Budget Wedding Dress Archives - The Budget Bride Company

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Five tips for buying a budget wedding dress from wedding dress sample sale.com

19/11/2015/in Budget Advice, Budget Beautiful Wedding Suppliers, Budget Wedding Dress Ideas, Guest Post, Supplier Spotlight /by laura

I’m delighted to welcome the gorgeous weddingdresssamplesale.com to the Budget Bride Company. Specialising in beautiful wedding dresses that are available either as part of boutique sample sales or pre-loved by brides who would like to sell their gowns on, weddingdresssamplesale.com is a fantastic one stop shop for finding the perfect wedding dress on the budget that you have available.
You can find weddingdresssamplesale.com listed in our directory in all UK regions here. I’m now going to hand you over to the site’s founder, Sarah, who is going to let us in on some tips for buying a budget wedding dress.

Champagne tastes on a lemonade budget? The average UK wedding dress costs a whopping £1,746, so it’s not surprising that savvy brides are looking for affordable options.
Wedding Dress Sample Sale has helped hundreds of brides find their perfect designer dress without breaking the budget.Here are my 5 top tips for budget dress success.

1. Know your samples from your counterfeit
Sample, preowned and high street gowns are all better options than counterfeit.
Sample gowns are dresses that have been tried on in bridal shops. They are often in good condition and will not have been previously altered. Expect 50% or more off of retail price. You can track down sample sales at Wedding Dress Sample Sale.
Preowned dresses are dresses that have been worn once by brides on their wedding day. Be sure to check if the dress has been altered or needs a clean and factor that into your budget.
The high street offer some lovely budget options, usually relaxed column or vintage styles. BHS and Monsoon are always worth a look.
Counterfeit dresses are ‘made to measure’ dresses that come directly from a factory, often in China.
Be careful if you are looking on eBay. The dress you see in the picture may not be the one you end up with.
There are loads of horror stories out there, and very few brides get their money back. You don’t want to end up buying twice.

2. Don’t just look online
Online can point you in the right direction, but there are plenty of bargains that never get listed.
Bridal boutiques hold regular on premises sales, so if you see something in the window of your local boutique that’s a bit out of your price range, ask them when they’re having their next sample sale.
Wedding fairs are another great place to find discount gowns. Boutiques and designers will often bring their samples to shows to sell them quickly.
Some of the best UK fairs include Budget Bride Live, Chosen Wedding Fair, Vintage Wedding Fayre and the National Wedding Show.

3. Try before you buy
There is no substitute for trying on a wedding dress.
We don’t wear long dresses every day (well, apart from the odd summer maxi) so it’s hard to imagine what your dress will look like until you’re wearing it.
To make it even more confusing, bridal sizes usually come up smaller than the high street, and vary between designers so a size 14 in one designer might be a high street size 12.
Bridal boutiques are happy for you to come and try sample dresses. They may even offer a returns policy, allowing you to buy online, try the dress at home and return it if it doesn’t fit. Speak to your boutique to find out more.

4. Check for faults before you hand over the cash.
Sample and preowned dresses will come in the sizes they are listed in and once they’re gone, they’re gone!
It’s natural to want to move fast, but do take the time to check the dress over.
Sample gowns are ‘sold as seen’ so if you discover a fault once you’ve taken it home you won’t be able to return it.
I’ve sold hundreds of sample dresses and the majority are in excellent condition. Dust on the hem or small make up marks inside the bodice are to be expected, and can be easily cleaned.
If you are unlucky enough to run into fake tan, faded sequins or large tears then it’s not a bargain after all.

5. Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It never hurts to ask ‘is that your best price?’ The seller can always say no after all.
If a seller can’t take money off of the price of the dress, they may be able to throw in free delivery.
Remember to pay safely, using PayPal for online purchases and cash or debit / credit card for in person payments. Avoid cheques and bank transfers.

I hope you found this blog post helpful. We’ve got lots more advice in our free eBook ‘How to buy your Wedding Dress’ - download it today.

Thank you so much for your advice Sarah! Head to weddingdresssamplesale.com to browse through the options for you today.

