Girls have it harder. From makeup purchases to hair-care price tags, it is easy for money to slip through our manicured fingers. But, no one knows this better than a bride. She wants everything perfect – the dream dress, the jewelry, the hair, the makeup, the bridesmaid’s dresses, and on and on.
One of the biggest (and most important) purchases a bride will make is her wedding gown. With the price of a wedding dress ranging anywhere from $550–20,000 +, it is hard to know if a dress you like is an investment or an industry rake-over. Some brides, though, have found a clever work-around.
The concept of renting a wedding dress is hardly new. But, since Pinterest created wedding-on-a-budget-chic, renting is becoming more popular. The spiking interest in renting is forcing online stores to respond.
Rent the Runway, for example, is a website where women can find such luxurious labels as Oscar de la Renta, Reem Acra, and Badgley Mischka. The site used to target women who have a black-tie event. But now that renting has become attractive to brides, Rent the Runway has started to sell wedding gowns online. They even opened a Las Vegas shop dedicated entirely to wedding dresses.
Rent the Runway is far from a bride’s only option. Other sites like Nearly Newed and Borrowing Magnolia offer similar services. Each site has a unique selection and a different perspective of bridal fashion. Borrowing Magnolia allows the bride to try on 3 of her favorite dresses at home for a fee of $99. And if she winds up borrowing one of the dresses for her big day, then that $99 is put toward the fee.
Some more traditional brides might still feel like they are short-changing one of the most significant purchases of their life. But, when the numbers come into play, it is easier to understand why renting is such a great option. It is estimated that the cost of renting a dress is 30% of the retail price. Remember that dress you drooled over, but didn’t buy because it was $3,000? Well now you can rent it for $900.
The reality is that the wedding industry, along with bride’s attitudes, is shifting. Gone are the days that you buy a classic dress hoping your granddaughter will wear it down the aisle in 2070. Weddings are becoming less heirloom-centered and more about showcasing the individual spirit and full unique expression of the couple.
Between Rent the Runway, Borrowing Magnolia, Nearly Newlywed, and the many more renting sites out there, a bride’s discounted dream dress is only be a click away. And if you start to second-guess your decision to rent, ask yourself if your groom would second-guess renting his tux… then go shopping.
Photo Credit: rentittoday.com
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