Rent Your Wedding Dress

This makes total sense, not only during a down economy, but anytime. Walk through any thrift or resale shop or take a look on Craig’s List and you’ll find ample stock of used wedding gowns. But, ick, who wants to buy a dress that’s most likely got divorce cooties?

According to The Wedding Report, Inc. couples that live in Golden spend between $23,560 and $39,266 for their wedding. Not including costs for a honeymoon or engagement ring. On average the bride’s gown contributes $1,505 to the bill, according to The Bridal Association of America.

Guys don’t typically purchase their wedding attire, they rent. Is that because their smarter? No, they are just less sentimental about clothing. It’s not unlike dating. A guy might throw on whatever is clean or doesn’t smell bad while a woman will worry for days about what she’s going to wear.

It used to be that a woman would wear her mother’s gown and then maybe even pass it on to her daughter. But that rarely happens anymore. Little girls are prepped with the wedding fantasy all of their lives. Even the most sensible woman can get sucked in by the wedding monster or a really beautiful gown. But really it’s crazy and illogical.Brides wear their wedding gown only 6 hrs. If you take that six hours and divide it by even a low-range gown of $600, you are spending $100/hr. But, it’s not just the bridal gown. Bridesmaids are also required to fork out cash. The average cost for a bridesmaid’s gown is $139.

The wedding gown rental market is picking up. A store recently opened in Westminster and more are popping up around the country and on the Internet. When you rent your gown you can get a beautiful coordinated wedding ensemble for a fraction of the cost—and no divorce cooties. Also, more formal rental stores are offering the full gamut of coordinated tuxedos, bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses and mother-of-the-bride gowns.