Confessions of a Budget Bride: Goodwill Hunting for the Perfect Dress

We’ve all been there. Just engaged, excited to begin planning out the wedding we’ve been dreaming of since we were 12 years old. With magazine clippings and color-coded binders in hand, we walk into the store for our dress shopping extravaganza with seven of our closest friends and our mother, who is ready to cry at the drop of a hat, while obnoxiously waving our ring finger around like it’s on fire. 

Maybe it’s just me, but I was in for quite the sticker shock while wedding dress shopping this past year. It took me a while to find “that” dress because, as a recent college graduate on a budget, working a full-time job and freelancing while smack dab in the middle of purchasing my first home with my well-intentioned fiancé, I wasn’t exactly “making it rain” dollars in the middle of the bridal store.

Welcome to the 21st century, also known as the age of the budget bride. Any of my friends who have recently become engaged soon learn that the wedding of our dreams is only attainable when we stay within a reasonable budget. Watching “Say Yes to the Dress” had completely ruined my practical mindset, and after watching budget-less debutantes proclaim their desire to find the dress of the season, or their need to purchase not one but two dresses, I felt a little disheartened after walking into a major chain dress salon. In fact, I was immediately turned off to shopping after finding that I could pay off my car loan instead of buying some of the dresses I saw, and that didn’t sit well with me.

I get it. I can’t imagine how much love and care goes into designing each dress. However, I will wear this dress one time.

Enter Goodwill Manasota, where the Fairy Godmother of wedding dress shopping lives. Immediately after entering the store at the corner of 17th and Honore in Sarasota, I felt like her magic wand had transported me to an enchanted world filled with beautiful white satin and lacy dresses that had normal, attainable price tags attached. Sticker shock be gone!

I was delighted to hear that many of the dresses donated to Goodwill are brand new, and some are only lightly used. That should go without saying, since they are wedding dresses, worn (hopefully and in most cases) one time. 

After trying on several, I actually found my perfect dress and paid a fraction of the regular retail price. (I'm not including the photos of that dress, for obvious reasons, but it's gorgeous, trust me.)

If you’re not on a budget, by all means shop at the big stores. Let them twirl you around, tell you how beautiful you look “all jacked up” (apparently, that’s a good thing when dress shopping – it is a professional term used to describe a bride with a complete ensemble: dress, shoes, veil, tiara, flowers, etc.), and then have a blast paying full price for that gown. One very important fact that places tend to overlook is alterations, which can cost hundreds of dollars. I knew that I would have to have any dress shortened and hemmed, since I’m 5 foot 2, and most dresses are made to fit tall European models who eat quinoa all day. My dress looks like it was altered for the previous owner, who – ta da! – was exactly my height and size!

The dresses I found at Goodwill ranged in price from $40 (yes, $40!) to around $350. Retail pricing would range anywhere from $1,100 to $2,600 for the brands I found.

I’m extremely proud to be a budget bride. It says that I’m sensible, I’m smart, and I see beauty in things that aren’t necessarily new. Take heart, dress shoppers! I just happened to find the perfect dress at a ridiculously low price, and I can’t wait to have my dream dress on my perfect and wallet-friendly day. (You’re welcome, Dad!)

Here are some other tips to keep in mind while shopping for your big day:

• Don’t Wear Make-up! This is to protect the beautiful dress from becoming stained with a perfect outline of your face. It’s also a good idea to wait until your spray tan has dried, too. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s important to remember on an impromptu-dress shopping excursion.
• Use words like “Vintage”, “Rustic” and “Classic” to describe your discount dress. I have a theory that vintage fashion was created by broke college students, and quickly caught on. I’m not talking about vintage that is actually vintage, like some ridiculously expensive Chanel find that Marilyn wore, or some supposedly-passed down Dior top that a magazine editor’s daughter found in her mom’s closet, I’m talking about the “vintage-because-I-found-it-at-Goodwill” piece that is unique, second-hand and that no one else has. Which brings me to my next point.
• No one else will have your dress. It won’t be prom all over again when you see your wedding photos in the local newspaper, and you see that someone else had a dress that resembles your own, as your new mother-in-law plays the game of “Who wore it better?” and doesn’t choose you. Your dress will be a unique find, because it’s one of a kind. Out of season doesn’t always mean out of style.
•  If you find it, buy it. Dresses at stores like Goodwill are unique, which means they are only there for a short while. This also means that you should check back often and regularly, as the inventory is fresh every day.
•  Keep an open mind, and try everything on. One of the best things about shopping consignment or at Goodwill is that you aren’t competing with other brides, or on a time-crunch. I felt rushed when I tried on dresses at a large retailer, and I wouldn’t recommend feeling rushed for such a big decision. Also, size can be misleading. I wear a 10 in wedding dresses, but my normal size is a 6 or 8, so definitely keep that in mind.
• There is no pressure to buy. Obviously, you want to buy the dress you love before it’s sold to someone else, but you don’t have three saleswomen hovering over you, pressuring you to shout your decision to buy that dress across the store and ring a bell like you’re calling the kids in for Sunday brunch. In fact, I was actually really excited because during my dress-shopping experience, employees of Goodwill were stopping to help, offering their advice, and just making me feel like a star in general. I may or may not have invited them to the wedding, but with all of the money I saved on my dress, I can buy more food! That’s a prize in itself!

I’m so excited that I found a dress I loved, and that I will be able to donate after I wear it for someone else to enjoy! If you have a fabulous dress, I’d recommend donating it for another young lady to wear. I’m so thankful that the fashionista who previously owned my dress donated it, because she made my bridal dreams come true! Let’s take back our budgets, our weddings, and our sanity. Shop local, support your community non-profit organizations like Goodwill, and find your dream dress at a fraction of the cost. Fellow brides, you’re welcome.