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Designer discount: dresses at Oxfam’s specialist bridal shop in Southampton
While the origins of Kate Middleton's wedding dress are shrouded in mystery, it's unlikely she bought it from a charity shop, Chinese factory outlet or bargain bucket sale.
Yet, according to experts, increasing numbers are spurning the traditional expensive dress. Instead, brides are turning to cut-price alternatives or DIY in the quest for a perfect look for their big day.
"A £900 dress is a premium product and there can sometimes be a degree of snootiness from the staff in those shops," she says. "There will always be money around for the high-end dresses but if you are a middle-market wedding dress shop owner, with all the competition around at the moment you are going to struggle."
Elliott has not observed a big increase in buyers turning away from traditional bridal shops. But she says: "There seems to be a growing discontent around the treatment brides receive from wedding suppliers in general."
Ordering from abroad In recent years, websites have sprung up allowing brides to order cut-price dresses directly from factories in China. With dresses typically retailing for about £120, such suppliers can beat the prices in traditional bridal shops by hundreds if not thousands of pounds.
However, Nicola Ray sounds a note of caution. "There are some good reputable sellers, but there are a lot of bad ones out there as well. I haven't heard of people being scammed but sometimes the results have been disappointing."
As a precaution, brides should make sure they see fabric swatches if possible, Ray advises.
Brides are also increasingly opting for bridesmaids' dresses, which are low in price in comparison with traditional dresses, Elliott says.
Charity shops Fewings says charity shops are also becoming an increasingly fashionable choice among buyers in search of a bargain.
"A couple of years ago it didn't cross many brides' minds to buy their dress from a charity shop but now it's becoming a far more popular option," she says. "We're seeing a real trend in 'upcycling', where brides revamp a cheap secondhand dress."
Fusty fabrics and musty smells have been banished in the specialist bridal outlets that have sprung up around the country. On a visit to Oxfam's specialist bridal shop in Southampton, Guardian Money came across the odd yellowing veil and scuffed pair of shoes. But the dress collection was good quality, with prices typically between £150 and £300.
With some of the dresses coming straight from designer shows, sharp-eyed buyers should be able to uncover the odd gem. Money spotted one virtually unworn designer dress reduced to £250 from its original £1,800.
Volunteer shop assistant Krystyna Higginson says that the shop, which last year took £30,000 in revenue, has had a particularly busy six months. "We get people from all walks of life coming in from across the country," she says. "They want to give something to charity but save money at the same time. The dress has often only been worn once at a wedding or at a catwalk show but is hundreds less than it would be in a normal shop."
DIY Finally there is the option of making your own dress. But Gill Arnold, who runs bridal dressmaking courses in Solihull, warns that this is not a choice for the fainthearted.
"You do need a certain level of skill and plenty of time to make a wedding dress," she says. "It tends to be mothers of the brides who are coming on the courses, as opposed to the brides themselves."
Even if you only do part of the work yourself, the savings can be significant. Miriam Moules, 31, believes the handmade dress she is creating for her wedding in September will cost her no more than £100. Moules, an office temp, aims to buy the material and cut the patterns herself. She will then pass the bulk of the sewing on to a local seamstress before completing the embroidery herself.
She says: "I visited a couple of wedding dress shops with my friends and realised that I didn't want to go down that route myself. This allows me to do something a bit more creative and save money at the same time."
Yet, according to experts, increasing numbers are spurning the traditional expensive dress. Instead, brides are turning to cut-price alternatives or DIY in the quest for a perfect look for their big day.
The typical cost of a UK wedding is more than £21,000, with the average dress making up £1,000 of that figure. But Lucy Elliott of budget wedding blog, The Chief Bridesmaid, believes leaner economic times have sparked a backlash against the "big fat wedding" extravagance of the noughties from brides-to-be.
"It feels like there's a general movement away from the over-the-top Wag-style weddings we saw five years ago," she says. "I wonder if brides have been deterred from huge, flashy extravaganzas by a combination of overkill on TV shows and the recent economic turmoil. Brides seem to be looking for simpler, more understated dresses. That means that dresses that are not necessarily traditional options are becoming a more attractive option."