Laura xx

Five Beautiful Wedding Dresses under £500

18/02/2015/in Budget Beautiful Wedding Suppliers, Budget Wedding Dress Ideas, Wedding Style /by laura

As a bride on a budget, no doubt you will have already thought about what you want in a wedding dress and wondered about whether you will be able to achieve the look you are after with the money you have available. The brilliant news is, that there are tonnes of options available for you. Today I have done the hard work for you and found you five beautiful wedding dresses under £500.

I've gone for floaty, classic full length femine wedding dresses under £500 today just because I’m feeling romantic! But the stores that I have chosen from also have some beautiful knee length flirty numbers to check out too.

Ivory Lace Bella Wedding Dress from BHS: £150

This dress features all over lace and a beautiful v shaped neckline.

Ivory Abigail Wedding Dress from BHS: £200

My favourite feature on this dress is the satin sweetheart neckline. There is also a tulle underskirt for added volume.

Adrianna Papell Beaded Mesh Mermaid Gown from John Lewis: £330

Would you dare to wear gold for your wedding day? I think this is stunning.

Ghost Grace Wedding Dress from John Lewis: £225

I think this cowl neck dress is drop dead glamour. It can also be dyed to order so you can get an exact match on your colour theme.

Josefina Wedding Dress from Phase Eight: £495

I love how this dress hugs your silhouette and the embroidered and beaded lace detail is so pretty.

I hope you like this selection of gorgeous wedding dresses under £500 – proof you can have glamour on a budget!

Laura x

Five beautiful wedding dresses under £750

25/11/2014/in Budget Bride Boutique, Budget Wedding Dress Ideas, Wedding Style /by laura

So, you’ve sorted your wedding venue and confirmed your date – the next thing on your list will probably be looking for wedding dresses, right?! This part of your wedding prep is so much fun, because as soon as you have the perfect wedding dress, you can start to visualise your day! I always find that I look forward to any event or party so much more, when I know that my outfit is sorted, and your wedding day is probably the best example of this that I can think of!

So, to help you start your perfect wedding dress search, I have found you five of my favourites from the Budget Bride Boutique. These are all dreamy, and all wedding dresses under £750!

Elodie Wedding Dress, Phase 8: £750

What they say: “A gorgeous satin wedding dress with a luxurious beaded lace overlay and hand beaded motifs at the bust. With a dramatic fishtail silhouette and a long train that can be looped up this romantic wedding dress is styled with sheer tulle straps and a separate inner boned corset which is attached to the neckline to keep the dress tight to the body. Finished beautifully with a pretty lace scalloped hem this wedding dress closes with a concealed zip at the back."

Sofia Bridal Dress, BHS: £150

What they say: £Our stunning Sofia bridal dress features beautiful scalloped lace that falls into a flattering V neckline and an elegant full skirt that gives you a feminine silhouette. With a satin champagne lining and grosgrain belt, this standout dress is both elegant and timeless."

Esme Wedding Dress, Phase 8: £350

What they say: “A fairy-tale wedding dress with a striking fishtail silhouette featuring a fitted crossover sweetheart neckline and a luxurious floor-length lace skirt. A full tulle skirt overlay adds gorgeous volume for an enchanting ethereal accent. This romantic strapless wedding dress features a corset constructed inner bodice to cinch in the waist. Clear tape around the neckline edge ensures the bodice stays in place. This wedding dress comes with detachable straps and closes with a concealed zip at the side. Train loops up for the evening."

Ella Wedding Dress, BHS: £110

What they say: "Elegant and timeless our Ella bridal dress features a demure sweetheart neckline and stunning diamante trim. With a pleated waistband that is tailored to accentuate your waistline whilst skimming over the hips to give a silhouette that fits and flatters the body whilst adding grace. The full skirt sits beautifully on the body and adds graceful movement whilst you walk down the aisle."

