Is the price of your wedding dress negotiable?

The question on your mind is no longer what your you going to wear on your first date but on your last date. What are you going to wear to remember a moment for the rest of your life. Most guys think it's not a big deal because you only wear your dress for one-day right? Girls understand that the dress you pick today will be with you for years to come. Pictures will get passed down from generation to generation and your dress will either haunt you or become your biggest asset. I'm sure those 80's brides thought their shoulder puffs would always be in style. Lucky for them they are coming back.

One of the first questions any good sales associate will ask is what is your budget you would like to stay between. You never know if a dress is able to get marked down, so I would always give yourself a little wiggle room and go slightly higher than what you're comfortable with. Remember I said a little tinsy bit higher - not a giant leap of faith. If you are hesitate to discuss this in front of the people you brought with you, I would call in advance and let your sales associate know so they can have some dress set aside for you.

It's always important to shop with a per-determined budget in mind. So stay strong my friend! Nothing is worse than going home with buyer's remorse or finding the perfect dress to find out it's more than your house mortgage. Who needs to live in a house anyways?!

Most bridal experts have said about 10% of your budget should go to your dress. I say you should spend whatever you feel comfortable with. But remember at the end of the day your portrait pictures are going to be the ones that you hang up in your family room for years to come. Not pictures of the center pieces. Just remember the price you pay isn't the end all price. You may have to pay sales tax and alterations. The hemline is too long, the bust is too big, and unless you are planning on getting your boobs done you might need to add some cup inserts to perk those babies up. I found that if everything needed to be done on a somewhat simple dress, you can expect around $400-$500. If only a few small details expect $100-200. The price would go up depending on how much detail the dress has.

When you do fall in love with the perfect dress you might be looking at the price tag think is this price negotiable. The answer is YES! I have found a few tricks to help in negotiating the price to make it reasonable and affordable. Every dollar saved is a dollar you can spend on something fabulous.

Tips on how to squeeze those dollars!
Tip #1: Shop within or slightly above your budget
It's not going to help you by trying on dresses that are 10 times more than what you are willing to spend. Only focus your energy on dresses that you might actually buy. This makes the process more real and less stressful knowing that each one you try on you might say yes to the dress!

Tip #2: Clearance racks are your friends
You can find top designer brands for deep discount prices here. There are many reasons why a dress might be on a clearance shelf. This could mean the dress is going out of stock, the dress has a defect- such as a small snag or tear. Getting a dress 75% off with a small alteration cost is an amazing find! Cheers to you for balling on a budget!

Tip #3: Buying off the rack:
Once you have said yes to the dress, check to see what sizes the store currently has in stock and what condition their in. Many stores will let you buy their sample dresses at a discounted price. This helps them too so they can clear room for new dresses.It's also is not a secret of how long they have had the dress at their store, you might be the first person to try it on. Think about buying off the rack for your veil as well, this could cut the price almost in half! Word of caution, if the dress is not close to your size, you might end up paying more in alteration costs than the dress itself.

Tip #4: Have your groomsmen rent their tuxes from your stores preferred vendor.
Many wedding shops will offer a discount on the men's tuxes and your dress if you use their vendor for their rentals. The groom might get a free tux too - score!

Tip #5: If it's too good to be true it probably is
Don't be fooled by online stores from half way around the world claiming to make you a $15,000 designer dress for the price of your shoes. Even though they are custom made and have your measurements they usually will be non-refundable - yikes! This happened to my friends bridesmaid dress. She thought she was getting a one-shoulder tea length dress. Instead she got a strappy short mini dress. So buy beware.

Tip #6: Save money if you do purchase online
Not all online purchases are bad. There are definitely shops where yo ucan get your belt and added accessories for a great deal. And who doesn't feel good about saving money, I know I do! I discovered a site called Ebates. that not only gives you an added % off your items but also PAYS YOU CASH BACK TO SHOP when you go through their site. Rewards changes daily. For example today amazon purchases are 5% cash back and the Knot Wedding Shop is 6.5% cash back. Checks get mailed out every 3 months. Most retail stores qualify as well as travel sites like expedia. If you have not joined Ebates join today! Please use my referral code here:
https://www.ebates.com/r/KATIEC1575?eeid=28187

Years from now you will be looking back at your pictures and glowing about how amazing you and your husband/wife/partner look together. Treasure these moments of dress shopping with your friends and family. Don't worry if you can't get your dress price down, as long as you love it - it's a win in my book! Happy Shopping!