Tips for Buying Once-Worn
or Used Wedding Dresses

There are hundreds of used wedding dresses available these days which makes finding a bargain for your cheap wedding easy.

Many brides these days choose to sell their wedding dress after their big day, and why not, when it’s only going to be catching dust in a box on top of the wardrobe. Really, how many people do you know who wore their mother’s wedding dress for their wedding? It just doesn’t happen anymore, which is why I suppose many brides decide to sell.

Second hand or once worn wedding dresses are easy to find from charity shops, online auctions, dress agencies and online bridal stores. (You can even find plenty of second hand wedding dresses right here on this site.) Buying second hand is one of the best ways to pick up a cheap designer number. Before parting with your cash, make sure you think about:

Brides have a good time
All brides are carefree on their wedding day. They relax, have a good time and often don’t care whether their dress gets dirty; after all, they’re not going to wear it again. If you’re buying a second-hand or used wedding dress, check the dress carefully for stains. Food, wine, watermarks and general dirt from the floor are the usual culprits.

This is particularly true for long trains and full skirts, as they drag along the floor all day. If you’re buying blind (i.e. from the internet), ask as many questions as possible from the vendor to establish the condition of the dress. Are you able to clean the dress? Do you mind having a few marks on the dress? Can you disguise them with extra beading or other embellishments?

Be careful with the sizing
With used wedding dresses, be careful with the sizing. In most cases the dress will have been altered to fit the previous owner perfectly. Perhaps they were a size 14 on the bum and a size 12 on top, or maybe the other way around. Ask the owner if they had alterations made and determine what size the dress really is. If you’re not sure, buy a dress size bigger and alter it to fit you perfectly. It will make you and the dress look a million dollars.

Try before you buy
If at all possible, try the dress on before you buy it. There are two very important reasons for this. First, seeing a dress on is very different to seeing it on the hanger. You may be surprised what suits you.

Secondly, as I mentioned before, most brides get their dress altered to fit them perfectly. The dress they bought was a 14, but got it altered, so in fact it´s a 12/14. Trying will allow you know if you get can alter it further.

Check the colour
Believe it or not, but the colour of your wedding dress is very important. On certain skin tones, white will look like a washout but cream would make the bride glow. Don’t just settle for a dress because of the design, think about the colour too.

When buying second hand, ask for a fabric swatch to check the colour. What is “pale cream” to one designer may be “champagne” to another. You can then check this against your skin tone to ensure the colour is right for you.

You buy “as seen”
When buying used wedding dresses, it’s important to check all the above points, because once you’ve paid your money, you’re unlikely to get a refund if it’s not right. So, check for stains, ask the seller lots of questions, get a swatch, try before you buy and go a size bigger so you can make your own alterations.

Follow these tips and you should grab yourself a beautiful bargain wedding dress! Happy hunting!

Related articles:
Second Hand Wedding Dresses For Sale
Sell Your Wedding Dress
Where To Find Your Inexpensive Wedding Dress

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