Isadora Wedding Dress, Phase Eight at John Lewis: £350

What they say: “The epitome of romance, this short floral embroidered organza wedding dress has a flattering sweetheart neckline and a pretty scalloped hem. A tulle underlay creates a full skirt, while a detachable organza waist tie with a pretty oversized back bow cinches in the waist to create a feminine fifties inspired fit and flare silhouette."

I hope these have got your imagination going and will help you with your search for your perfect wedding dress! Which one is your favourite? Let us know over on the Facebook page 🙂

Love and tulle,

Laura x

Real Life Fifties Styled Budget Wedding: Elaine and Bryan

25/03/2014/in Real Life Budget Wedding, Wedding DIY, Wedding Style /by laura

I was so happy to get this gorgeous Fifties styled budget wedding land into my inbox and I had to share with you as soon as I could! Elaine and Bryan married on a budget of 5,000Euros (just over £4,000) in Ireland. Here, Elaine shares her story and wedding day tips with us…

Tell us a little bit about how you met Bryan and how you got engaged?

I met Bryan on a night out in County Waterford in Ireland. We were both Scottish so with that in common we got on well straight away. We were together for a while and had a little boy when Bryan asked me to marry him; I was very shocked as he had never been keen on getting married! The plans were put on the backburner for a while and we had another baby, a little girl. After she was born we started to think seriously about having an actual wedding!

What was your favourite part of planning your wedding?

I actually loved all of it! I’m a creative person and I work as a photographer so I knew quite a bit about weddings and that we wanted to do something different, so it was definitely a challenge! We also didn't want to spend a lot on the wedding, so we had to do it on a very tight budget which meant lots of DIY.

What was your wedding Budget and how did you make the most of it?

We had about €5000 to spend and to do this we needed to find a venue that would let us plan a much simpler menu and find suppliers that would work with us on our ideas, hence the five wedding cakes instead of one!

What is your best money saving tip for other brides on a budget?

Think differently - you can get some amazing ideas from blogs and websites that aren't necessarily traditional and will cost less. The most important thing is to have fun planning your wedding and to have fun on the day, so if little details don't work out it's not a problem. Also make sure you talk to the venue and tell them your ideas. We got married on Kippure Estate in Wicklow and they tailored the wedding to our requirements within our budget and made sure we had thought of every detail! We also did not have a traditional meal but instead gave all of our guests milkshakes, burgers and fries with apple pie for dessert which was a big hit.

Who were your favourite budget wedding suppliers?

I had so many!!! Maria from www.mariaslittlewrappers.com made us the coolest little chocolates in the shape of old 45 records as our favours and I found the most amazing cake maker The Swell Bakeshop who made us five different cakes all with an American Diner theme which cost us much less than a traditional wedding cake. I think the most useful cost cutting was actually the dress which I got from Bella Bleu in Cork, I loved it when I tried it on but it was raw silk and way out of my price range, the owner of the shop offered to have it made in a cheaper fabric which still looked gorgeous and was a fraction of the price (and didn't crease!). I also managed to get some Elvis converse for dancing at night, my shoes would never have lasted!

Did you do much DIY?

LOTS!! I made the bouquets myself from buttons, we got some fab sweets from Candy Cabin in Edinburgh and put them in sundae glasses for centrepieces. We printed out pictures of Fifties icons and used them as table names, I set up my own photo booth with a backdrop and camera on a tripod and we printed photo booth props from the internet for everyone to use for a pic. We also decorated the room ourselves the night before the wedding with paper pompoms and Diner posters. We also bought a job lot of old 45 records from eBay then had a designer create us a record sleeve for them. She gave us the template and we printed and cut them all out and used them as invitations.

What did you enjoy most on your wedding day?

The whole day; we made sure it was very personal, so my uncle dressed in a teddy boy suit and blue suede shoes and drove myself and my dad to the venue in a Fifties car. My brother in law sang ‘I've got you under my skin’ for our first dance which was a very special moment. 

What would be your best piece of advice for all of our other Budget Bride Company readers?
Do things your way and research different ideas and possibly themes to help you to pull your day together. Tell suppliers your ideas and see if they can come up with cost cutting ways of realising your dreams without bankrupting you in the process!

