I said yes to the dress
I have a confession. This weekend, I handed over my American Express card and signed off on a $600 wedding gown purchase. As you may remember, I have a perfectly fine dress that I got for $66(!) at a Nordstrom Rack. But somehow I decided to say “yes” to a complete splurge dress with a price multiplied by 10. I don’t want to put a picture of the dress on the blog, but if you are not the person I am going to marry next year, you can see it here.
Randy, unfortunately, could not make it to my bridal appointment. What a shame!
This means our wedding budget is increasing. I will need alterations. I will need to sell my other gown. Wedding budgeting brings out very conflicted feelings inside me. On the one hand, I want to be prudent and responsible with the spending. And plus, weddings are one of the most judged expenses around. Try as I might, I think I have internalized some of that judgment / self-criticism. On the other hand, this is One (Very Special) Day. I want to look and feel my best, and I do feel more bridal in this dress than in my lovely $66 sheath. (I think Randy would have approved).
The splurge and the aftermath
All day after the bridal appointment, I felt a little guilty. I didn’t try my best to get the best deal for the dress (basically paid the list price). I could have gotten it cheaper from used dress sites or on Craigslist, but I couldn’t find a petite length one, so I decided to just bite the bullet and order at the store. There are so many beautiful dresses online for much cheaper, but I didn’t go that route because I really wanted to try something on before I made my purchase.
$600, in the grand scale of things, won’t make or break my finances. I can afford this dress, but the nature of weddings is that folks can always afford the individual elements. It’s the total, combined number that threatens to shock you if you don’t carefully monitor the budget. Speaking of which, I do not want to think about the total, combined number. Now that I got a nicer dress, I also feel compelled for us to up CB’s suit budget. Because, let’s face it, he will get much more use out of his wedding day attire than I will mine.
I am not exactly sorry I bought this dress, because it is beautiful, and I felt beautiful in it. I am aware that if this dress were any color but white and were labeled a long evening gown instead of a “wedding dress,” it would have cost 50% less. But life is just too short to always stress about if I got the absolute best deal or if the Wedding Industry is getting one over me. The bottom line is that I can see myself walking down the aisle in this dress – happy and glowing – and I’ve made my peace with the price.
So there is my wedding splurge. It’s an indulgence, but what a beautiful, lacey, delightful indulgence it is.
image source: Randy Fenoli via gettingmarriedonlongisland.com
Did you splurge on your wedding gown? If you are not yet married, do you think you will splurge on the dress? And most importantly, how much do you love Randy?
Related posts:
The new dress is BEAUTIFUL, and still reasonably priced by gown standards. I think you will be so happy with it. Congratulations!
Your dress is super pretty!
I don't think a girl should ever apologize for a wedding dress that she can afford. $600 is nothing in wedding dresses. if you said you splurged and spent $3000 or more, then maybe you should feel guilty but I think $600 is just fine. It's a gorgeous dress and if you feel more a bride while wearing it, then I say you did exactly what you should have! Congrats.
The dress is beautiful and if it makes you feel incredible on your special day, the $600 will be justified. And $600 for a weeding gown isn't all that exorbitant anyway. I bought my dress at a sample sale for $250 marked down from $2,500. It actually fit perfectly and was pretty much the exact style I was looking for so I guess I got incredibly lucky.
Wow you got an awesome deal. I bet you looked absolutely radiant.
The dress is gorgeous! You shouldn't feel bad at all – sometimes exceptions have to be made
When I got married 8 years ago, i was terrified i wouldn't find a dress i loved because i just couldn't afford it. It took almost 6 mos to find the right dress. It was $500 and i knew as soon as i tried it on i knew it was 'the one'. You don't want to skimp on the dress, it's your special day and you don't want to look back at the pictures and regret not getting the dress you really wanted. Your dress is absolutley beautiful, timeless and classic, you won't regret it especially when you look back at those photos.
Thank you for your kind words. I do love the dress.
It is a beautiful dress and it really isn't a huge amount to spend on a wedding dress. My dress, when I was married 13 years ago, was about $575…the second dress I had to buy (long story, but I lost my first dress) was also about the same (thanks to now ex-husband's granny).
I agree with Elsa above, it is timeless and classic and you won't regret your purchase!!
you picked a beautiful dress!!
i did not splurge on my gown, and I got a $40 Macy's dress but I felt GORGEOUS. and that's all that matters ; )
I don't want to splurge. I smirk self-righteously at all the over-priced weddings I attend. I mock fancy invitations, ridiculous table linens, and over-the-top venues. I'm actually probably somewhat of a wedding jerk.
But the tress I want is like, $2100 and I'm probably going to get it when I get married. I have no justification, I just don't always make a lot of sense.
In short, I support this. The dress is gorgeous!
Thank you. I love the lace and the tulle… my inner ballerina-wannabe is coming out. Do you have a picture of your dress? Please share.
Nah, I'm keeping it a secret for now. I'm single, so I don't want any man I start dating to know I secretly picked out our dress before we even met… might scare them off
Hahha. Understood. I picked out our wedding ceremony location before I got engaged. Just sayin'.
