A wedding dress is a big – and often emotional – purchase. It’s a dress that you’ll only wear once but to many brides it’s one of the most important pieces of clothing they’ll ever purchase.  Of course, not all brides buy their wedding dresses. Some choose to borrow instead. Sometimes this is an emotional decision – a heirloom gown handed down from a family member for example. When I was married, I would have loved to wear my mother-in-law’s dress. She had a gorgeous dress that could have been easily updated with a few alterations and having no daughters of her own, she loved the idea. Unfortunatly she is 5’4 and I am 5’10 so it quickly became obviously that alternations wouldn’t do much for the length.

Of course – not every bride choose not to buy a dress for emotional reasons. For some brides, a borrowed gown is simply a smart budget decision and that is why there are many companies that now offer bridal gown rentals. Renting a bridal gown is NOT for everyone though. Who SHOULDN’T rent a bridal gown? If you’re one of those girls who has dreamed about her wedding gown for years and who has her heart set on passing her gown down, renting might not even be a consideration for you and that’s fine.

On the other hand, renting is the perfect option for many brides. For example, if you have your heart set on a specific gown but it’s past your budget renting may allow you to have the gown of your dreams.  Renting is also a great option if the dress is not a priority and you’d rather put the extra money towards inviting more guests, a longer honeymoon, etc.

Something to keep in mind though: renting is NOT always cheaper then buying. Make sure to comparison shop, visit salons, look at used gowns available in your area or on ebay and consider what the possible selling price would be if you purchased a gown and then sold it after the wedding to ensure that renting is actually saving you money in the end.

Considering renting? Here is a great article with tips you’ll want to read first.