Congratulations Elaine and Bryan, what an awesome wedding! Thank you for sharing your day with us 🙂 

Laura xx

All photographs by Linda Clarke Photography

Budget Bride Boutique: Your one stop budget wedding shop!

20/02/2014/in Budget Bride Boutique, Budget Wedding Dress Ideas, Decoration, Wedding DIY, Wedding Style /by laura

I’m absolutely over the moon today to introduce you to our latest offering to make your life as a Bride to Be that little bit easier – The Budget Bride Boutique! Those of you with super keen eyes will have noticed the new menu option at the top of the site and icon on the right of this page stating that The Budget Bride Boutique is now open!

We have scoured the internet high and low to bring you some of the best priced, most gorgeously detailed and bang on trend products and outfits for your Wedding. We have split the Wedding Shop into six categories for super easy browsing. We have Wedding Accessories, Budget Wedding Dresses , a Bridesmaid Department, Favours, Gifts and Decorations, Personalised Wedding Items and we’ve even got a department just for The Boys!

We have also added a handy search bar at the top of each department, so if you’re looking for a Purple Bridesmaids Dress or a Personalised Wedding Sign, just type it into the search bar to see the results sorted to your exact requirements 😀

All of the products and garments which we have in the Boutique have been specially picked for Brides who are watching their Budget, but who still want great quality and a brilliant array of products to choose from all in one place. Whatever your colour or style theme, we will have something to suit you and your bank account. From personalised rubber stamps and wedding invitations to high fiving cake toppers, we’ve got pretty much every wedding base covered!

Every product is super clearly priced and you can easily find out more information and place your order with just a couple of clicks. We’ve even arranged for a little array of similar items that you might like, to appear under each product you choose to help inspire you with other wedding items that could compliment or be another great option for you.

I hope that you love our new Budget Bride Boutique and that you are able to find everything that you are looking for for your wedding day! Any suggestions or comments? Just let us know in the Comments Box below, or over on our Facebook page.

Here’s to getting your wedding sorted on budget!

Laura xo

Photographer Credit for image at top of page: Photography by Danielle Mobbs

Weekly Wedding Roundup – Easy Like Sunday Morning

09/02/2014/in Budget Wedding Dress Ideas, Deals and Offers, Easy Like Sunday Morning, Voucher Codes and Special Offers, Wedding Style /by laura

Howdy all! Hope you are having a lovely relaxing weekend. This has been a really busy week for us at Budget Bride Co HQ, we had the Eden Centre Fair a week ago today and we are now full steam ahead with preparing for our next Budget Bride Live event in Wellingborough which is taking place a week today. It will be great meeting some of you there!

So when I have occasionally resurfaced from my crazy inbox, these have been my favourite bits of weddingy and loved up merriment from internet land this week...Here's your weekly wedding roundup 🙂

♥ These incredibly cute Valentines Day Cards from John Lewis. Do you send any cards out on Valentines? I'm a sucker for them (and have been sending my Grandad one every year since I was five years old!!)

♥ And I've got my eye on these cool Valentines Day gifts…

♥ This. Cake. 

♥ Loving these Wedding Dresses all £750 and under. This one from Phase 8 is £250.

♥ This Alice dress from Coast to wear as a Wedding Guest - I just love the little bow at the waist 🙂

♥ Gorgeous bright colours at this wedding held in a conservatory

♥ I love you like XO

♥ Are you or your other half into your motor sports? Brilliant offer here for a stag or hen do – take a super car for a spin for £39!

♥ And maybe if you’re after something a little more sedate… A deluxe pamper day for two people for £89 – snap it up here!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and see you next week for lots more weddingy goodness 🙂 
Laura xo

Wedding Wish List Wednesday

22/01/2014/in Budget Beautiful Wedding Suppliers, Uncategorized, Wish Lists /by laura

It’s the middle of the week already, is your January flying past as quickly as mine seems to be?! As it’s Wednesday, it’s time for a wedding wish list 🙂 What are you wishing for this week?

