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One of the most cost effective strategies I used when getting married was to order my wedding dress directly from China, through Amazon. It saved me hundreds of dollars and was the only way I was able to afford the style of dress I wanted. Honestly I had no idea that Amazon even sold wedding dresses until a friend sent me a Buzzfeed article a few weeks before I got engaged. I was fascinated by these dresses that were selling for as low as $30! I decided to give it a try, and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a beautiful budget dress.
If you’re going this route, you should be aware of a few things. Firstly, I would be really cautious with what website you order from. I can only personally recommend Amazon. I have read stories of shops mysteriously closing and people never receiving their orders. With Amazon I could be confident that I didn’t have to worry about that. Secondly, the best dresses I have seen from China are on the simple side. Not a ton of beading, flowers, layers, types of fabric/lace, etc. Thirdly, these dresses are technically knockoffs of designer dresses. Any photos you see on the listing that look like they are from BRIDE or Vogue Bridal are not going to be what your dress looks like. For mine, there were several reviewers who had posted their dress and the photos from their weddings so I was able to see what the real-life dress looked like. If you are aware of these things and have appropriate expectations your chances of being satisfied with your dress are a lot higher!
This is the dress I ordered. I was highly satisfied with my dress! Maybe I’m in severe denial and it looks like an $100 dress, but I am still ridiculously happy with it so don’t burst my bubble 🙂 I personally wanted a non-strapless, off white or champagne color, slight train, with lots of lace and was fortunate to find exactly what I wanted.
Below is a pic of the dress when I first pulled it out of the package. It came in a slightly nicer version of a manila envelope. They fold it up and cram it in, so I expected it to look accordingly. That being considered, it was in good condition. It needed to be steamed but amazingly there weren’t any severe wrinkles.
I had read some reviews that suggested ordering a length longer because they have a tendency to come short. Because I am a tall and large person, I ordered the entire dress a size and length bigger than the guide recommended. My reasoning was that it is a whole lot easier to alter a dress smaller than it is to make it bigger. If you are a normal to average-sized human this is probably not necessary, but if you’re at all concerned, go bigger!
Unlike when you buy a dress in person, these dresses do not come with any sort of cute carrier. I would strongly recommend ordering a garment bag at the same time that you order your dress. I waited, and I had no way to safely store my dress or bring it to fittings until my bag arrived.
There is a high probability that you will need alterations, even if you send perfect measurements with your order. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t gotten alterations done on their wedding dress, whether they got it from a designer shop, David’s Bridal, or online. Thankfully, I had a wonderful friend who was formerly a professional seamstress. She kindly did the few alterations I needed. However, I stupidly wore a different bra to the fittings then I was planning to wear on my wedding day. When I tried my dress on the night before the wedding, I started freaking out. It ended up working out just fine, but make sure you wear the same undergarments that you’re planning on wearing!! I had definitely read that sentiment but completely forgot. Oh, and obviously, wear the heel height that you’re intending to wear on your wedding day. I wore flats so it didn’t matter but if you’re not wearing flats prepare accordingly.
One issue I did run into was finding a veil that matched properly. I went back and forth on whether I actually wanted a veil, but as the day drew closer I decided it would complete the look. Within my budget and time frame there were zero options for a coordinating champagne veil. Literally two weeks before the wedding my mom volunteered to make me a veil. But then we had to find fabric! We went to the garment district in LA and numerous fabric stores before we were able to find the right fabric at the right price. She sewed it in just a few days, and it was perfect. I don’t plan to keep my dress forever, but I will definitely be keeping the veil. It’s an heirloom to me.
I’d love to hear about your experience finding your dress!
Professional photos courtesy of Anna Clark. She is based in the Southern/Central California area and is delightful to work with!