$600, way to go! That dress looks like it cost WAY more! Don't stress over spending $600; most people spend at least 5x more.
Haha thanks! You DO know how to make a personal finance blogger feel better.
I did not splurge: my wedding dress costs $98 before shipping. (I'll also need a petticoat.) That's a bit more than I'd usually spend on a fancy dress, but I think it's completely reasonable for what I want. Our wedding budget is about $2500 (add on honeymoon, rings, and legal services, and we're under $5000), and we're paying cash because it's more important to us to avoid debt than it is to have a big wedding.
That said, as others before me have noted, that's a lovely dress, and $600 (while more than you'd planned to spend initially) is not expensive for a wedding dress. If you have the room in your budget for it, and it will make you happy without hurting anyone else, you should have it.
I just went to look at the dress (gorgeous, by the way!) and saw that it's marked on the website as on sale for $549. Might be worth calling and seeing if they'll credit you the difference for the sale price?
You forgot tax.
True! I was assuming you meant $600 exclusive of taxes and shipping. Still a great deal
Thanks! I am going to rely on your blog for some workout inspiration. I don't think my dress is very forgiving to arms…
Dude, it's gorgeous. Can't wait to see pictures of you in it! And hey, you beat me by $100 ;P
Seriously though, congratulations. It's just lovely.
I spent $550 on my dress for our wedding last year and felt like I had gone the frugal route! The dress you bought is lovely. You'll definitely will want to shop around for alterations prices though – mine ended up being about a quarter of the cost of the dress!
Yes I'm a little worried about alterations… the hemming shouldn't be too difficult, but I might need the bodice taken in a bit. Will definitely shop around. I hope to keep it under $150.
It is gorgeous! I think you did well, considering you are being so sensible with other aspects of your wedding planning. Congratulations!
This is a gorgeous dress! i definitely think it is well deserved
Congrats, you will look absolutely stunning!
Oooooooooohhhhhhh. So, so pretty. I just fell in love with your dress.
You know how they say that when you try the 'right' one on, you know instantly? This is DEFINITELY the dress. I didn't get past the first paragraph here, but had to comment right away. Just beautiful.
YAY for finding your perfect wedding dress. And no I don't think $600 is expensive at all, esp. for a wedding dress! Can't wait to see how beautiful you will look in it!
I love the back of this new dress! Post a photo again of your old dress here and maybe someone will pick it up. And $600 really isn't all that much if you can keep the alterations to the minimum. Plus, spend more here, spend less elsewhere, right? It is only 1 day and I kept having dress envy but years after the wedding is over, you'll want to have fond memories of the day, incl. what you wore, so why not? It's not like it was $6K!
I think my ultimate dream dress is somewhere in the $4K range. Which meant that it really was a DREAM dress.
I technically splurged on my gown but my mom helped pay for it so it wasn't such a financial hit for us. To me it was something that mattered to that once in a lifetime day. I have no regrets.
Congrats on getting the dress you loved. Enjoy it.
Thank you! I can't wait until it comes in. Should be ready for pick up in a month and a half…
It's your wedding! It happens once! No guilt on the dress! It's gorgeous by the way. And $660 is not bad at all.
The dress is BEAUTIFUL!!
I love the cap sleeve and the beautiful back. You will so gorgeous in it, and really, $600 is a great price for a wedding dress IMHO. Enjoy it!
You look good and presentable. I also want to wear that too.
Reading budget savvy wedding blogs, the wedding dress target is to be in the "$600 and Under Club". Congratulations on your beautiful dress… and also for not splurging on a much more expensive gown! Enjoy it
I'm so glad you splurged on a dress. Hooray! It's so elegant and pretty too. Congrats. I'm doing the Ashlee Simpson SNL jig in your honor.
It's a beautiful dress! And $600 isn't a ludicrous amount to spend on a wedding dress. Enjoy it!
I almost bought that dress!! My friend actually did though lol. Here's the dress I bought & wore (I loved that it was backless & had pockets!): http://bios.weddingbee.com/pics/115225/wedding_dr…
In the end, it comes down to what you would regret more – the money or the dress. We spent some serious money on our wedding and honeymoon, but I don't regret any of it (except I'd have picked a different officiant). We also paid cash. I know that I could have taken that money and paid off my student loan, or used it for a fabulous vacation or saved it for part of a house down payment. And all of that would be awesome, BUT….I can still do all of that eventually. I can't ever go back and redo my wedding, and if I hadn't had the kind of wedding I really wanted, I know I would have regretted it forever. I know that because at the time, spending the money was a little crazy, but the thought of settling for a 2nd best dress that I thought was just ok made me feel downright depressed about the whole production. It was important for me to feel beautiful on my wedding day and the other dresses didn't do that. On the other hand, there were plenty of other things I just didn't care about – the cake, menu cards, aisle runners, expensive/time consuming favors, etc. Spend your money where it matters, and ditch the rest. Most people won't even notice.