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Cheap Bridesmaid Dress
A bride has two major considerations when choosing a bridesmaid dress. The first, of course, is style. Bridesmaid dresses are notorious for their unattractiveness. The second is cost. Bridesmaid dresses should be affordable. If one or all members of the bridal party can't afford the cost of a designer dress, your best bet is to find a cheap bridesmaid dress.
Is it possible? Can one choose a dress that's affordable and stylish? Read on for tips for locating a cheap bridesmaid dress.
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Rentals
If affordability is a consideration, you might consider a rental. Rental shops offer dresses in current styles at about half the price of a new dress. In addition, all of the cleaning and steaming is done for you. The one downside is that when you're outfitting an entire bridal party, it might be difficult to find sizes in a single style to fit everyone. Alterations may be an issue too. You can't always alter rental dresses. Still if you're looking for a cheap bridesmaid dress, it doesn't hurt to check out bridesmaid dress rentals.
Cheap Bridesmaid Dress Consignment
A consignment store, especially one specializing in wedding wear, is a great place to shop for a cheap bridesmaid dress. If the dress has been previously worn, it will cost substantially less than its original price tag. Consignment shops are an excellent source for designer dresses too, especially if the shop is in an upscale area. As with rental shops, you may not find dresses to outfit every member of your bridal party and alterations may be an issue. Most wedding consignment shops don't usually have this problem though.
Another benefit of a consignment shop is that if you do pay full price for a bridesmaid dress, you can bring it back to be sold on consignment and make back some of the money spent. The dress has to be in excellent condition though. Most consignments offer a 50 -50 split with the owner of the goods. Selling a dress on consignment, especially a dress you will only wear once, is a great way to recoup some of the money spent.
Department Stores
Your neighborhood department store is a great place in which to find a cheap bridesmaid dress. Just check out their formalwear or dressy dress section. Since department stores stock many different sizes, you have a good chance of being able to outfit your entire bridal party. Most department stores usually have an alterations expert on the premises, but if the dress doesn't fit properly it can also be taken to a seamstress.
Bridal Shops
Bridal Shops might be able to offer a discount on styles that aren't best sellers or that are from a previous year's line. Contact the bridal shop first to see if they have a clearance section. You may even be able to purchase the dresses off the rack. Remember, when you're browsing clearance items, you may not find a dress in sizes to fit your entire bridal party. If you must, you can always go up a size or two and have the dress taken in.
Online
Finally, you can shop on line. Froogle, the bargain hunter's search engine, will help you find cheap bridesmaid dresses in your price range and eBay might have plenty of inexpensive options. The only problem with ordering a dress online is that you can’t try it on to see how it looks. Some discount outlets won't let you return the dress either.
Purchasing a bridesmaid dress can be expensive. Who wants to spend all of that money on something that will only be worn once, especially if the wearer isn't fond of the style? Finding a cheap bridesmaid dress may take a little time, but it's definitely worth it!