My tastes definitely lean towards a non-traditional bridal dress anyway -- probably something tea-length and not excessively frilly. Good for the budget!

I don't really want a all-white dress anyway, so I will probably end up with a dress that is not a true "bridal" dress.

I might consider a NEW dress from eBay, but I could never re-wear someone else's wedding dress!

If I really couldn't afford a wedding gown of my dreams I would borrow from a family member. I would also consider hiring a seamstress to make a less expensive design of one I really like. Or, I would just go to a store like Jessica McClintock, who sells formal dresses that could double as wedding gowns for much less than a designer dress in a bridal shop. I have seen McClintock gowns for $200. That is more than reasonable for a wedding dress.

I would do any of these. Especially the once-worn. Seriously. It was worn... one time. Dry clean and it's as good as new! And getting fittings/customizations done is a lot cheaper than buying a new dress.

I wouldn't have done any of these...the only one I would maybe have considered would have been buying a dress that wasn't necessarily "bridal". And that would only have happened if I had had a destination wedding or a beach wedding.

I would absolutely buy a once-worn dress from eBay. I was actually just thinking about this today, since I am planning my wedding right now. One of the things that is pretty far down on my list is my dress...I want to look gorgeous, obviously, but I care more about spending money on my family/friends having a great time.

None of the above. If I do get married, I'm eloping, and at most, wearing a nice cocktail dress. The real money would go into great food for a later reception.

i've thought about going non-bridal. i'd love to rent/borrow/shop ebay for used dresses, but they're all hemmed for someone who's 6 inches shorter than me, pre-heels.

I'd consider going "non-bridal" but wouldn't want to rent/borrow/buy a once-worn because it just wouldn't seem like the dress was mine. I think my wedding would be too important to me and I'd have to be selfish and picky to be happy =P

My mom made my dress. A similar dress at the bridal boutiques cost at least 5k more. She bought a basic pattern and we worked on the details together to make it exactly what I wanted. She did a great job and it was really sentimental.

Use the people you know. Not everyone is willing to tackle such a big project, but talk to a friend or family member who sews.

i'd try any of them and worn my mil's dress because i didn't want to spend money on a dress i'd only wear for a few hours. it's funny though because i was horrified at the suggestion that i buy my daughter a "used" communion dress. i spent nearly $300 (including shipping) on her second dress (i didn't like the first one so i let them use it for dress up). it grosses me out to think of my daughter wearing a dress that someone else wore. why?

All of my friends are getting married and I have loved all their dresses - so borrowing (if they are ok with it) would be my approach

We did my wedding on the cheap and I wore a black skirt that I already had and a new top. We're going to have another more traditional wedding in the States for my family, since they weren't at the first, and I think I'll wear a really nice dress that isn't bridal. I don't care about wearing white, I just care about looking great.

Renting is the biggest scam around...for the cost of renting you could buy an off-the-rack gown.
I voted that I wouldn't do any of these things, because it is definitely possible to find a gorgeous and affordable wedding dress that is all yours and brand-new, it just may take some work finding it!

My wedding dress wasn't necessarily bridal but it happened to be white and really looked like a wedding dress to me and everyone else though it cost so much less.

I bought my wedding dress at a bridal salon during a sample sale for 50% off the retail price. It was exactly what I wanted for a fraction of the price

I would get a non-bridal dress. The idea of renting skeeves me out and anyways, that's something that I would want to save. And I have found that I really don't like bridal dresses. I really hate wearing white(I seriously have like nothing white in my wardrobe) and I don't like the styles. I'd rather get a pricey designer dress, like maybe a Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress or even a more upscale designer. I don't want to look exactly like every other bride.

My cousin's wife actually wore a Vera Wang bridesmaid's dress, and it was GORGEOUS - very pale champagne color, very elegant lines - and she later revealed she got it for about $300! Bridesmaid's dresses are a great option because they're much, much cheaper but are still very formal.

I'd consider everything but renting. I'm not sure why it's different than some of the others in my head.

I decided a long time ago that I would be making my wedding dress...so I'll save money, but it'll cost me a lot of patience and time. I'm sure it'll take about two years to accomplish.

If you're looking for a slightly-casual or colourful wedding dress anyway, a dress that isn't necessarily bridal is so, so the way to go.
Other than that, do not pou-pou wearing a used dress! It's absolutely the best deal.

My wedding dress was worn once (not at an actual wedding). They had a bridal show at the mall and a model wore it. it was a $1,000 dress and i bought it for $99 since it had been worn and they had it dry cleaned. My dress is gorgeous and out of the dresses they had at the store it was the one i fell in love with and i didn't care that it had been worn for a couple of hours.

I am far from traditional so I will probably get a dress that is not even from a bridal store let alone tagged as bridal. I still would want a dress that has never been worn that is just me.

i'm not planning a wedding (yet!) but would definitely consider sites like preownedweddingdresses.com or bridepower.com...pre-owned sells a mix of sample, once-worn, and brand new dresses while i'm pretty sure bridepower sells sample dresses that it gets from bridal salons. i don't think i'd wear a once-worn dress, but from looking you can save a TON buying from women who bought 3 dresses, canceled their weddings (yipes), etc.