♥ Monsoon have a really lovely selection of Vintage inspired wedding Dresses for this season, all designed in London. My current favourite is this Carlotta wedding dress for £299.

♥ I am absolutely in love with the new range of wedding guest outfits from Coast. I will be running a special Coast Wedding Guest Outfit feature on next week’s wish list to showcase their amazing new SS14 range – it’s stunning! But for now, how about this little beauty?! It’s a splash at £160 but if you wear it to two weddings this year and two other special occasions, that will work out at £40 per wear – bargain!

♥ Coast also have a great sale on at the moment. I spyed this gorgeous little gold clutch bag (white, pink and gold theme anyone?) which is now £22 reduced from £45!

♥ I saw this advert in the current issue of Perfect Wedding Magazine - the detail on the back of this dress has me a little bit obsessed! The 2014 collection from Pure Bridal has wedding dresses ranging from £399 to £749 – well worth a look 🙂

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Laura xo

Easy Like Sunday Morning – Weekly Wedding Roundup

19/01/2014/in Easy Like Sunday Morning /by laura

Morning all! Hope you have had a lovely week and that you are making solid progress with your wedding planning?

We have had a busy week at Budget Bride Co HQ, planning our Budget Bride Live Wedding Fairs and getting ready for a BIG announcement on the Blog next week 😉 Keep your eyes open for news on the Facebook Page and here on the Blog, as it could have a big impact on your wedding planning in a really good way!

Here is a little roundup of the other things we have been looking at this week that we wanted to share with you!

♥ Our wedding dress of the week has to be ‘Darling’ from Coast. It’s short, it’s pretty and it’s £295. Would you dare to bare your legs on your wedding day? We think maybe you should give it a try…

♥ Did you see our Real Life Budget Wedding of the week? You can see Rachel and Arwel’s Confectionery Themed Wedding here.

♥ Blue hair and a heart cut out dress at this $2,500 wedding.

♥ We were looking at Manor House Weddings on our Mood Board of the week – grab yourself a coffee and have a little nosey!

♥ Check out this bright, tropical wedding in… wait for it… Solihull!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and see you next week! 

Laura xo

Wedding Wish List Wednesday

08/01/2014/in Budget Beautiful Wedding Suppliers, Budget Wedding Dress Ideas, Voucher Codes and Special Offers, Wish Lists /by laura

[sellfire id="52cc42fd0c888c28d0479e3f" name="Phase 8"]Good morning ladies and gents! Hope you are all having a great week so far and are managing to sneak in a little bit of wedding planning amongst all of the kerfuffle of the first week back to reality after the holidays.

To assist with your planning and daydreaming, we are now going to be running a new weekly wish list regular feature, so check back here on Wednesday mornings for our latest must-buys and bargain wedding finds…

To kick us off, check out this little lot!

♥ This Amelia Bridesmaid Dress is £85 from BHS. You know your bridesmaids will thank you 🙂

♥ The Aura Wedding Dress is on sale for £385 (reduced from £550) from Phase 8. Quite precious, don’t you think?

♥ This La Parisienne Deco garter is both feminine and stylish – we think your beau will like! £32 from Just For Eve.

♥ Saving 50% on personalised wedding stationery from M&S. These collections are well worth checking out. Add in the code SALEJAN50 when you pay online and click the ‘Validate’ button to claim your discount. Valid until 11^th Jan only!

♥ Getting a free €50 cash card when you book a holiday for travel between 1^st May and 30^th September with EasyJet Holidays. Perfect for some extra spending money on a hen do away, mini-moon, or perhaps just a good excuse to get away with your fiancée? Enter code CASH50 when booking your break 🙂

What are you daydreaming about booking for your wedding this week?

