How Much Should a Wedding Dress Cost?
Engaged to your heart's content and in the market for your perfect bridal gown? This post breaks down how much a wedding dress should cost, including alterations and other frequently asked questions involved in the purchase of a bridal gown in 2024.
First of all, congrats! If you're reading this, you're most probably a bride-to-be in search for THE DRESS. Or, you just like researching some frequently asked questions on Google and you've stumbled upon this blog post (no judgement here, we all like doing a deep dive every once in a while!)
Either way, the plan is to answer this question in the most informative and fun way possible: how much does a wedding dress cost? From wedding dress alterations to storage and cleaning, we go through all the costs involved in the purchase of a bridal gown in 2024.
Cost of wedding dresses: table of contents
What is the average cost of a wedding dress in the U.S.?
What is the cost of used wedding gowns?
How much do wedding dress alterations cost?
Other bridal gown costs to consider
Wedding dress cost-cutting tips
Alterations are a part of the total cost of a wedding dress
What’s the average cost of a wedding dress in the U.S.?
How much is a wedding dress, on average? That is the question on deck when you find yourself in the middle of your wedding planning process. And a big chunk of that answer actually depends on major factors like your location and the fabric of the dress.
According to the latest reports, the average cost of a wedding dress in the U.S. ranges from $1,700-2,500. And how can you estimate how much should a wedding dress cost near you? When it comes to location, boutiques in the Midwest and the Southern states will generally offer more affordable prices on bridal gowns, and more higher-priced gowns are found in some of the biggest cities on the West and East coasts (looking at you, LA and NYC!).
So basically, when you compare prices in the Midwest vs. the New England area, the price difference can be a couple of hundred dollars or more. Buying a wedding dress between $1,000-2,000 means that you're in the average cost range, and anything over $2,500 means you're in the higher range, and less than 1,000 is definitely the lower end of the pricing scale.
When it comes to the average cost of a wedding dress, other big factors are the material (lace or polyester, please?) as well as the designer of the gown. While both seem pretty obvious, it's actually not as simple as this-designer-will-always-be-this-much-more-expensive and the only way to get something affordable is low quality and no name. This definitely isn’t true. But, we want to call those big cost factors out so that you have a clearer picture of everything involved with the average cost of a wedding dress. Things like material and the label is pretty much how it is with the fashion industry in general.
How much does a wedding dress cost on average in 2024?
What about the cost of used wedding gowns?
You’ve probably asked yourself the same question if you want to either, 1: sell your wedding gown on consignment, or 2: are considering purchasing a preowned wedding dress.
The term "Used wedding gowns" often means only once-worn or in some cases never worn wedding dresses. They are secondhand but because they aren't like, NEW NEW, then the cost of the wedding dress is reduced.
In certain cases, a used wedding dress should sell for around 50% of its initial buying price if it’s in the right condition. Wedding gowns from renowned or trending designers can cost up to 60-70% of their retail price if they are preowned.
So if you’re in the market for a used/preowned designer wedding dress, expect to pay about 70% of the gown’s initial value as the starting price. For example, if the wedding dress was originally priced at $5,000, then $3,500 will be the typical amount for its preowned version.
At our bridal boutique for instance, this past month we’ve had gowns like a stunning Jenny Yoo priced at $910 (original price at $1,300), a Justin Alexander gown for $1,400 (original $2,500), and a Martin Thornburg bridal gown for $1,300 (originally $1,750). Not too bad, right??
How much should a wedding dress cost in the U.S.?
How much do wedding dress alterations cost?
Altering a wedding dress can involved some heavy (and in most cases, delicate) lifting to work around all that bead work, lace, and other intricate and beautiful details of the gown. This is why altering a wedding dress typically costs more than your average hem.
Wedding dress alterations can involve anything from:
Basic hemming
Adding any additional seams to the dress or accessories (veil, for instance)
One flat-rate for the entire alterations
Factoring in the cost of alterations is important when budgeting for your perfect wedding gown. It’s the reality, and very often brides need to get their dress altered in some way or another. Wedding dress alterations can really vary, so keep that in mind during your initial dress fitting. To our brides, we always recommend to budget anywhere between $400 to $800 for a typical wedding dress alteration.
