Should You Rent Your Wedding Dress?

bride trying on wedding dress westland farms studio knoxville asheville nashville wedding photographer

The sharing economy may have brought us cool new companies like Uber and AirBNB – but our favorite development by far is the option for brides to rent a dress for their wedding day! Guys have been renting tuxedos for years – it’s only fair!

If you’ve started to shop for a dress then you know that wedding dress options come in a huge range of price points.  While there are definitely affordable purchase options out there – if you have your heart set on a specific designer a rental might just put your dream in reach! Here we touch on some pros, cons and tips that we have found for renting your wedding gown.

bridal wedding dress gown

Pros:

  • You can get that designer gown you have your heart set on – without having to spend 50% of your entire Knoxville wedding budget!
  • When the day is done, you don’t have to worry about how you will clean, preserve and store your wedding gown, just send it back!
  • You can now rent from many brick and mortar bridal shops, allowing you to try the dress on in person without having to worry about shipping back what doesn’t fit.
  • If you’re having a destination wedding, you can have the dress shipped to your destination.
  • Many rental companies offer packages where you can rent the veil, shoes and accessories at the same time for a discount.

bridal gown detail westland farms studio tennessee wedding photographer

Potential Drawbacks:

  • While some high-end companies now offer in-house alterations in their rental prices, much of the time you won’t be able to have alterations done to the dress, so trying them on ahead of time is especially important.
  • You won’t have an heirloom to potentially pass down to your daughter or other relatives.
  • You will need to be careful to keep the dress in good condition! Perhaps you don’t want the extra worry of having to avoid spills and situations where your dress might tear.

beautiful bride in designer wedding gown

Tips if you do rent:

  • Have your measurements taken professionally and try on lots of dresses in person. This way when you review exact measurements online you will have a much better idea of how something fits.
  • Inspect the dress carefully upon receiving to be sure there are no signs of wear that you will be responsible for.
  • Read the contract carefully so you know the details, like how long you have before sending the dress back (Going on a long honeymoon? Better send it back first!) and what insurance covers.

Whatever you decide, remember, your wedding photographs will preserve your beautiful dress and your beautiful day for a lifetime. We can’t wait to work with you!

Bride and Groom taking it all in Knoxville Nashville Tennessee Wedding Photographer

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meet sarah

GREATER WILLIAMSBURG
WEDDING, BOUDOIR + PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER

I have an affinity to all things light and airy.  I love color, sunshine, romance, and laughter.  I love inspirational quotes, meeting new people, flowers, and the idea of finishing a great book.  My go-to drink is coffee.  My outlet is dance.  And, aallllll of my free time is spent with my crew, including our German Shepherd, Gaia.   

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