Laura xx

A Sun Dappled Vintage Wedding Shoot at Barton Hall

04/06/2013/in Budget Beautiful Wedding Suppliers, Budget Wedding Dress Ideas, Budget Wedding Inspiration, Styled Photo Shoot, Wedding Style /by laura

I’m really pleased to share this vintage themed wedding shoot with you today, brought together by a team of passionate wedding suppliers in the East Midlands. Amanda from Something Borrowed Bridal talked us through the ideas behind the shoot…

“So much work and preparation is put into planning a wedding and huge amounts of commitment and organisation are required even when it is a wedding photo shoot! Then there is the weather, will it rain or will the sun shine gloriously down upon us to produce images the photographer can work with to dazzle us with in years to come? Well on this occasion the gods were feeling generous as we arrived at Barton Hall to create the most perfect day, a wedding photo shoot to inspire all brides to be!"

“We had all worked together as a team, a collaboration of some of the best wedding suppliers in the local area to produce awe inspiring wedding scenes to whet your appetite!”

“We decided to use the incredible venue of Barton hall with its handsome and bold house frontage; delicate and beautiful orangery with fabulous intricate iron work on the glass panels and breath-taking glass domes in the ceiling, creating rainbows of light throughout.”

“This fabulous architecture is topped with the beautiful sloping Gardens. I am a bit of a romantic and was bowled over by the natural beauty of this venue, even the stone benches under the ancient trees added glamour to the garden. The beautiful trees within the grounds added stunning focal points to the gardens and added beautifully to the photos taken by Sarah-Jane of Daring to Dream Photography.”

“We had a selection of ladies modelling who all were made all the more lovely by Ainsley and Gracie Lou who worked non stop during the day, whilst simultaneously watching her two toddlers who were intent on escape. They really showed their talent at remaining calm and turning already beautiful ladies into movie stars, just as all brides to be deserve.”

“Five of the models were dressed by Carolyn’s Collection in mother of the bride outfits and sported some incredible outfits and spectacular hats.”

“Our handsome male models were dressed by Vickers Menswear, as was the younger member of the wedding party. they all seemed to thoroughly enjoy the wedding shoot with plenty of time for mischief and climbing trees!”

“One cheeky member of the wedding party even ran off with the bride!”

“We had three unique beautiful brides who were all styled in wedding dresses from Something Borrowed Bridal. The focus of the day was a Vintage theme and each of the dresses was planned to encapsulate that.

The beautiful co-ordinating flowers were created with love and attention by Charlotte Davies. From the magnificent vintage headdress that makes such a statement, to the loosely tied vintage bouquet. The scent of the blooms filled the room beautifully.”

“We had a gorgeous little bridesmaid for the wedding photo shoot who worked the role of princess perfectly!”

“The bride arrived in style in a Vintage VW Camper van from Fun Dubbin Occasions perfect for the vintage theme.”

“The bride crossed the breath-taking lawns for the ceremony shoot to take place in the orangery, which had been styled in a vintage fashion by Through the Looking Glass Events and Charlotte Davies Flowers, with a beautiful aisle laid with vases of flowers at each end.”

“I love how the models truly got into part – look at the emotion in this picture!”

“The Orangery was once more transformed by Through the Looking Glass events into the reception venue with round tables adorned with vintage china, candelabras, and bunting decorated the walls.”

“Everything about this wedding shoot spoke of charm, nostalgia and elegance. The incredibly styled wedding cake was a perfect touch - in a duck egg blue by Cakes from the Heart.”

“For the evening shoot, the wedding party and guests relaxed in the opulent Vines Restaurant, after what had been a brilliant day and certainly one to remember for everyone involved!”

Thank you so much to Amanda from Something Borrowed Bridal for sending in this Vintage themed photo shoot! I hope that it has given you some great inspiration for your wedding day.

The Team who made it happen…

Dresses: Something Borrowed Bridal www.somethingborrowedbridal.co.uk

Photography: www.daringtodreamphotography.co.uk

Styling: www.throughthelookingglassevents.co.uk

Make-up: www.makeupbyainsley.co.uk

Flowers: www.flowersbycharlottedavies.co.uk

Cake: www.cakesfromtheheart.co.uk

VW Camper Van: www.fundubbinoccasions.co.uk

Occasional Wear: www.carolynscollection.co.uk

The Venue: Barton Hall: www.bartonhall.com