When it comes to planning a wedding, one of the biggest expenses a bride is likely to incur is buying a wedding dress. In fact, the average bride spends between two and five thousand dollars on her wedding dress alone. This may be why an increasing number of brides are choosing to rent their gowns, leaving room in their budgets for extravagant honeymoons, live entertainment, and other aspects of their dream weddings instead. Here's everything you need to know about renting a wedding dress for your big day.
Where can I rent a wedding dress in NYC?
Image via Pixabay by MichaelGaida
Since renting has become a popular alternative for the modern-day bride, there are a number of boutiques based in NYC that offer wedding dress rentals, including:
White Collections Bridal Atelier
Allow your visions to come to life when you step into this idyllic bridal boutique featuring a large array of designer gowns. Located in the heart of Queens, White Collections Bridal Atelier is a one-stop-shop offering wedding dress rentals, wedding planning services, photography, and more.
Crystal Bridal Boutique
Find the dress of your dreams at Crystal Bridal Boutique, a high-end boutique offering a vast selection of lavish and unique designer wedding dresses for rent and sale. Based out of Brooklyn, they also carry bridal accessories like jewelry, veils, headpieces, and garters.
Fancy Wedding Center
Close to the city you'll find Fancy Wedding Center, a bridal shop carrying a stunning selection of wedding dresses to choose from, including well-known designer brands. Here you can rent wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, flower girl dresses, and more.
If you can't make it in-store to shop or prefer to browse from the comfort of your home, there are several online retailers that offer the option to rent a wedding dress, including:
How much does renting a wedding dress cost?
Renting a wedding dress can cost anywhere from $30 to $5,000, depending on the designer, style, and additional features, like whether it features a built-in train or comes with accessories. Designer gowns typically rent for a fraction of price, making them an affordable option for those wishing to wear one on their big day.
Tips for renting a wedding dress
If you love the idea of wearing a fancy designer gown on your big day, but don't want to splurge on it, renting a wedding dress may be a great option for you. For brides that are considering saying yes to the (rental) dress, here are a couple of tips to help you get started:
Set a budget
Renting a gown is an appealing choice for many brides because it reduces the overall costs of their wedding. If you're opting to rent a wedding dress to save money, it's helpful to create a pre-determined budget before you begin looking at gowns.
Be open-minded
Many brides find that their idea of a perfect wedding dress ultimately differs from what they end up choosing. When searching for a wedding dress that is going to make you look and feel your best, you should aim to try on a few styles you wouldn't normally go for.
Call around
If you find a gorgeous selection of dresses you're interested in trying on at a local boutique, it never hurts to give them a call to see if they offer rental options. Since this concept has only started to grow in popularity in recent years, not all dress shops list rental services on their website.
Can you rent wedding veils?
You can absolutely rent a wedding veil along with a number of other bridal accessories, including headpieces, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and tiaras.
A few of the more popular online destinations for wedding veil rentals include:
Pros of renting a wedding dress
Many brides find that the pros of renting a wedding dress greatly outweigh the cons, particularly when they are looking to stay within a certain budget. A few positives of renting your wedding dress include:
Saving money
It's almost always cheaper to rent a wedding dress than to buy one. Renting can drastically reduce the amount of money you spend on a gown that will be worn for a couple of hours, allowing you to afford that beautiful designer dress you may not have been able to otherwise.
Faster turnaround
Rather than waiting months for a custom gown to be completed, a rental dress often comes home with you the same day you try it on. If you have minimal time to prepare for your wedding, renting can provide you with a much faster turnaround.
Leaving room in your budget for other amenities
Opting for the rental route can leave room in your budget for other amenities you'd rather spend money on, like a three-course dinner meal for your guests or a post-reception fireworks show that will be remembered for years to come.
Low maintenance
Renting a wedding dress ensures you don't have to worry about the after-care of your gown, like dry cleaning and storage.
Cons of renting a wedding dress
Though there are many advantages to renting a wedding dress for your big day, there are also a couple of cons you'll want to consider. These include:
No alterations
The biggest downside to renting a wedding dress is that you won't be able to have any alterations completed on it. This means you'll have to ensure a gown fits you well the first time around, which can limit your selection during the search process.
You won't have it as a keepsake
Though most brides only wear their wedding dresses once, some feel an emotional attachment to their gown and hope to eventually pass it down to a future daughter or family member.
More pressure to keep it in mint condition
Renting a dress means inevitably having to return it, so you'll need to make sure you keep your gown in excellent condition throughout the evening.
Whether you already have the ring of your dreams or you're searching for an upgrade, Martin Busch Jewelers is here to help. As your premiere New York jewelers, we offer full-service jewelry repair, cleanings, restorations and more. Stop in to see us at our location on John Street or visit our website today.