It's Okay to Say Yes Even if the gown is a little over budget
New year, new brides, new gowns! What's not to love about welcoming another year?! We are also right in the middle of engagement season! Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Valentine's Day, lots of lucky ladies are saying "yes" to the man of their dreams (who, no doubt, went a little over budget on that sparkly ring on your finger). So now it's time to say "yes" to the gown of your dreams (even if it might be a little over budget, too). Now we aren't talking about going over budget like they do on "Say Yes to the Dress" where a bride says her budget is $2500 but walks out with an $8000 gown. We're talking about when a bride says her budget is $2500 but ends up falling head-over-heals for a gown that's $3100. Yes, it's a little more than she anticipated spending, but it's worth it when no other dress can make her feel as beautiful and we're here to tell you how to make it work.
Most of the time the brides that walk through our doors have a budget for their dress(whether it's $2000 or $7000 - all brides have a number they're comfortable with), but find pictures on Pinterest and Google that they can't get enough of. These gowns, however, are generally nearing $10,000 (give or take) and it's our job as consultants to show them more realistic options that are similar to those fantasy dresses but in a more budget friendly price point that will make her look just as fabulous!
Here at White of Dublin, we strive to give each bride a private, comfortable, and memorable experience; this includes being respectful of her dress budget. After talking with our brides for a bit, we get all of these ideas of what could be THE dress. Sometimes, the potential dream dress is a well over budget... but other times it is right within reach being less than $1000 over what a bride initially said she wanted to spend. When this happens, we always consult the bride first to make sure she is comfortable with where the dress is sitting (price-wise). If she says no, it goes right back on the rack! But if she says yes, then it could be THE ONE!
If a bride falls in love, we always try to give her suggestions on how to conserve elsewhere in the wedding so she can splurge a little more on the most important fashion choice in her life. For example, a bride can decide to only have her photographers there for 8 hours instead of 10 OR she can only give two dinner choices instead of three. These little choices can make a big difference in terms of budgeting. Another thing to keep in mind is that typically when making a wedding gown purchase, the boutique will not require 100% payment at the time of purchase. They will most likely request between 50-75% down to order the dress and then the remainder will be paid when the dress comes in. This gives brides 6-8 months to save up for that extra little bit to pay off her gown. Brides can also ask the boutique if they offer any type of payment plan. Here at White of Dublin, we try to be as flexible as we can be to give our brides everything they want! If a bride's timeline allows for it, we are more than willing to work out a payment plan with her (also another reason to purchase your wedding gown as early as possible!). There are also things like "I Do Lending" that loan money to the brides so they can pay off their dress over 1-2 years. There are so many options!
Ultimately, the decision is up to the bride. BUT if she does fall in love with a dress that is just a little more expensive than she anticipated, there are always ways to make up for it somewhere else.
Thank you for joining us on this journey! We hope this gives you the confidence to say Yes to the dress of your dreams and never look back!
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