You can tick "something borrowed" off your wedding checklist with this latest wedding dress trend. As brides look to save money, more women are buying pre-owned wedding dresses for their big day.
The scoop
According to ThredUp, an online consignment retailer, white cocktail and special occasion dress sales have increased by 23% this year compared to 2019. This trend likely reflects a growing number of brides looking to cut wedding costs.
With recent financial trends in the industry, buying a secondhand gown may be a great way to stretch your wedding budget.
As of 2022, weddings in the United States cost $30,000 on average, a $2,000 increase from the year prior. Weddings are not immune to the price increases brought on by recent inflation.
While the average cost of a wedding dress in 2020 was $2,439, price tags have a wide range depending on the brand or material used. A feature in Brides highlighted women who spent between $1,000 and $9,000 on their gowns.
Sarah Ghabbour, the owner of Loved Twice Bridal, a consignment shop in Beverly Hills, has capitalized on this trend and helped brides save big while finding their dream dress.
"There's been a shift in the market, I think, as far as value. The girl who is shopping nowadays, she's typically paying for the gown herself," Ghabbour told CBS News. "I definitely think secondhand dresses are here to stay."
How it's helping
Buying a secondhand wedding gown can help you save money on one-of-a-kind dresses and benefit the environment.
Pre-owned wedding dresses typically cost up to half of the original price, reported CBS News, making this trend a great way to save money. You can use the extra money in your budget on other wedding essentials, like the venue, flowers and decor, or even your honeymoon.
Wedding gowns are usually resource-intensive when they are made. Ghabbour estimated that a single wedding dress uses 2,300 gallons of water.
Depending on the material, some dresses may require even more. A single yard of silk needs 2,542 gallons of water, and bigger ballroom gowns can necessitate up to 10 yards of material, according to Earth911.
Many brides wear their wedding dresses once and store them in the back of their closets for eternity. Investing in a secondhand gown, or even selling your gown after you wear it, can expand the lifecycle of wedding dresses and make the most of the resources used to create them.
What everyone's saying
Brides who have opted for secondhand gowns are satisfied with their decision, saving money and finding sentimental value in wearing a dress another woman wore on their wedding day.
Georgia Etheridge, a soon-to-be bride, saved $4,000 on a pre-loved dress and decided to put the money toward other wedding expenses while appreciating being the second owner of her gown.
"It's like the sisterhood of the traveling wedding dress," she joked to CBS News.
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