When the confetti has been swept up and the hangover's faded, the last you need is a large credit card bill to taint your big day. With the average UK wedding costing around £21,000, more and more women are shunning traditional designer wedding frocks, instead opting for more reasonably priced 'alternatives'. Female First brings you our Top 10 reasons why you don't need to spend a fortune on your wedding dress.

Once in a lifetime looks don’t need to cost the earth

Once in a lifetime looks don’t need to cost the earth

  1. Money is one of the major factors in the breakdown on marriages. Don't embark on your new life together knowing that you have debt from your wedding day - it will only add pressure, cause arguments and resentment.
  2. Don't fall for the hype - Wedding companies are notorious for charging a small fortune if their products can be branded as "bridal". If you're not too concerned about conforming to tradition, why not consider a dress from an evening wear line, or even a bridesmaid dress?
  3. Pass on the good fortune - Did you know that the more times a wedding veil is worn, the more luck it brings? Before investing in a new one, ask your mum, aunty or your granny if they still have theirs tucked away somewhere. Marriage can be hard work - you'll need all the luck you can get!
  4. If you really do have your heart set on a designer dress, find as many pictures of it as possible and take it to your local seamstress. Source your own fabric and ask them to recreate the look. It will be a fraction of the price and will fit you perfectly.
  5. Hit your local charity shop. Whilst you might have to trawl through a few tragic 80's shoulder-padded numbers, there are decent dresses to be had at heavily reduced prices. Many designers donate wedding dresses to Oxfam and you'll find that dresses with a RRP of around £1000 tend to go for approximately £250.
  6. Stand out from the crowd - You don't want to look the same as every bride in the country in your wedding photographs. Think outside of the box - it could be a Bianca Jagger style trouser suit, it could be a vintage 50's swing dress or even a bikini. Whatever you feel great in and suits your occasion. Visit www.lindybop.co.uk for some amazing vintage inspired wedding dresses that wont break the bank.
  7. Why White? The colour white has traditionally been worn on the wedding day as a symbol of virginity….ahemm. Take the lead of Reese Witherspoon, Anne Hathaway, Dita Von Teese and Jessica Biel who all shunned white on their wedding day and chose coloured dresses instead.
  8. Look like YOU - just a really great, gorgeous version of you! Still harping back to that vision you had when you were 8 years old, of you sashaying down the aisle in a sparkly, white froufrou gown? Chances are it wouldn't suit your body shape now, it would be horribly dated and would cost thousands of pounds. Go for something more current and more YOU. Choose a look that suits your figure and that you can (and will) actually wear again.
  9. Be comfortable on your day - Forget excruciating corsets, bony bodices and scratchy netting. Often, expensive designer dresses come equipped with enough 'structuring' to hold up a 10 storey building. Set your curves free on your wedding day and relax…the last thing you want to be is uncomfortable.
  10. Storage wars! In this day and age, who on earth has the room for a huge storage box containing metres of expensive netting and silk to sit there and do nothing for the next 50 years? Why not buy something that can easily hang in your wardrobe in a dust bag alongside your other clothes? Stay simple.

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