Can You Find A Wedding Dress For Under $1000?
Is it possible to find a beautiful wedding gown for under $1000? Meet the bridal brand offering luxury bridal gowns at affordable prices...
You would be forgiven for thinking that finding a wedding gown for under $1000 would be near impossible - even for your fashion brands doing a bridal line, it's pretty unlikely to find something that's of good quality and aisle-worthy for what would be considered a budget price tag of $1000.
And yet for so many modern day brides, spending over $5000 on a wedding gown is just not feasible, especially considering many couples are paying for their own wedding as well as perhaps a mortgage and their honeymoon. There is no denying that nowadays, more and more brides are after an affordable gown that that doesn't scream cheap.
However, having worked in the bridal industry for many years styling bridal shoots using a whole range of bridal designers and brands, I may have once told you that finding a beautiful wedding gown - think gorgeous details like beading, embellishment and interesting silhouettes - for under $1000 would be too good to be true.
That was until I had the opportunity to visit the new Oleg Cassani showroom (located in Rosebery, Sydney) to see, touch and feel their extensive range of bridal gowns which all retail for under $1000 - except for their top of the line gown which retails for just over $2000. Yes you read right, the most you will pay for a top-of-the-range Oleg Cassini gown is just over $2000. So now I feel qualified enough to tell you that, yes, it's true, these gowns are affordable and of beautiful quality too.
Here part-owner and bridal industry expert, Mandy Daddia, chats about luxury vs affordable in the bridal industry and her top tips for shopping for your dream wedding dress.
What are some of the reasons you believe brides are looking for more affordable options these days?
Brides are getting married later in life these days. Many have mortgages and even kids by the time they tie the knot. So many want to be sensible with their choices and choose a dress that won't break the bank. Many couples also prefer to spend more on the honeymoon and pull back on some of the wedding day expenses.
I do hear so many brides say that they love our gowns because they want to look like a million dollars but not have to spend that much and with our dresses they now have this option.
You’ve been in the bridal industry for a long time, and have worked with many luxury bridal brands - why did Oleg Cassini excite you?
I was so excited to be involved with Oleg Cassini because the gowns are simply gorgeous and the prices are unbelievable. In my time in the bridal industry I kept hearing brides saying that there were no affordable options for them and many didn't see the value in spending thousands and thousands of dollars on a dress they would wear once. So when the opportunity arose to bring these gorgeous and affordable gowns to the Australian market, I jumped at the chance!
What are some of the strongest bridal trends coming through in this latest collection?
We are seeing lots of Oleg Cassini brides opting to have fun with colour! Light blue, blush pink and champagne are the most popular options! We are also seeing brides choose mauve and silver tones too.
Feature details like detachable capes, large bows and splits are also some of looks brides are choosing this season, Plus lots of accessory options, veils of course and capes, boleros and headpieces.
What has the many years in the bridal industry taught you?
It has taught me how incredibly important the wedding dress is. Of course everyone wants to look beautiful on their big day. But for so many girls it is much more than that. They have dreamed of this special moment for so long and have imagined how they want to look and so really listening to each bride and trying to help them realise this dream is key to giving brides an exceptional experience.
How is it possible to have dresses of this quality at such a reasonable price point?
Firstly, we are an 'online store'. We keep our costs really low by having one showroom in Australia and that means we can pass the savings onto our customers.
Secondly, we manufacturer the dresses ourselves. Normally when a bride purchases a dress it is from a boutique who often gets the dress from a wholesaler or a distributor. This means each time the dress is marked up two or three times before it is purchased. In our business the dress is shipped to our customer straight from the manufacturer so they are not marked up multiple times.
What are your fave dresses from this collection?
I have a soft spot for blush dresses and in this collection I am spoiled for choice.
One of our styles (CWG 792) that I love is soft blush pink with the most beautiful beaded lace. It features a V-neck and pockets! Our brides are loving this dress! It looks so beautiful on and is extremely flattering.
I also adore another style which features the softest most beautiful lace with a sheer lace bodice, a full skirt with champagne underlay and it also has pockets. It looks lovely on lots of different shapes and really is the modern day princess gown.
What’s your advice to brides buying a ready to wear gown?
Bring one or two people with you whose opinions you trust. Bringing 6 or 7 friends rarely ends well as everyone has such a different opinion. Really it is about finding a dress that you feel beautiful in, that flatters your shape and that puts a smile on your face! There is nothing better than helping brides find those things a dress and being there when they have THAT moment!
Do you offer alterations or tailoring services?
Not at this stage but we do have a number of different tailors around Australia that we work with and that we can recommend to our brides.
