WEDDINGS can be eye-wateringly expensive these days, especially when it comes to the gown.
But if you are willing to shop around, your wedding dress doesn’t have to cost a fortune, as one woman who picked up hers from a charity shop for £23 demonstrated.
The stylish bride showed off her bargain find, which looked beautiful and classy.
The off-the-shoulder gown had long lace sleeves, a flattering, corset-style waist and a flowing skirt.
Taking to Reddit, the bride wrote: “Thrifted my wedding dress for $30 (£23).
“I tried it on not expecting it to fit me, but I was SHOCKED it fits perfectly.
“I’m only 5’1 and even the length is perfect, I won’t need to get it hemmed.
“I only got engaged like 3 days ago but it was too good to leave behind.
“I’m not sure if it’s vintage or not. It looks vintage, but it’s also in mint condition with no stains or tears so it’s hard to tell. I googled the label but came up short.”
She shared how she absolutely loved the 1990s-style look, particularly the lace on the sweetheart neckline.
Many people gushed over the purse-friendly find, and said they thought the wedding dress was made for her.
One wrote: “THIS WAS WAITING FOR YOU congratulations on your magic dress, I hope you have a beautiful wedding.”
Another added: “Destiny!”
A third commented: “that is… one of the most ethereal, beautiful dresses I have ever seen. congrats!!! you look lovely in it.”
Meanwhile one person said they “literally gasped” when they saw the photo.
Considering the average cost of a wedding dress in 2024 is £1,300, according to figures from Bridebook, she certainly got a steal.
5 ways to save £10k on your wedding
Josie Griffiths, Deputy Digital Fabulous editor and bride-to-be shares her tips to cut the cost on your big day.
“There’s no getting around it, weddings are expensive, but there’s some easy ways to strip back the cost without your guests noticing.”
Ditch pricey invites
We made our designs for free on Canva, and then sent them out on email or WhatsApp. If you want to post invites to important people, VistaPrint is brilliant and cost us less than 30p per guest to sort. SAVING: £600
Cut back on flowers
I was pretty stunned that lots of wedding florists quote £3k-£5k as a MINIMUM spend. Your wedding flowers will be dead within days, save your cash and invest it in pics and video instead, as these actually last. Keep shopping round until you find someone reasonably priced, or speak to your local florist two months out to arrange bouquets. SAVING: £4.5k
Ditch wedding favours
They don’t fit in people’s handbags and were cleared away by catering staff at half the weddings I’ve been to as a guest. The best way to save cash here is just not to bother. SAVING: £300-£700
Be ruthless with your guest list
No one’s ‘entitled’ to a plus one and the groom’s second cousin doesn’t need to come. Your true friends won’t kick off and if anyone chooses not to come over guest list dramas, that just means you’ve saved twice. SAVING: £150 PER HEAD
Do your own booze
Make finding a venue where you can do your own bar a priority, ideally with no corkage or a £500 max cost. Aldi’s £22 Champagne beat Veuve Clicquot in a Which? blind taste test and they have tasty wines for less than a fiver, you won’t do better on a paid bar. SAVING: £2k
And the bride revealed that they are saving as much money as they can for an exciting reason.
She added: “We are having a very frugal wedding so we can afford to go on a really nice honeymoon afterwards!”
According to a recent survey by Hitched.co.uk, the average cost of a wedding in the UK in 2023 was a whopping £20,000.
