Fashion
I found an epic charity shop with its own bridal department & ex-sample dresses – I bought TWO gowns and a veil for £200
BUYING your wedding dress can be one of the most expensive parts of your special day – but it doesn’t have to be.
A savvy bride has shared how she found a charity shop with a bridal gown section, and ended up picking up two wedding dresses and a veil for £200.
redditA bride shared how she found this beautiful dress in Oxfam[/caption]
redditShe also found this dress for her reception – and picked up both dresses and a veil for £200[/caption]
Taking to Reddit, she shared: “UK brides, run, don’t walk to your nearest Oxfam Bridal store.
“I found my 2 dresses.”
The first gown she picked up was strapless with a sweetheart neckline, with layers of lacy tulle cascading down to the floor.
The second was also strapless but had a sleek design and material covered in embellishments.
The bride added that they were so different but she “loved them equally” so bought them both.
She added: “I got dress one as my ceremony dress and dress two is my reception dress.”
They were both by the label Wtoo by Watters, which can cost £1,000 per dress.
However, she got both wedding dresses, plus her veil for £200 at her nearest Oxfam shop, which had a dedicated bridal department.
The bride continued: “It was the whole first floor of the store and we had it all to ourselves for two hours.
“In this particular branch it was very off hand and as mentioned we just had total free reign of the floor which I personally loved.
“Everything was under £200 and the majority of dresses were ex-samples so they were in amazing condition with no alterations.
“There were so many gorgeous dresses and in a good range of sizes too (though I did have the privilege of being close to sample size so I had a lot of choice).
“If any UK brides are on a budget this is an AMAZING option if there is a bridal store near you.”
Oxford has four shops with dedicated bridal departments, and they are in Chippenham, Darlington, Shirley and York.
I got dress one as my ceremony dress and dress two is my reception dress
Reddit bride
The website says: “Oxfam has four shops with bridal departments stocked with good quality fashionable bridal wear and accessories, new and pre-loved.
“If you would like to try on some of our amazing dresses please contact one of our shops to make an appointment.
“If you aren’t able to make it to one of our high street shops you’ll find a great range of bridal wear for sale in the Oxfam Online Shop.”
Many Reddit users were amazed at her bargain finds, with one saying: “UK bride on a budget here – thanks for sharing this, this is great!
5 ways to save £10k on your wedding
Josie Griffiths, Deputy Digital Fabulous editor and bride-to-be shares her tips to cut the cost on your big day.
“There’s no getting around it, weddings are expensive, but there’s some easy ways to strip back the cost without your guests noticing.”
Ditch pricey invites
We made our designs for free on Canva, and then sent them out on email or WhatsApp. If you want to post invites to important people, VistaPrint is brilliant and cost us less than 30p per guest to sort. SAVING: £600
Cut back on flowers
I was pretty stunned that lots of wedding florists quote £3k-£5k as a MINIMUM spend. Your wedding flowers will be dead within days, save your cash and invest it in pics and video instead, as these actually last. Keep shopping round until you find someone reasonably priced, or speak to your local florist two months out to arrange bouquets. SAVING: £4.5k
Ditch wedding favours
They don’t fit in people’s handbags and were cleared away by catering staff at half the weddings I’ve been to as a guest. The best way to save cash here is just not to bother. SAVING: £300-£700
Be ruthless with your guest list
No one’s ‘entitled’ to a plus one and the groom’s second cousin doesn’t need to come. Your true friends won’t kick off and if anyone chooses not to come over guest list dramas, that just means you’ve saved twice. SAVING: £150 PER HEAD
Do your own booze
Make finding a venue where you can do your own bar a priority, ideally with no corkage or a £500 max cost. Aldi’s £22 Champagne beat Veuve Clicquot in a Which? blind taste test and they have tasty wines for less than a fiver, you won’t do better on a paid bar. SAVING: £2k
“I haven’t started thinking about dresses yet, but this will be my go-to now that I know it’s an option!”
Another added: “Oh my god dress one.
“ Absolutely gorgeous and a triple win: you look phenomenal in a designer gown(s), you’ve saved huge amounts of money, and you’ve supported Oxfam’s fantastic development and poverty reduction work.
“Such a brilliant outcome!”
She isn’t the only person to love the charity shop’s bridal department.
We shared how a busy mum appeared on a previous episode of Say Yes to the Dress and headed to an Oxfam’s bridal boutique to see if she could find a luxury gown at a low cost.
Royal dress designer David Emmanuel usually helps brides select from dresses that cost £2,000 to £10,000 price, but the average price of a wedding dress at an Oxfam boutique is £250.
Her limit was £500 for the special dress, but thankfully she managed to pick up one for a fifth of her budget at a bargain £100.
