This is a series of posts currently being featured on the Real Weddings Magazine blog and was previously posted on February 5th.

We all know about OnceWed, PreOwnedWeddingDresses and eBay as options to find a pre-worn designer wedding dress for rock-bottom prices, right?
If not, check these sites out and make the decision now: does it matter to you if the dress has been worn before? If it DOES matter to you, you still have options to find the dress that’s perfect for YOU!
Recessionista Bride Stevie was ready to think outside-the-box when she fell in love with a gorgeous wedding gown: the Pronovias Nerveo, a beautiful strapless lace trumpet gown with a frothy pleated top. But, it came with a price tag of $1,500, quite a bit more than what she had budgeted. In fact, our budget for the dress, veil and alterations was $1,000 – and while shopping at OnceWed might have been a solution, Stevie stood tall at 5’11” – much higher than most brides. Plainly put, we needed a sample or a new dress.

Pronovias Nerveo above, photo courtesy of Pricescope

Stevie hit gold when shopping at 2000 Dreams Bridal Shop (a bridal boutique with locations in San Diego and Temple, CA), she found a deeply discounted sample that fit the bill for all of her wishes – lace, trumpet shape, beautiful pleated hemline – expect for one small detail: it had a mock neck. However, it was perfectly in her price range: under $1,000 including both alterations (in-house) and a complimentary veil.

Photo above of the dress pre-alterations courtesy of PartyPop

Fortunately, the structure of the dress was not compromised by removing the mock neck and the alterations specialists were willing to do these major changes in the included alterations. Stevie had her dream dress for less than 2/3 of the original cost! This proves once again, that appearances can be deceiving – try to look beyond your first impression of a dress before making your final decision.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Maren PhotographyPhoto courtesy of Sarah Maren Photography

Tune back in to the Real Weddings Magazine blog on February 13th or to the KME Blog on February 14th for the next installment: Recessionista Bride Series: Adding Bling to Your Invitation Suite!