“Ooooo maybe that one… No, too much…Oh! What about this one… HA! LOOK at those huge sleeves! Wow, how does someone walk in that?”

It is a wonder to see all the different designs of wedding dresses out there, spanning decades and countless imaginative minds. And I mean very imaginative minds sometimes! It also is a wonder how much MONEY you can spend on a wedding dress, even though it is a special day and heirloom.

My goodness!

I was out to find a wedding dress I loved but one that was unique and most importantly, A GREAT DEAL.

Scroll down for tips and things to remember as you look for your $50 wedding dress! As well as to Shop this Blog!

“Ooooooo, Mom, what about this one?” As we sat across from each other in her living room and scrolled through hundreds of “vintage wedding dresses” on eBay, one had caught my eye. The flowing blush-creme tulle material, the romantic floral pattern spilling down the train, the line of silk buttons running the length of the back. It definitely took imagination as it hung formless in the photo under not-so-great lighting, but I could see it. Maybe. And the wonder of who had worn it decades before in the 50s or 60s, what stories it held and especially that $50 PRICE TAG urged me to hit that “Buy It Now” button that day.

What was there to lose?!

I never stepped into a bridal store or wedding gown depot nor did I try on any other wedding dresses. I didn’t have a group of my friends oohing and aahing as I came out of a dressing room, but for me, that was ok and the moment I now hold in my memory is even more special of me and my mom.

The dress came in its little box from eBay the following week or so. I found myself stepping out of the small bathroom at my country home I grew up in and into the dining room, just my mom waiting outside. Though a little too big and a bit wrinkled from its journey, I adored the floral train and the romantic feel of the tulle. I wan’t completely won over by the top, but a little brainstorming session between us convinced me that it could be hemmed in and changed just a bit to make it more like what I wanted.

I said “yes” to the dress!

Now, what was next for this dress? Well, it got a BATH! Though it definitely was worthwhile to think of dry-cleaning it, I had seen my mom and grandma hand wash and soak a number of things and in the name of saving money, I thought, “Why not?” I filled the bathtub halfway with some warm water, put a bit of l aundry detergent in and let the dress soak for a few hours. After hang drying, it came out wrinkle free and clean. It was ready for some alterations from a local seamstress I was referred to by a friend.

Doing seamstressry on the side, she worked with my budget and did beautiful and detailed work to both the inside and outside of the dress. We changed the sleeves to be more capped, took the dress in here and there and she spent hours redoing the inner lining just so it could feel smoother on my skin! INCREDIBLE talent and about $200. Which I would have had to spend on dress alterations anyways or more! I couldn’t thank her enough and still am in touch with her.

Given new life and paired with colorful flats I had in my closet, a $10 pair of earrings from Target, wood flowers recycled from another friend’s wedding scattered in my hair and my DIY wedding veil, my $50 wedding dress got to behold another wedding day.

The day sweeter than honey and one I would live over and over again.

Maybe my daughter or granddaughter will want to wear it someday, carrying on the decades of stories. Or, who knows, maybe I will sell it on eBay! (wink.)

This is how I found my $50 wedding dress!

Here’s some tips for how you can find yours:

YOU ARE THE BEAUTY.
Yes, of course, getting a dress that makes you feel beautiful is the goal, but you are the beauty. You don’t need a “perfect” dress that costs you a fortune to make you more beautiful. I’m sure I would have loved a more expensive dress even more than I loved my vintage, thrifted find. But I still felt beautiful – not to mentioned RELIEVED and very proud of myself for finding this treasure for only $50!

IMAGINATION.
Looking through used and vintage dresses from years or even decades in the past, you need imagination. It won’t be like looking at a modern bridal magazine or website – you probably won’t find exactly what you are looking for and will want to change some things about the dress. That’s ok!

LOOK FOR ONE OR TWO DETAILS THAT YOU LOVE
Scanning through hundreds of photos or sifting through racks of wedding dresses at the thrift shops, you are looking for details that catch your eye. For me it was the tulle fabric and the floral train of my dress.

EBAY.
Definitely look in your local thrift shops first if you like a treasure hunt, but even doing a quick search of “vintage wedding dresses” right now on eBay – WOW, so many options! Even thrift stores sell online there, so you can search hundreds of Goodwill’s from the comfort of your home.

FILTER YOUR SEARCH.
If you are overwhelmed, try to quick research wedding dresses from a certain era ( this website is pretty cool ) and even find some brands or designers you like and search for that specific dress. You can also filter your search with sellers like “Goodwill” – who I found my $50 dress from – or even by the decade, size and color on ebay.

SNATCH IT.
In my book, if it’s a high “maybe” when looking for something like a wedding dress, I say buy it. You can check the return policy and possibly return, but you also have the options to resell it or just count it as a small loss, especially if its cheap. Don’t be afraid to have to buy multiple dresses! Ultimately think of how much you would spend on a new dress and how much you save by even buying three or four $50 dresses?! You can keep the extras to make the most fabulous dress up trunk for your children or future children!

A GOOD WASH.
Your dress may need heavier cleaning or dry cleaning, but consider hand washing in the bathtub like I did. I would hesitate to wash it even in a delicate cycle in the washer. I’ve seen things snag or fall apart. It is best to let it soak in warm water with about 1/3 cup of laundry detergent for 2-3 hours, swishing it by hadn’t every once in a while. Hang dry by folding the dress in half or so over the shower curtain rod, a clothes drying rack or outside on the clothes line. I would suggest not hanging it to dry on a hanger, as the weight of the wet dress can pull down and stretch your shoulder area or straps.

STAY CHEAP BUT LOOK GLAMOROUS:
ALTERATIONS
Remember that we will most likely need some wiggle room in your overall dress budget for alterations that will make this dress look like it was made glamorously for just you! Look for a local seamstress, ask other brides where they got their dress altered or try your own alternations and save even more money if you are talented in that area or wa n t to learn. It was so fun to go for fittings and watch my dress keep its vintage charm but transform into the wedding dress that I loved every detail of and couldn’t wait to wear on my wedding day!

WONDER.
There are so many useful and beautiful things that don’t get their fair use in life – that’s why I think thrifting is a wonder! How cool is it to thrift your own vintage wedding dress and spend WAY LESS than you ever dreamed of?! These gorgeous vintage and used wedding dresses usually only see one special day and they deserve another day of life and love.

Save the planet.

Save a dress.

Save your wallet.

And turn this story into how YOU Found Your $50 Wedding Dress.

<3

Have questions or need more tips? Leave a comment and I would love to help!

Shop this Blog!

Though I love thrifting, some items are hard to find or just are preferred new. I put together some of my Amazon favorites and included multiple SMALL SHOPS that sell trough Amazon – support your small businesses! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This can help me build up this site of wonder! Wouldn’t that be fun?!