All the dresses in the Oxfam bridal boutique have been donated but are in a good condition.
BUYING your wedding dress can be one of the most expensive parts of your special day – but it doesn’t have to be.
A savvy bride has shared how she found a charity shop with a bridal gown section, and ended up picking up two wedding dresses and a veil for £200.
redditA bride shared how she found this beautiful dress in Oxfam[/caption]
redditShe also found this dress for her reception – and picked up both dresses and a veil for £200[/caption]
Taking to Reddit, she shared: “UK brides, run, don’t walk to your nearest Oxfam Bridal store.
“I found my 2 dresses.”
The first gown she picked up was strapless with a sweetheart neckline, with layers of lacy tulle cascading down to the floor.
The second was also strapless but had a sleek design and material covered in embellishments.
The bride added that they were so different but she “loved them equally” so bought them both.
She added: “I got dress one as my ceremony dress and dress two is my reception dress.”
They were both by the label Wtoo by Watters, which can cost £1,000 per dress.
However, she got both wedding dresses, plus her veil for £200 at her nearest Oxfam shop, which had a dedicated bridal department.
The bride continued: “It was the whole first floor of the store and we had it all to ourselves for two hours.
“In this particular branch it was very off hand and as mentioned we just had total free reign of the floor which I personally loved.
“Everything was under £200 and the majority of dresses were ex-samples so they were in amazing condition with no alterations.
“There were so many gorgeous dresses and in a good range of sizes too (though I did have the privilege of being close to sample size so I had a lot of choice).
“If any UK brides are on a budget this is an AMAZING option if there is a bridal store near you.”
Oxford has four shops with dedicated bridal departments, and they are in Chippenham, Darlington, Shirley and York.
I got dress one as my ceremony dress and dress two is my reception dress
Reddit bride
The website says: “Oxfam has four shops with bridal departments stocked with good quality fashionable bridal wear and accessories, new and pre-loved.
“If you would like to try on some of our amazing dresses please contact one of our shops to make an appointment.
“If you aren’t able to make it to one of our high street shops you’ll find a great range of bridal wear for sale in the Oxfam Online Shop.”
Many Reddit users were amazed at her bargain finds, with one saying: “UK bride on a budget here – thanks for sharing this, this is great!
5 ways to save £10k on your wedding
Josie Griffiths, Deputy Digital Fabulous editor and bride-to-be shares her tips to cut the cost on your big day.
“There’s no getting around it, weddings are expensive, but there’s some easy ways to strip back the cost without your guests noticing.”
Ditch pricey invites
We made our designs for free on Canva, and then sent them out on email or WhatsApp. If you want to post invites to important people, VistaPrint is brilliant and cost us less than 30p per guest to sort. SAVING: £600
Cut back on flowers
I was pretty stunned that lots of wedding florists quote £3k-£5k as a MINIMUM spend. Your wedding flowers will be dead within days, save your cash and invest it in pics and video instead, as these actually last. Keep shopping round until you find someone reasonably priced, or speak to your local florist two months out to arrange bouquets. SAVING: £4.5k
Ditch wedding favours
They don’t fit in people’s handbags and were cleared away by catering staff at half the weddings I’ve been to as a guest. The best way to save cash here is just not to bother. SAVING: £300-£700
Be ruthless with your guest list
No one’s ‘entitled’ to a plus one and the groom’s second cousin doesn’t need to come. Your true friends won’t kick off and if anyone chooses not to come over guest list dramas, that just means you’ve saved twice. SAVING: £150 PER HEAD
Do your own booze
Make finding a venue where you can do your own bar a priority, ideally with no corkage or a £500 max cost. Aldi’s £22 Champagne beat Veuve Clicquot in a Which? blind taste test and they have tasty wines for less than a fiver, you won’t do better on a paid bar. SAVING: £2k
“I haven’t started thinking about dresses yet, but this will be my go-to now that I know it’s an option!”
Another added: “Oh my god dress one.
“ Absolutely gorgeous and a triple win: you look phenomenal in a designer gown(s), you’ve saved huge amounts of money, and you’ve supported Oxfam’s fantastic development and poverty reduction work.
“Such a brilliant outcome!”
She isn’t the only person to love the charity shop’s bridal department.
We shared how a busy mum appeared on a previous episode of Say Yes to the Dress and headed to an Oxfam’s bridal boutique to see if she could find a luxury gown at a low cost.
Royal dress designer David Emmanuel usually helps brides select from dresses that cost £2,000 to £10,000 price, but the average price of a wedding dress at an Oxfam boutique is £250.
Her limit was £500 for the special dress, but thankfully she managed to pick up one for a fifth of her budget at a bargain £100.
All the dresses in the Oxfam bridal boutique have been donated but are in a good condition.
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