Thinking of Renting Your Wedding Dress? Finds and Tips!

If you’ve been secretly wondering about the possibility of wedding dress rental…or even if you never even considered it, then this post is for you! We were amazed and awed ourselves by the dress selections and helpful offers available. There are styles, fabrics, designer labels, sizes, and price points for every bride’s personal taste, body type, and budget! So, you can really and truly get to walk down the aisle in your dream wedding dress…at a fraction of the purchase price! Intrigued? Read on!

We did our own online browsing and discovered such lovely surprises. See the range of 16 wedding dress rental choices we found at Rent the Runway, Borrowing Magnolia, Nearly Newlywed, and Get the Gown. Be sure to read up on our 10 tips for renting your gown, too!

FROM RENT THE RUNWAY

Rent the Runway actually carries women’s clothing ranging from cocktail dresses to evening wear by some of the biggest name designers. But among their gowns, we found several that would make gorgeous wedding dresses!

Hint: One thing we did notice is, perhaps since these are not wedding gowns per se, their rental prices are incredibly affordable compared to other wedding dress rentals!

Interesting finds on Rent the Runway
From left:

“Garden Fairy” gown by Erin Fetherston
$70 rental / $495 retail

“Natural Beauty” gown by Carmen Marc Valvo
$70 rental / $1145 retail

“Catch Your Breath” gown by BCBG MAX AZRIA
$80-125 rental / $528 retail

Purity Gown by Plein Sud
$90 rental $995 Retail

FROM BORROWING MAGNOLIA

Borrowing Magnolia offers a lovely array of bridal dresses—from designer creations to custom-made pieces, from brand new to pre-owned—with the option to rent or to buy.

Interesting finds at Borrowing Magnolia
From left:

Custom Tea-length Dress (with removable tulle skirt)
Rent for $740 / Buy for $1,300

JPB272 NEW by Jenny Packham
Rent for $1,745 / Buy for $3,200

Allure 9114
Rent for $480 (Retail value $1,600)

”Katherine” by Vera Wang
Rent for $1,085 (Retail value $4,850)

FROM NEARLY NEWLYWED

Nearly Newlywed offers wedding dresses to purchase—ranging from new to made-to-order to pre-owned, as well as samples—at attractive discounted prices. But it actually approximates rental since, after you buy and wear the dress, you can sell it back to Nearly Newlywed for a slightly lower price (suggested price is given)!

Interesting finds at Nearly Newlywed
From left:

”Galina” wedding dress – 6488
Preowned – Price: $500

“Belle 217” wedding dress by Alfred Angelo
Price: $750

Petal White & Ivory Silk Wedding Dress by Junko Yoshioka
Price: $900

Melissa Sweet wedding dress – Style # 251077
New – Price: $800

FROM GET THE GOWN

Get the Gown provides a special “Tilt Campaign” (for selected items) where you can pre-order your chosen dress for a reasonable fee. Then, once it becomes available, you can opt for a 7-day rental at $250 or a 14-day rental at $500.

Interesting finds at Get the Gown
From left:

32708 wedding dress by Carolina Herrera
Rental price: $1,025 / Retail price: $6,000

“Dierdre” wedding dress by Vera Wang
Tilt Campaign: Pre-order your rental at $250

22E53 wedding dress by Oscar de la Renta
Rental price: $875 / Retail price: $3,480

“Look 16” by Dolce and Gabanna
Rental price: $775 / Retail price: $1,895

MAKING THE MOST OF THE WEDDING DRESS RENTAL OPTION

First off, visit several rental shops online and take the time to carefully study the terms and special offers. You’ll be amazed at how bride-friendly these sites are, and how they’ve tried to cover most if not all of your concerns.

Tip #1 – Decide if you’re only open to brand new or sample pieces, or if you’re willing to consider pr-eowned and altered. The sites are very open about providing this information—including the extent of alterations done (if any), any cleaning procedures, even storage conditions.

Tip #2 – Visiting even non-wedding rental sites could yield some fabulous finds. Many designer gowns can actually pass for wedding dresses—especially with today’s brides going for non-traditional styles and even colors.

Tip #3 – Be aware that, since these are selected pieces, most are just a specific size and color, and that’s it. Just be patient. Getting a dress you love at a bargain price is well worth the extra effort of browsing, browsing, browsing!

Tip #4 – Check if the site offers to send fabric swatches. A great help if you’re unsure how the fabric described actually looks and feels, and how the color goes with your skin tone.

Tip #5 – Aside from sharing the dress photo, these sites do their best to describe other features like if it has a zipper or button-up closure, if it has a built-in bra or bone inlay for support, if it has hidden pockets or a removable skirt, if there is a hemline allowance for a taller bride, etc.

Tip #6 – Many rental sites also provide bridal accessories, such as head pieces, earrings, belts and sashes, and evening clutches to complete your look—often at amazingly low rental prices.

Tip #7 – Be on the look out for special offers, like an “at-home trial fee” for up to 3 dresses, easy shipping and return arrangements, or a small insurance fee for possible spills, stains, or other minor damage built in to the rental cost.

Tip #8 – See if the site allows you to “sell back” to them the dress you purchased. Even if the buy-back price is lower than what you paid, you will still save on care, cleaning and storage costs for a designer dress.

Tip #9 – If you’re planning to rent an entire bridal ensemble ranging from the gown to jewelery to shoes and accessories, look for value-priced specials!

Tip #10 – Read the fine print on what is the policy against damages, stains, and other similar mishaps.

So, are you now open to the idea of renting your wedding dress? For today’s practical bride, it is definitely an option to consider.