5 Ways to save money on your wedding dress

For the bride, choosing the right wedding dress is the most important thing about her wedding. Some surveys indicated that the average bride in the U.S. spends over $2,500 on her gown. I don't know about you, but I'd rather put that money toward a sweet honeymoon. By following these simple tips, you can save money on your wedding dress.

Shop last year's collections

Gasp! No, it's not sacrilegious to buy a dress that came out a year ago. Right now, you can find significant discounts on wedding gowns from the Spring/Summer 2010 collections. In order to make space for new inventory, bridal shops, department stores and online retailers mark down last year's designs once the new gowns come in.

Head to consignment shops

Consignment shops and thrift stores often have both new and used wedding dresses at reasonable prices. When a wedding is cancelled, the bride usually can't return her dress, so she is willing to part with it at a reduced cost just to get rid of it as quickly as possible.

Check out Craiglist and eBay

Many brides with canceled weddings put their gowns on Craigslist.org or eBay.com. It might take some time to find your size, but this is a fantastic way to find your dream dress at a discount.

Rent your gown

If you are dead set on a gorgeous wedding gown that is out of your budget, rent it! Formal wear shops often rent wedding dresses at a fraction of the sales price. Who cares if it's rented — you are probably going to just pack it away in a box in the attic anyway.

Save on accessories

Don't buy your shoes, veil and headpiece at the bridal shop. You can find plain white satin shoes at a traditional shoe store...or don't even wear white shoes, just put on your favorite pair of heels. Affordable veils, headpieces and other bridal accessories can be found at online shops. You can also make your own — pick up a DIY kit at a craft store or sewing shop.

http://www.dressthat.com/ 

2013 Prom Dresses Red Carpet Show

Lest high school girls wear something regrettable on prom night (because that's never happened before), school administrations are cracking down on the dress code for those bright, shiny gowns.

The Wall Street Journal finds that teenage girls are picking increasingly risqué prom dresses, featuring "low-slung backs, thigh-high slits and midriff-bearing cutouts." In response, some school principals are enforcing stricter guidelines and even creating elaborate PowerPoint slideshows showing photos of "acceptable" and "unacceptable" dresses.

So what's not allowed? As it turns out, all sorts of red carpet trends, like side cutouts, plunging backless-ness (no Hilary Swank dresses), overly exposed midriffs and -- this is the biggie -- no sheer.

Part of the issue, points out the Journal, is that requirements like those encompass what plenty of celebs wear. Jennifer Lopez, "Dancing With The Stars" costumes and the wardrobes of "The Real Housewives" are apparently serving as fashion inspiration for excited young teens.

Which makes us wonder if the administrators making the rules are concerned with modesty or simply good fashion prom dresses. In the case of banning sideboob, sheer hems and excessively exposed midriffs, they may be addressing both and doing an entire generation of girls a favor.

http://www.oyeahbridal.com/

2013 Prom Dresses Red Carpet Show

Lest high school girls wear something regrettable on prom night (because that's never happened before), school administrations are cracking down on the dress code for those bright, shiny gowns.

The Wall Street Journal finds that teenage girls are picking increasingly risqué prom dresses, featuring "low-slung backs, thigh-high slits and midriff-bearing cutouts." In response, some school principals are enforcing stricter guidelines and even creating elaborate PowerPoint slideshows showing photos of "acceptable" and "unacceptable" dresses.

So what's not allowed? As it turns out, all sorts of red carpet trends, like side cutouts, plunging backless-ness (no Hilary Swank dresses), overly exposed midriffs and -- this is the biggie -- no sheer.

Part of the issue, points out the Journal, is that requirements like those encompass what plenty of celebs wear. Jennifer Lopez, "Dancing With The Stars" costumes and the wardrobes of "The Real Housewives" are apparently serving as fashion inspiration for excited young teens.

Which makes us wonder if the administrators making the rules are concerned with modesty or simply good fashion prom dresses. In the case of banning sideboob, sheer hems and excessively exposed midriffs, they may be addressing both and doing an entire generation of girls a favor.

http://www.oyeahbridal.com/