Money Monday: The Truth About Wedding Dress Industry Prices
As a bride these days, it’s not uncommon to ask yourself why these wedding dresses you’re looking at are so expensive. A wedding dress will be one of the more expensive items you buy for your wedding, but it shouldn’t have to cost you thousands of dollars. What makes wedding dresses so costly then? Unfair markups. It is common practice for traditional bridal boutiques to mark up a wedding dress 8-10 times before you even see it in the store. These wholesale and retail markups can drastically affect the price of your dress, often adding hundreds of dollars to the price. If you’re looking to avoid a markup, here are a few ways to avoid these high costs!
Recognize the Markups
The easiest way to avoid a markup is to know they exist. As you start to search for your wedding dress, know that most of the high price tags you’re encountering are due to the brand or designer name rather than the actual gown. Instead of putting so much focus on finding a specific brand name wedding dress, turn your attention to the must-have details you’re looking for to find a wedding dress that fits your expectations and is also within your budget.
Photography by Ria Mackenzie Photography
Buy Online
Save yourself from markups altogether by shopping online instead of in-store. Online boutiques are more likely to offer lower prices because they don’t have to pay the overhead fees that plague many traditional bridal boutiques. At LVB, we work directly with our manufacturers to eliminate markups from all our wedding dress prices. That way we can transfer any savings to you to be used on other aspects of your wedding.
Photography by Ria Mackenzie Photography
Budget For Everything
Whether you have a high or low wedding dress budget, make sure to budget for all aspects of your bridal look. That includes alterations and accessories, which can tack on hundreds of dollars to your wedding dress budget. You’ll want to take these costs into account when looking for a wedding dress to avoid going over budget. If you plan on doing in-house alterations, you’ll want to get an estimate of the cost before purchasing, so you know what to expect if you decide on that wedding dress.
Photography by Ria Mackenzie Photography
Share this with a bride who is starting their search for a wedding dress. Looking for a high-quality wedding dress that doesn’t have expensive markups? Browse our collection of made-to-measure wedding dresses that are all priced at $1,200 or less!
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