Say Yes to the Dress: Budget Fashion Takes on the Wedding Dress

The average New York City wedding cost is between $28,911 and $48,185 with an estimated guest list of 146 to 166 people in attendance (estimates from costofweddings.com) and then another $4,000 on wedding photographers. These prices may seem sky high, but many couples in the United States are spending more than ever on their wedding ceremony and reception. Along with the price of the event, brides are spending a fortune on wedding gowns, with the average New York bride paying $1,307 -$2,178 on their wedding dress. All these high priced estimates might scare you into marrying at City Hall, but fear not, many large retailers like Anthropologie and Target and now producing well designed wedding dresses for less.

Cheap wedding dress retailers have existed for years, but now, stores that are known for their great design are also entering the world of affordable wedding dresses. Anthropologie, a whimsical and boutique themed ready to wear store is known for its girly designs and great quality. Starting this year, the clothing retailer has launched, BHLDN, or “beholden”, a wedding line that produces wedding dresses with an Anthropologie aesthetic. Their dresses range in price from $300-$4,000, a very affordable price range for the majority of brides in the midst of wedding planning. BHLDN has two stores in the US, in Houston and Chicago, with another store coming soon to Beverly Hills.

Retailing giant, Target, has also dived into the world of wedding dresses with its newest bridal line, Tevolio. The line gets its name inspiration from the Italian phrase, “ti voglio” which means, “I love you”. Target has a long history of pairing great design for cheaper prices with its designer collaborations. Target’s designer collaborations have included partnerships with luxury fashion brands, such as, Rodarte, Missoni, Prabal Gurung and coming soon, Phillip Lim 3.1 this September. Tevolio is even cheaper than BHLDN in price range with its wedding dressing costing between $69.99-$129.99.  Many of the dresses for the target line feature silhouettes that are more traditional so this line may be a bust for the more modern bride.

Ready to wear fashion retailers are continuing to rise to even greater levels of prominence, especially in the genre of wedding dresses.  It will be interesting to see if other notable fashion stores like H&M and Zara’s will become part of this trend too. H&M, like Target, has also had a history of offering fashion designer collaborations for less. Budgeting weddings can be difficult but with this trend of well-designed wedding dresses for less, brides can look forward to some savings on their upcoming wedding ceremony.