The Best Places for Cheap Wedding Gowns

Inspired by a recent collab and by the the beautiful autumn season, which hosts the majority of weddings in the United States, I thought it would be fun to try wedding dresses from different companies that offer inexpensive gowns.  The average wedding gown costs $1500 in the US and yet these companies claim to have stunning gowns for only a few hundred dollars.  

I set myself a little challenge to try gowns from different price categories and the for my first stop I went to Ever-Pretty for a $100 dress.  I chose this Elegant Deep V Tulle Gown which cost $120 but with my promo code, Blogger25, and free shipping, I got the dress for only $90.  It shipped the next day and arrived within a week.  They didn't have my size but beyond that the service at Ever-Pretty is excellent.

The didn't have my size and they didn't have any options to order a custom size, but that's one of the ways companies save money.  So, I had to order a dress that was two sizes larger than my usual size, and so please forgive the fact that this dress doesn't fit me perfectly and please don't let that deter you from ordering from Ever-Pretty.

I only wish this shop had been around years ago when I was a bride on a budget searching for a beautiful dress at a bargain, because the quality is truly outstanding for such a low price!

I was so impressed with the quality and details in this dress.  It fits true to size and is loaded with lace, sequins, a beaded belt, and gorgeousness.  The skirt is not quite as full as a ballgown, but you could always supplement with a crinoline which would likely only add about $30 to the cost of this gown, still making it the least expensive option.

I recently heard about another brand called Hebeos, that does bridal, prom, and evening gowns and I was curious to try it.  I decided to keep these dresses under $200 and I managed to find two gowns that I liked so much I could hardly believe they were legit.  The first was this A-line Applique Blush Gown for $176, which only had a couple of photos on the website and they were fuzzy like they were lifted from another site.  That was a bit of a red flag for me, having been burned so many times by Aliexpress.  I save 10% on my order, so this dress was only $158.

Hebeos didn't have my size available, so I had to take my measurements and custom order this dress.  On Ali giving my measurements didn't make much difference, the dress still didn't fit, and I was concerned that that would be the case on Hebeos as well.  The dress arrived in about three weeks, even though I had to custom size and the results on this were not stellar.

It's more pink than blush, I know that's a bit nit-picky, but if it really were my wedding I'd want the color to be perfect.  The dress does fit really well, actually, but it has corset boning in the bodice that was bent during shipping and sticks out a bit awkwardly and pokes me in the ribs.

There is just one more nit to pick with this dress and I feel I need to mention that the applique lace has been melted around the edges to prevent fraying and the melted area has turned a strange orange color which makes the dress look a bit cheap.

Aside from those two issues, the dress fits well, has a nice train and lots of layers, and is nicely supportive so there's no need to worry about a bra.  It wasn't my favorite dress from Hebeos, but overall, it wasn't terrible, there were just a few issues.

The next Hebeos dress I decided to try was this  Princess Tulle V Neck Ruffles Dress for $189 and again I save 10% so it was only $170.   Hebeos did charge me nearly $50 in shipping and for a few extra bucks offered express shipping but the few extra bucks only bought a few extra days earlier in the shipping time so I decided to forego that.  Also, I don't actually have a wedding coming up, so I'm in no rush.

There's a lot to love about this gown.  It has lots of layers of tulle, and satin and a crinoline so that the skirt is nice and full but the tulle is so hopelessly creased that even with several hours spent steaming this dress I could not get the creases out.  If I were about to walk down the aisle in this dress, I would definitely have to have it professionally pressed.

I do love the fit and the low back with the buttons that cover the zipper.  The bodice has stiff foam cups and corset boning that runs down the front but stops at the waist band so there isn't much in the way of lift or support if you need it.

With all those layers, this dress is also very heavy but I do feel like a princess in it and for all my minor criticisms, I do really love this dress and I think that especially given the price and the quick shipping and turn around time on a custom size, Hebeos is a pretty great shop.

Last and certainly not least, (you know, because it was the most expensive) I tried a shop called JJs House.  I've never really been to JJs House before, but I fell head over heels in love with this Halter Lace Ball Gown in champagne-$377.  I also got a 10% promo code for signing up, so I only paid $340 for the dress, but then shipping was $39 so there went my savings.  Like Hebeos, JJs offers expedited shipping for a few dollars extra but it wasn't necessary for me. 

It looked stunning and there were tons of reviews that made it seem like this dress was the real deal.  I ordered it in champagne so that I could use it for some non-wedding photos.  Alas, somehow I clicked on white and didn't know it until the dress arrived.  When ordering the dress, JJs asked for the date of my event.  I entered a date that was about 5 weeks away and they duly shipped my dress on time to that it arrived with one week to spare.

I was not at all disappointed with this dress (only disappointed in myself for my mistake!).  It is the most elaborate of the the four dresses.  It has a corset back, so much beautiful lace, tulle, and details.  It fit true to size and they didn't cut any corners with this gown.

It's stunning, truly stunning.....but I really wanted it in champagne.  Because it was my mistake, JJs would have accepted a return, but I would have to pay the shipping costs.  I have decided to dye the dress instead.  A local shop took the dress about a week ago and agreed to dye it for $40 which is less than it would have cost me to return it.  I'm hopeful that they can do a good job and I intend to go out and take proper photos once the dress is ready.  In the meantime please accept these screen shots from my video review and know that better photos are on the way.

The same goes for all the dresses in this post.  I've been under the weather lately and even though I'm technically well, I still get tired rather easily and find that I haven't the energy to do much each day.  I'm trying not to rush myself by telling myself that the autumn colors will make a better backdrop for these pretty dresses than the dry late summer leaves anyway.  So, those pics are on the way plus I'll be talking all about dying/repurposing/trashing wedding dresses as soon as my JJs gown is ready.