Nicola Ray of Cheap Wedding Success, another blog, says: "The internet has opened up a world of choice for brides which wasn't as accessible even five or 10 years ago. Today we're seeing more and more people ordering online from suppliers in China or with other overseas options."
In such a tough environment, traditional bridal outfitters could be hard pressed to keep up, especially if they fail to justify a hefty price tag with high end products and good service, Ray believes."A £900 dress is a premium product and there can sometimes be a degree of snootiness from the staff in those shops," she says. "There will always be money around for the high-end dresses but if you are a middle-market wedding dress shop owner, with all the competition around at the moment you are going to struggle."
Elliott has not observed a big increase in buyers turning away from traditional bridal shops. But she says: "There seems to be a growing discontent around the treatment brides receive from wedding suppliers in general."
Ordering from abroad In recent years, websites have sprung up allowing brides to order cut-price dresses directly from factories in China. With dresses typically retailing for about £120, such suppliers can beat the prices in traditional bridal shops by hundreds if not thousands of pounds.
However, Nicola Ray sounds a note of caution. "There are some good reputable sellers, but there are a lot of bad ones out there as well. I haven't heard of people being scammed but sometimes the results have been disappointing."
As a precaution, brides should make sure they see fabric swatches if possible, Ray advises.
In addition Katie Fewings of online wedding magazine Ethical Weddings adds that the extremely low prices being charged for such a sophisticated product raise questions about the working conditions for the dresses' manufacture.
Sample sales According to Elliott, bargain sample sales have experienced a surge in popularity among cost-conscious brides. "Most commonly, brides who are trying to save money are still going to wedding dress shops but buying ex-shop sample dresses at big reductions, often around 70% of the retail price. This allows them to get the full 'wedding dress experience', but they are not having to bust their budgets in the process."Brides are also increasingly opting for bridesmaids' dresses, which are low in price in comparison with traditional dresses, Elliott says.
Charity shops Fewings says charity shops are also becoming an increasingly fashionable choice among buyers in search of a bargain.
"A couple of years ago it didn't cross many brides' minds to buy their dress from a charity shop but now it's becoming a far more popular option," she says. "We're seeing a real trend in 'upcycling', where brides revamp a cheap secondhand dress."
Fusty fabrics and musty smells have been banished in the specialist bridal outlets that have sprung up around the country. On a visit to Oxfam's specialist bridal shop in Southampton, Guardian Money came across the odd yellowing veil and scuffed pair of shoes. But the dress collection was good quality, with prices typically between £150 and £300.
With some of the dresses coming straight from designer shows, sharp-eyed buyers should be able to uncover the odd gem. Money spotted one virtually unworn designer dress reduced to £250 from its original £1,800.
Volunteer shop assistant Krystyna Higginson says that the shop, which last year took £30,000 in revenue, has had a particularly busy six months. "We get people from all walks of life coming in from across the country," she says. "They want to give something to charity but save money at the same time. The dress has often only been worn once at a wedding or at a catwalk show but is hundreds less than it would be in a normal shop."
DIY Finally there is the option of making your own dress. But Gill Arnold, who runs bridal dressmaking courses in Solihull, warns that this is not a choice for the fainthearted.
"You do need a certain level of skill and plenty of time to make a wedding dress," she says. "It tends to be mothers of the brides who are coming on the courses, as opposed to the brides themselves."
Even if you only do part of the work yourself, the savings can be significant. Miriam Moules, 31, believes the handmade dress she is creating for her wedding in September will cost her no more than £100. Moules, an office temp, aims to buy the material and cut the patterns herself. She will then pass the bulk of the sewing on to a local seamstress before completing the embroidery herself.
She says: "I visited a couple of wedding dress shops with my friends and realised that I didn't want to go down that route myself. This allows me to do something a bit more creative and save money at the same time."
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