The perfect wedding gown can transform a girl-next-door into a bridal goddess.

But the price tag for goddess-like wedding attire can run a penny-pinching bride into debt.

Designer gowns (ie. Vera Wang, Klein, Romona Keveza, Oleg Cassini, Rivini) can easily retail anywhere from £1,000 to £2,500 just for the gown itself. Then tack on gloves, veil (easily £50 to £300) and any other kinds of accessories including jewellery, and the bride’s bill alone can topple £3,000.

But savvy brides know they can find beautiful wedding gowns and dresses for less on various Internet sites or with a little shopping around.

Jennifer Bloom shopped from bridal boutique to exclusive department store until she found the perfect wedding gown with a luxury price of £2500.00

“Then I went home, fired up the computer, and found the exact same dress by the exact designer on a website for £1,000 less,” she said.

Using her credit card, Jennifer paid for the gown and shipping costs. Two weeks later, the gown arrived in a heavy box with plenty of plastic-wrapping for protection.

“I worried about it being shipped. Would it be damaged? What if it was the wrong one? Fortunately, the wedding was six months away, and I felt I had plenty of time even if I received the wrong order,” she says.

The website had cautioned that the gown might take up to six weeks to receive, depending on the number of orders for that particular gown.

The fitting was another story. A tailor fashioned the dress into the dimensions Jennifer needed at a cost of another £70.

Then she and her bridesmaids shopped for a veil. They found the perfect one. The they headed to a fabric store for material, lace and a headpiece to make a copy.

“When people asked where I got my gown, they were astonished to learn that I got both my gown and my veil at such a discount,” says Jennifer.

“What I saved on my gown enabled me to spend more money on gifts for my bridesmaids and add more expensive flowers to the floral arrangement.”

The other way to fight designer fees is to find a gown, ask for front, side and rear views of the dress, and ask your favourite tailor to fashion one similar for you.

But be aware that tailors’ prices vary from one to the other.

And you’ll be responsible for finding and purchasing the fabric for your dress.

“The fabrics can vary so dramatically. They make look the same but they may actually be of a lesser quality than the retail, designer version,” says Leslie Connor, a tailor who specializes in wedding gowns and bridal party wear.

And good fabric isn’t cheap. Italian imports may cost as much as £80 a yard, and construction of a gown may take up to 10 yards. Factor in a tailor’s hourly costs and additional fittings, and the gown may cost as much as originally priced.

“But the beauty of a perfectly-tailored wedding gown is just that…it’s perfectly tailored,” says Leslie.

Again the results are near designer-perfect.

“You won’t be fitting into someone else’s design,” says Leslie. “You’ll be wearing a design made especially for you.”

Auction

The advantage to an auction site is that some gowns are actually being sold by retailers who are looking for ways to rid themselves of last year’s stock or close out a business.

“Some of the buys on the internet are amazing,” says Bonnie Timberlake, who frequently purchases jeans and tops on the Internet. “But you have to bid. And you have to be ready not to win.”

“A wedding gown will cost me next to nothing if I nab the one I want,” says Bonnie, whose bids have gone in at about £100. The winning bids were only for a couple hundred Pounds more.

“But I want to look my best no matter what,” says Bonnie.

The final look is what matters most whether purchased for designer retail prices, via the Internet or at a discount location.

“Every bride wants to feel special on her wedding day, and the dress is what matters most,” says Bonnie.