Georgina Clatworthy

Your budget may not say ‘couture wedding dresses’ to you, but there are ways you can have a couture designed dress without it breaking the bank. Many people associate a couture wedding dress with high end designers but in fact there are many lesser known designers and manufacturers who can create dresses using couture techniques and which will be within budget.

Of course your first option is to look for secondhand couture wedding dresses or sample sales from up market wedding boutiques. Both of these options can provide you with dresses at vastly reduced prices simply because they have been worn or tried on. You may also get lucky and find a couture dress that has never been worn for whatever reason but at a bargain price. Check out listings online and in your local classifieds.

Although I mentioned samples sales already, you should also look out for sample sales from your favourite designers. Many will hold a sale once or twice a year to sell off past season designs and other dresses they have cluttering up their boutiques. Bookmark their websites and your favourite directories to be kept informed about up-coming sales and open days.

Vintage is a big look that has been popular for weddings for some years now and it is often the case that vintage couture wedding dresses can cost a fraction of their modern equivalents. A word of caution though about vintage dresses: they are often cut small as our foresisters were often petite in comparison to bride’s of today and if they have not been stored carefully they could be very fragile to wear.

So the final option is to commission a couture gown of your own. But before you shriek in horror and think I have gone mad, consider that there are many great seamstresses out there who possess the skills required for couture sewing. This also gives you the opportunity to design your own wedding dress and have it made for you. Visit as many seamstresses as you can and ask to see examples of their work (not just photographs) and discuss your dreams and ideas with them to see if they share your vision and if they give you the confidence that they can bring it to life.