Wedding season is coming to close and the late nights are drawing in as Autumn approaches. However, whether you are looking to buy a wedding dress, sell a wedding dress or just love wedding dresses, then this post explores some of the best places instore and online to start looking for that unique find.
Why buy a secondhand wedding dress?
Why might it be a good idea to buy a secondhand wedding dress on the most important day of your life? Wedding dresses themselves can take hours if not days to make and they can be very expensive to buy. All for the sake of one day! By purchasing a secondhand wedding dress, not only will you be benefitting the environment but also your bank account. Wedding dresses are, on the whole, worn once by the bride to be. That means the dress will either be tucked away in a dusty loft only to be seen once in a blue moon for show and tell purposes, or possibly re-worn by family members in decades to come or worse case scenario, thrown away. Most people don’t realise that even charity shops that cannot shift their stock end can up sending items to landfill.
What are the benefits of shopping for secondhand wedding dresses?
To summarise, the benefits of buying a secondhand wedding dress are:
- Finding a gorgeous (possibly designer) gown for the fraction of the price;
- Better for the environment;
- Contributes to the slow fashion business model;
- Supports a charitable cause if bought from a charity shop;
- You may find a style that you would never have considered had your bought it brand new;
- It will be a unique dress that lets face it, your guests will not have seen before;
- You know that someone else has probably benefited from the dress and so it has sentimental value.
In addition to saving some money and resisting the fast fashion trend, wearing a secondhand wedding dress is now on trend. Take Boris Johnson’s new wife, Carrie Symonds. She rented her dress from rental platform My Wardrobe HQ on her big day, taking secondhand wear to a whole new level. Carries’ dress designed by Christos Costarellos, reportedly set her back a mere £45, whereas it would have cost £2,870 to buy. Bargain!
If you are now convinced then here are some great places to start looking for secondhand wedding dresses:
This website/store sells stunning second hand wedding dresses from the 30s-70s era meaning you will get a unique, one off piece that wouldn’t be produced in this day and age. Buying a dress from this store will no doubt make you stand out on your wedding day.
You can find a lot of pre-loved or sample designer dresses at this store, which is fantastic if you are on a budget but still want that ‘’je ne se quoi’’ feel to your look.
Bridesdogood consider that ‘’a wedding dress represents more than just one love story’’. Their mission is to create a fairer and more sustainable world. They do this with providing couture dresses that cost a fraction of their original retail price whilst donating money to charity projects that empower women and work to end child marriage.
Asos is renown to be a fast fashion company however they do also have a marketplace that is bursting with secondhand jewels, including wedding dresses. Some cute independent boutiques include: Heavenly Vintage Brides, Wardrobe Queen, Hunger Vintage, The Peachy Club, the list goes on!
Who would have thought that you could buy a secondhand wedding dress on Instagram! Here you can pre-loved and vintage dresses from small boutique business owners and much more. Be sure to check out the shopping icon and type in the search box ‘’secondhandweddingdress’’/ ‘’prelovedweddingdress’’ or ‘’vintageweddingdress’’.
Peer-to-peer selling platform Stillwhite has generated in excess of $26 million for its sellers to date and operates in 116 countries. This makes Stillwhite the world’s largest wedding dress resale platform.
If you want to take Carrie Symond’s stance and not buy the dress outright but rent, then here are some great platforms to find that big day dress:
Hopefully you have a plethora of options to explore now. Whether you are looking for a vintage bridal gown or a more modern option, then there are plenty of ways to do bridal shopping in style whilst saving a lot in the process. What are you waiting for!
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