I decided to purchase a used wedding dress for two main reasons. One, I couldn’t swallow spending thousands on a dress I’d only wear for one day and two, I knew a beach wedding and reception would 100 percent ruin the dress. Used wedding dresses aren’t for everyone, and to be honest…I didn’t plan to buy a used wedding dress. It just worked out that way and I’m so glad it did!

I went to a wedding dress store with my mom not thinking I’d find the dress. There were a few dresses I really liked and some I really hated…but one really stood out. When I tried it on for the second time, I teared up – which was totally unexpected and not like me. I knew this was my dress, but couldn’t justify the price. (Sidenote: don’t try on dresses outside your budget…K? K.) It truly pained me how much it cost. I decided to step away, look at a few more place and see what else I could find.

After not finding anything that made me feel as amazing as the dress did, I decided to look online. I had NO idea secondhand wedding dress sale sites existed. I started looking on Craigslist, Poshmark and even Facebook Marketplace. After a few days of research, I stumbled upon PreOwndedWeddingDresses.com, NearlyNewlyWed.com and other similar sites.

Shockingly, I found the dress on Craigslist in my size, in my hometown and not far from my parent’s house. I contacted the girl and she was so nice. She let my mom and I come over to her apartment and try to the dress on. She was so sweet and I was so excited, but unfortunately, the dress had been altered and didn’t fit me the way I wanted. I was sad it didn’t work but decided to keep looking and I’m SO glad I did.

About a week later, I found the dress on PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com in California. It was my size and the only alteration made was it being hemmed to 5’6″, which is my exact height. The girl and I messaged back and forth for a few days I doubled and tripled checked that the dress hadn’t been altered in any other way. She ended up sending me a receipt from the seamstress showing what was done. She definitely didn’t have to show proof, but it did make me feel so much better and I was hopeful the dress would fit. She let me know that the dress did have some stains on the bottom most layer and that she’d ship the dress for free, due to the stains. I ended up paying 1/4th of the price of what the dress cost brand new.

When it came in, I immediately tried it on and it fit perfectly. I had no alternations made and the only thing we had done was have it dry cleaned before the wedding.

I’ll be honest, I was so nervous about sending a decent amount of money via PayPal and just hoping this dress arrives at my door. But it did, and it was perfect. I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing a used wedding dress, especially if you’re a bride on a budget!

My tips for buying a used wedding dress:

• If possible, try it on first (whether it be in store or some other way)
• Check multiple websites!
• If you don’t find it immediately, try waiting a little bit
• Ask a lot of  questions (seriosuly! Don’t think you’re being annoying – it’s worth it when you’re spending the money for it!)
• Always used PayPal or some other trusted site to make a payment