I know from my own experience that planning a wedding can take months. You spend endless hours deciding what your guests are going to eat, what booze they’re going to drink and even which napkins they’ll wipe their mouths on. While this is all important stuff, it doesn’t really compare to deciding on which outfit you’re going to wear.
Of course, the last couple of years had different plans for those who had their weddings coming up, and plenty of nuptials had to be cancelled as a result of the pandemic. But there’s one silver lining I hope I can provide for you. If you’re planning on getting married at some point, then you have more time to decide what you’re going to wear. And if budgets are smaller than you had previously hoped for, then I have good news: High-street wedding dresses look as good as designer ones.
With a rise in the market for well-priced bridal gowns and jumpsuits, there’s zero shame attached to spending less on your gown. In fact, affordable can be incredibly chic. The latest brands to offer chic but inexpensive bridalwear are Rixo and Ghost. The Who What Wear team includes huge fans of both brands, and both offer interesting and fun takes on bridalwear.
There are other brands that also stock affordable dresses. ASOS, following the success of its vast and brilliant bridesmaid range, has dresses for as little as £150. It also stocks Needle and Thread, a British brand that specialises in intricately embellished occasionwear with a comfortable price tag. One of my favourite affordable red carpet go-tos, Self-Portrait, also offers a drop-dead-gorgeous wedding range. Reformation, meanwhile, might not be the first name you think of for bridal looks, but the brand has a couple of gorgeous gowns. Better yet, Whistles‘ wedding dress collection continues to be one of my favourites, with all pieces under £650.
If you want some inspiration for shopping affordable high-street wedding outfits, just take a look at my pick of the expensive-looking options that will cost you a fraction of the price of a traditional frock. I’ve picked out a selection of dresses from some of our favourite stores that can totally be worn for your big day. While what one person deems as “affordable” can differ greatly for another, considering many wedding dresses cost in the thousands, I’ve kept my edit below the £1,000 threshold. If that still seems expensive to you (it is a considerable amount of money, after all), rest assured there are plenty of dresses that come in under this—starting at a mere £130. Keep scrolling to shop the specialised wedding dress collections from ASOS, Whistles and so many more.
This story was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.
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