Alright my friends, I spend a lot of time (too much time!) looking at dresses. Specifically wedding dresses. Mostly for fun, sometimes for work, often times for research or ideas for a shoot we have coming up. Since it can be tricky to borrow a gown from a designer or a boutique if we have a particularly rough & tumble outdoors location in mind, oftentimes I'll just get a budget wedding dress on the cheap for a shoot! That way if we ruin it with mud, rocks, seawater, or whatever the heck, it's basically no harm done.
Throughout the years, I've had tons and tons of people ask me "where did you get that dress??" and ask if it was from a brand name designer or a bridal boutique (the answer is rarely, if ever!) So, because I know not all you brides are out there with a big wedding dress budget, here are all my favorite secret online spots to snag a helluva wedding dress.
ASOS My go-to, every time. Without fail, there's a solid and surprisingly affordable collection of fresh, unique bridal designs, plus they carry some cool exclusives from designers on occassion as well.
Lulu's I feel like most folks already know this one, but it bears repeating because it's a staple.
Used Wedding Dresses Sites (Preownedweddingdresses.com, stillwhite.com, poshmark.com, depop.com) Brides selling their wedding dresses to other brides! Good for your wallet, good for the planet, good for everybody. A great spot to snag a dress from a designer who would be way out of your budget if purchased brand new.
Mywony Bridal A gorgeous brand with a specialty in flowing, beautiful fabrics and unusual colors and designs at a really affordable price point.
BlueSkyBridal & Brides for A Cause If the idea of ordering a dress online makes you queazy, these boutiques are a wonderful, wonderful option, with locations in Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland. They sell sample gowns from other boutiques as well as secondhand or used gowns. Their inventory is always gorgeous, modern, and affordable!
Let me know if you guys have any other online wedding dress gems that you've come across! As a quick closing note: be extremely wary of knock-off sites or the multitude of seemingly too-good-to-be-true etsy and ebay listings. While all the sites listed here are legit places to buy from, individual sellers who are less-than-truthful or scammers can get through, even on trusted sites. Always look into the legitimacy of the site & seller you're buying from & don't be afraid ask around on wedding groups or message us if you're not sure. Happy perusing to you, and here's to getting the dress of your dreams & not going broke!
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