Often, the more intricate the alteration the higher the cost. If you choose your dress right and give yourself enough time to book your alteration appointment to make any needed adjustments, the easier it will be to can work this extra cost into your wedding dress budget.
Other wedding dress costs to consider
On top of alterations, there's the upkeep of the gown to consider. This basically includes the cost of wedding dress cleaning and preservation post-wedding day.
Dry cleaning: Much like other factors, this cost will depend on the intricacy of the dress. If there’s a long train and bridal veil to clean, beads and embroidery to work through, a good cleaner will of course charge more. For your average wedding dress, budget between $100-200 for a professional dry cleaning. You can maybe negotiate the price if there's no rush and the stains are fresh.
Wedding dress preservation: If you're looking to hang on to your wedding dress, know that there can be a cost to keeping it preserved: storage location, dress bag or box, etc. You can pay a business to professionally preserve your dress (things like an ‘anti-yellowing guarantee’) and that can cost between $300-1,000 or more. If you plan on storing it in your closet, you should budget for a decent bag and a professional cleaning beforehand, which can set you back around $250-300 on average.
Accessories: Found your dream dress, but it needs to be accessorized? Consider the belt, jewelry, veil, other aspects (more like, accents!) that go beyond the actual gown. The cost of bridal accessories can add up, so consider your whole look when budgeting for your wedding dress. You can find a preowned birdcage veil for $50, or go all out with a jewelry set - these costs will truly vary!
How much does a wedding dress cost, on average in 2024?
Wedding dress cost-cutting tips
Okay, we had to throw a little tips list in here on the cost of a wedding dress and how to budget accordingly. We certainly aren't here to tell you what to do (it's YOUR wedding day, after all) but our expert opinion, here's our two cents.
1. Consider the cost of bridal accessories
To save money on the overall cost of your wedding dress, we definitely recommend checking out bridal accessories on consignment. Sometimes, your accessories can be the same cost as the dress. Wowsa! Didn't see that one coming. Always check in and see if boutiques have any preowned bridal accessories so you can make the most of your wedding budget. Who knows, they might have that perfect bridal veil you've been looking for.
2. Be stylish, not trendy
Not keeping up with the latest wedding dress trends doesn't mean that you won't be stylish and stunning when you walk down that aisle. To save some of those costs of your wedding dress, going a little alternative means you could save a big chunk of that gown budget. We always recommend going with your unique style every day, and that includes your wedding day. You do you of course, but it's something to think about.
3. Location, location, location
Just like rent or your mortgage, the price of items typically align with location. But there are ways to work around this reality: Hint hint, New York bridal boutiques are expensive, but a trip out to our South Jersey boutique means that you could save at least 30% on the cost of your wedding dress!
4. Buy a preowned wedding dress
Going the pre-owned bridal gown route doesn’t mean compromising on dress style or value. At our bridal boutique, we offer everything from once worn, never worn, and all kinds of preowned wedding dresses. And because this all goes under the umbrella of ‘used and secondhand wedding dresses’, the bottom line is that the cost of these beautiful wedding gowns is lower for you.
All of the bridal gowns and accessories that we sell at our bridal shop are cleaned and preserved (we make sure the dress is in tip top shape!). Which means that your gently-used gown will look like new, but be priced at a fraction of the cost.
Hand-Me-Gowns Bridal Boutique
The reality is that snagging your dream wedding dress doesn't mean that you have to go over budget. That's why we're in this business. Every week since we opened our doors in 2022, we've been helping brides find their perfect match (dress, not fiance!).
If you want to see what this preowned wedding dress trend is all about, come and check out Hand-Me-Gowns Bridal on social. And if you’re looking for an affordable and stylish gown, book an appointment at our South Jersey bridal shop, and find that dream, sustainable and affordable wedding dress!
