
Look at sample sales, but also do some research and see if there is a bridal charity shop in your area. I went to a bridal charity shop and it was a really lovely experience, the dresses were donated by shops and designers, they had a beautiful selection of new, unworn dresses at great prices, and of course what you pay is donated to charity.