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Ooh! Look! A wedding post!

Something I have noticed about weddings, and wedding dresses in particular, is that they have the ability to make most rational women extremely materialistic. It can be so tempting to just go for that dress that costs thousands of dollars and will only be used once. However, there are four other options to look into before you swipe your credit card.

Borrow
The cheapest and most eco-friendly way to acquire a wedding dress is to borrow one. From a mom, grandma, future mother-in-law (all these were offered to me), or a friend. If you are very lucky, it will be perfect and fit perfectly. Even if that’s not the case, the alterations (which you would have to do on that new dress anyway) will likely not cost much.

Buy Used
Another equally eco-friendly option is to buy a used dress. There are many consignment shops, GoodWills, and other such stores where wedding dresses that have only been worn once are available. I once found a gorgeous dress in my size for only $75! It was back when Will was just my boyfriend and he was at the store with me, so I left it on the rack, but you also may find such a dress if you just look in the right place.

Make Your Own
Not very many people know how to sew these days, which is quite unfortunate. I can’t really talk, because I can’t sew, but I hope to learn one day. If you can sew, it is possible to make your wedding dress. Then it will fit and look just the way you want. I know that sounds like a huge time commitment, but my mom made her wedding dress over the course of a 5 month engagement. If you go this route, I recommend trying on styles at a bridal salon. What you think looks good may not look good on you. You don’t want to spend all that time and effort making a lace dress to find out lace looks awful on you (I was so set on a lace dress until I tried one on).

Shop a Sample Sale
This is how I got my dress. While far from as eco-friendly as the previous three options, shopping a sample sale can be a great bargain. The sample sale I went to advertised discontinued gowns at up to 70% off. My dress was 71.2% off when I did the math. If you hate your mom’s wedding dress, can’t sew, and can’t or don’t want to find a used dress, definitely see if there are any sample sales in your area before you pay full price for a dress.

What did you do for your dress? Do you have any other suggestions for saving money and being eco-friendly when it comes to wedding attire?

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