4 Reasons Pre-Owned Wedding Dresses are a Total ‘I Do’ DO

We’re calling BS on any bride who says that she honestly thought of buying a pre-owned wedding dress for her big day before first thinking about going into a store, trying on 10+ different gowns, and deciding to put some money down on that gown of her dreams. And that’s okay! We’re basically born and raised to think about our wedding days and muse about our dress, what designer we’ll shop, and how we’ll look for our walk down the aisle. It’s a very, very personal thing.

PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com ^{Photo: April Bennett Photography}

But in actuality, does it really matter where that dress came from? Whether it came from a designer warehouse or from the comfort of a former bride’s closet, a gorgeous gown is a gorgeous gown. And you’ll look like a smoke show regardless of how that dress came to be. We’re all about the pre-owned dress situation over here, especially since our sumptuous tastes don’t always match what we have in the bank. So, we caught up with a brand that has been helping brides buy and sell previously loved wedding gowns and bridal party dresses for nearly 15 years. PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com, anyone ever tell you that you’re like a gown fairy godmother? Because you are.

Here a just a few reasons to appreciate all that a pre-owned gown can give you!

PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com Oleg Cassini ^{Photo: @preowndweddress}

You can say I Do in a designer gown for a fraction of the retail price

Did you spend the greater part of your pre-engaged years watching Say Yes to the Dress and falling in love with everything Pnina Tornai ever put her name on? Or have you been mystified by all things royal wedding-esque (and Meghan Markle herself - #notashamedaboutmygirlcrush) and want similar decadent accoutrements at your special day: starting with your own Inbal Dror dress? We’re raising our hands REAL high for both of these questions. So, if you can’t get that luxury label out of your mind, then why not find any means to get your hands on it. PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com has dresses from over 350 different designers (OMG), available in all sizes and price points, so a bride can truly afford her dream dress. We’re talking upwards of 40-50% savings from sticker price!!

You don’t have to deal with the shop experience if it’s not for you

We’ve mentioned this before, but sometimes having that crazy big shopping excursion, with lots of dresses, lots of critics (i.e. your friends and family coming along for the ride), and a potentially annoying fashion consultant pointing you in the direction of something you just don’t love, is not the way to go. For brides who want a much more lowkey experience, PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com has it. So, if you already have an idea of what you want - Hayley Paige, hint hint - jump on the site, search by her name and wait until your perfect dress comes popping up. You can also browse by size, condition, year purchased, etc. at your own leisure. You don’t have to feel any kind of pressure or like you have all eyes on you. All you need to do is communicate with the buyer, no middle men or facilitators, so it’s easy and stress-less. You might also make a new friend in the process 😉

You can give a gown new life… it deserves to be loved more than once

I wore my wedding gown a couple more times after my wedding… said no bride ever. No matter how many people will tell you that the price of a super expensive gown is justified, because you’ll get so much use out of it, kindly disregard it all. Because, let’s be honest, you’re going to wear your wedding gown for one day (one veryyyy magical day, of course, but one nonetheless), and then it’s just going to take up closet space and soon be forgotten about. Sad, but real life. If you can give your dress new life by selling it to someone looking for something just as magical, then you both win. We especially love the testimonials of brides who bought brand new dresses and ended up hating them, so in selling them to someone else, they were able to recoup some of their costs and pay it forward in the process. Think of this #somethingborrowed scenario as a real life Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. We call dibs on Blake Lively in this bridal squad!

Your girls can buy or sell their gowns too

The whole concept of a fancy dress being bought and then relegated to the back of the closet is even more well known to bridesmaids. Katherine Heigl, can you even imagine being able to sell back those 27 dresses?!?!! Even if you promised your girls that you’d find something totally versatile and wearable for them to wear on your wedding day, you can’t guarantee that they’ll feel the same way you do. Side note, I’m hoping that the nearly $300 bridesmaid dress I bought for my sister’s fall wedding this year will serve me well for years, but will bloused bodices be cool in another few years? Not sure. Give your tribe permission to get their dresses pre-owned, they’ll loooooveeeee you forever. And even if you’re not on board with that idea (although, you really can be, POWD dresses can very well be in nearly mint condition / unused / unaltered condition), your friends and fam can feel empowered to sell their dresses after your big day. Once they’ve fulfilled their bridesmaid duties, they’re free to do what they want!

A bonus reason to love PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com? They’re giving our readers FREE bridesmaid listings from today through March 9th. So, if you or someone you know has a dress to sell, it’s time to do it!!

Just enter promo code 'WedChicks' at checkout

Oh, and for any bridesmaid who sells her dress on the site (with the 👆code), it can be done completely free because POWD doesn’t charge any commission on the sale. 🙌 🙌 🙌 YAASSS