Bridal gown pricing explained!!
As most of you brides have probably discovered, you encounter alot of mysteries during the wedding planning process. For instance, why isn’t tip always included in the reception costs (no one wants to think about tipping a bunch of waiters on their actual wedding day!)? Are you obligated to invite your officiant to the reception? Who gets the invite to the rehearsal dinner? WHY are bridal gowns so expensive (well, most of them anyways)?? I think you can guess which one of those mysteries we’re going to attempt to solve today…
A great little magazine called “New England Bride” wrote an enlightening article on what exactly goes into bridal gown pricing. One of the most interesting things I took away from reading the article is that it’s what you don’t see that can increase the price of a gown. Well-made gowns have high quality lining and high quality built in structure (i.e. corseting) that contribute to your overall look, fit and comfort. Yes, that costs a little more but you’ll love the look/feel that much more. It can be easy to fall in love with a less expensive dress when you only stand in it for 5 minutes at a time; think about how you’ll feel in it all night long. You will be happy you paid a little more for comfy lining (no itchy fabrics here!) and boning to keep you looking and feeling good as you dance the night away! We’re not talking $5000 either. If you expand your budget to $2000 you’ll be surprised at how much more you’ll be able to get.
The other contributing factor to pricing is a little more obvious. It’s what elicits those oohs and aahs; bling! Not only do the actual crystals, pearls, etc. cost money but you have to remember, someone is taking hours and hours to stich each one on. The article stated that on average a seamstress will work 23 eight hour days working on a single gown. Amazing! Plus, you can be sure that a higher end designer is working with only high quality seamstresses. Sometimes the cheaper gowns are done by less experienced seamstresses, and it shows in the end result.
All that being said, we’d never dream of telling anyone how much they should spend on their wedding gown. Everyone’s situation/budget is different and we totally understand that. We’re here to help, not to jack up prices! Prices are set at what they are for a reason and we thought it was super helpful to have that explained a little better. Also, we just want everyone to be as informed as possible when beginning their gown search. Think about the lining, is it comfortable? Think about the interior structure, is it going to make you feel confident and secure over a long period of time? Don’t forget though, there are exceptions to every rule. There are amazing, high quality designers/gowns out there that won’t break the bank (we have alot of them here!). So, come in and see us, we think you’ll be happy with what your money can get you at Flair!!
Happy Shopping!
XOXO
Linds