The wedding gown. For many women, it will the centerpiece of their wedding day. It’s what little girls dream about and grown women obsess over. 90% of bridal magazine are lavish gown advertisements. Just watch one episode of Say Yes to the Dress and you’ll find yourself thinking: Should I really limit my dreams by putting a budget on my wedding gown??

Well, actually, yes you should. Because unless you have companies sponsoring your wedding (ahem, Kardashians) that dress money comes out of your wedding budget. And while it is of utmost importance that you feel spectacular on that day, it might not be feasible to spend 40% of the budget on a dress. Do you really want to leave friends or loves ones out of your wedding so you can have a $10,000 dress. Probably not.

So what’s a girl with Kristal taste and a Korbel budget to do? Perhaps you might consider buying a used dress….OK, if you just feel off your chair in disgust, you may want to skip this article. For the rest of you, it might be something to think about. Yes, it’s a little unorthodox, but it might just be how you end up in the dress of your dreams on the big day.

But before you head out to the local second hand store, here are some things to consider when buying a used dress.

1. Buy from a Reputable Seller. These days you can find just about anything on the internet. That includes A LOT of pre-owned wedding gowns. But before you snap up the “definitely real, absolutely not a fake Vera Wang” for the discount price of $2k on Ebay, consider that not all sellers are what they seem.

There are a couple of fabulous sites out there like Once Wed and PreOwned Wedding Dresses that guarantee authenticity and quality of their gowns. These sites also make it easy to search gowns, connect with sellers and they provide secure transactions when it’s time to pay.  Also, if something goes wrong, or the dress was somehow misrepresented, you have a reputable company to back you up, instead of trying to get your money back all by yourself.

2. Try Before you Buy. A big issue with buying any dress over the web is fit. If you can’t try it on first, purchasing a used gown is a huge risk. Although some sellers will give refunds, you don’t really want to go down that path. Instead, try and search for wedding gowns in your area. Some sellers would be happy to let you come over and try on the dress before you shell out the cash to purchase.

If you fall in love with a dress across the country, try heading to a local bridal salon and trying on the dress new. If they don’t carry that exact style, try on gowns with a similar silhouette and fabric. It is always a different experience to see the dress on a magazine, versus on your body. With that knowledge you can make a far more info red decision buying a dress online.

3. Have the Salon Experience. Now, this one is optional, but I think it still needs to be included. As mentioned above, it’s a really good idea to go to a store to try on different sorts of dresses before you decide on a used dress you find online.

However, that’s not the only reason to set up your salon appointment. Truth be told, there is something emotional and poignant about wedding dress shopping with the women that are closest to you. Gown shopping with you mom, sisters, or best friends has become something of a sacred pre-wedding tradition, and you shouldn’t miss out just because you are on a tight budget. So go to your local salon and make a day of it. Even if you don’t plan to buy anything, don’t miss out on this experience! (Just don’t tell the lovely sales team I said that.)

4. Make Your Money Back. If the idea of buying a pre-owned dress is just something you cannnot get behind, consider selling your dress on one of the site mentioned above once your wedding is over. It seems like a lovley romantic idea to keep your dress forever as a symbol and reminder of your big day, and then one day pass it down to your daughter…but chances are none of those things are going to happen.

Even with the best of intentions, most dresses get cleaned and then stored or put in the back of the closet only to be seen during a bout of spring cleaning years down the road. And chances are your future daughter will want her own dream dress one day. Wouldn’t it be better to share your perfect dress with another bride to make her dreams come true as well? And it doesn’t hurt that you will make some of the money spent on the dress back either. You can expect to recover between 40-70% of the retail price of the dress, depending on how the style, age and designer.

So what are your thoughts about buying used? Is it a definite possibility are a firm no?

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