I would just rent, but I got lucky and just went ahead and bought mine when my sister bought hers and we happened to come across a huge anniversary sale on top of the discounts at the retailer, so we both ended up with beautiful gowns!

I made my dress. And because I didn't go with true white, nor with a pattern specifically "bridal" in nature, I've gotten more use out of the dress as well. Less than $100 in pattern and materials, made mostly the week of the wedding, and I've worn it for at least 8 hours since the wedding.

I bought a non-traditional bridal dress from ebay. $60 and I loved it.

I wouldn't mind wearing a once worn dress, as long as it is in tip top condition. I wouldn't want to rent one because I would like to keep it forever!

I bought a dress that I knew I could wear again to formal occasions (not anyone else's wedding of course!), as well as buying one that wasn't marked 'bridal'. Actually, I went to two stores, one bridal one not, and the alterations were an extra couple hundred at the bridal store!

I bought my wedding dress through Brides Against Breast Cancer, and it was a wonderful experience. This is a group that collects used dresses from brides, as well as samples from very well-known designers, and hosts dress sales around the country. Funds from the dress sales go to fighting breast cancer. The atmosphere at these sales is so great - lots of volunteers, mostly other brides who wore BABC dresses to their own weddings. I found my dream dress, got a good deal - and best of all, had the great feeling of knowing that the money was going to a good cause. I would encourage anyone considering non-traditional dress buying to go this route.

Ibought a dress off of EBay for $100 dollars. The pictures must have been poorly lit, because you could see right through it. I would say no to ebay, but yes to buying a once worn. I ended up buying a new dress. But now it's just in a box in my closet. So Sad, it's so pretty to be boxed up.

prolly something not necesarily "bridal" I don't care anyway I would wear something hot for pictures and elope anyway maybe I would one day tell people I was married....nah, I'd keep it a secret.

then again I really don't want to get married.

I've been engaged for a week so I'm ready to comment. I wouldn't mind a once worn dress on e-bay because there's no attachment like using a dress from a friend where you see pic of some1 else in "your" dress. I plan on making mine with help of course to keep down costs and to have what I want it to lok like. Renting is a great option, but not for me because I want to keep mine forever.

When I got married, I wore a dress that was not a bridal dress. I wore a casual dress for the actual wedding and then a pretty renaissance/goth type dress for the reception. It suited me well and I did resell it after wearing a few more times for other events (*gasp*). I actually would still have it, but I lost a lot of weight and it no longer fit me.

I would only consider wearing a dress not tagged as bridal. . . but since we're on the topic I have a debutante gown (which is exactly the same as a bridal gown) that I wore once and now I cant figure out what to do with it. I wouldnt mind giving it away except that I dont know anybody else thats a size 2 AND it was like $1500 bucks. Any suggestions on how I can pass it on to someone else and perhaps get a few of those dollars back?

I want to wear green if I ever get married. So a not bridal dress is almost a given.

@nv27 EBAY.

Thanks Captious, I'll check it out.

Mine was an "Almost" worn dress from Ebay.

i'd do any of these, although i'm only 21 and don't see myself getting married for at least seven or eight years.

i'm the youngest of four girls, and my oldest sister's elaborate celebration made me realize the simpler, the better.

i'd love to wear my sister's vera wang dress. it's the most beautiful thing i've ever seen. however, considering i'm probably 25 pounds heavier, and 3 inches taller, i'd probably need to get my stomach stapled, and few ribs removed first.

I just got married three months ago but I bought my dress a year before the wedding. I got married outside so I knew I wanted something simple. I found a really nice dress at David's Bridal for $400. Just A line strapless, no train. Then about three months before my wedding I saw that David's Bridal had added some simple, inexpensive dresses to it's collection and I could have gotten something quite similar for about half the price

Also, Target has a good selection through Isaac Mizrahi. They are only available online I think, but are classic designs and only $100-250.

I actually bought my wedding dress from the 50% off sales rack from BCBG and got matching BCBG shoes from DSW. My dress was almost the least expensive thing out of everything else for our modest wedding. Best purchase EVER!

Sorry, but no skimping on the cost of a dress for me!!! I'll be buying a designer gown thank you (hopefully not at full retail, but DEFINITELY brand new)...

I would definitely be up for trying Filene's "running of the brides"! It sounds like a ton of fun, and if your lucky, a great way to find a pricey dress way cheap! If not, I would try Saks Fifth Ave, if you open a credit card the day you buy your dress you'll save 10%~

I originally wanted a non-bridal dress, but eventually decided on a classic, strapless champagne A-line with a taupe sash. I found my dress stuffed in the farthest corner at a bridal boutique in Santa Barbara. It just so happened that it was a bridesmaid dress. It was such a steal--only $200 with alterations included! Part of the decision was out of preference, the other part was for financial reasons. It was a beautiful dress and I received many compliments. I am still receiving compliments and our wedding was last September!