Wedding Dress

Many of us dream of the perfect wedding, which often comes with the perfect dress. Whether it be a poofy princess gown, or a sleek elegant dress, budget is usually always a factor. You want to look gorgeous, but at the same time, you don't want your wedding dress to eat into your wedding budget and end up with a huge bill to pay. How much should you spend on your wedding dress?

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

I recently got engaged to my fiancé, and I am incredibly happy. I have been having a great time planning with my fiancé, and my parents are also helping a lot. His mother is excited about the engagement too, and she is eager to help me plan. The issue I am having is she made some comments that made me think she expects to be invited to go pick out the dress.

Now, going to pick out my wedding dress is something that I have always wanted to be a special moment with just me and my mom. No bridesmaids, no maid of honor — just the two of us. I have been involving her in other things. For example, she came with me and my fiancé and parents to go look at venues, and I invited her to go to a bridal show in a couple of weeks.

My question is — should I let her know that I want dress shopping to be just me and my mom or just go and not tell her or what? I would be happy to let her come for fittings, but the initial trip I just want my mom.

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

Wedding season can be stressful — particularly if you are the bride and trying to plan a dream day on a budget! If this dilemma sounds familiar to you, don't forget to submit your questions or stories to the Ask Savvy group.

Dear Savvy,

I'm getting married this Winter and my parents have graciously offered to foot the bill. We've secured the date and venue so my mom and I started the hunt for my wedding dress. Like many brides, I've been looking forward to this part of my wedding for years. We briefly discussed a gown budget, but she wasn't very firm on her price, which led to a huge blowout during our first appointment. I feel in love with a dress that was just a few hundred dollars over budget and my mom wasn't willing to even consider it. She says it's too expensive (taking alterations, shoes, veil and accessories into consideration) but I feel like it's my dress! I can't stop thinking about it — what should I do? Will she budge?
Want the Dress Daisy

To see what a Savvy Bride has to say about this, keep reading after the jump.

It's Wedding Season on the PopSugar Network and we're asking readers to share their tips for making the big day magical, but budget friendly. Reader birdsflyinghigh shared this savvy tip in the How Do You Save? group.

I know lots of members are getting married out there, from a recently married bride to another make sure you budget for your entire wedding look. Just remember when shopping for your dress that once you find "the one," you are not done just yet. There are so many other expenses that come along with being a bride. To name just a few alterations, the veil, undergarments, shoes and, of course, jewelry. Be a savvy bride and be prepared for all of the costs! I was simply amazed at how quickly it all adds up, of course, you don't want to skimp on your big day but be smart and shop around.

If you are planning a wedding, already happily wed, or still looking for Mr. Right, start sharing your big day with our community. Don’t forget to check the wedding content box on your post.

Since many of you are working hard to look your best on your wedding day, I thought I'd share actress Sara Rue's amazing transformation with you. Sara — who is newly engaged — became a Jenny Craig spokesperson back in December, and since starting the program she has lost 40 pounds. Given her new approach to food and the payoff of a fabulous new bod, now seemed like the perfect time for Sara to start shopping for the dress she'll be wearing on her big day. Sara blogged this about reaching such an incredible milestone:

"I remember when I first started this process. 40 pounds seemed so far away and losing it seemed practically unattainable. . . . I was really in a bad place where my relationship with food was so out of control that I really wasn’t sure I would ever be able to get it together. And now here I am: five months later, 40 pounds lighter, and most importantly, optimistic and empowered. I still have more to go, but now it’s not 'if' I can do it, it’s just a matter of 'how long it will take.'

While Sara was lucky enough to get the services of well-known bridal consultant Mark Ingram to help her shop for dresses, we've got Fab's expert eye here to help you with all of your wedding dress needs.

New brides, pay attention! All the Sugar sites will be bringing you tips for the big day. But we want to hear what you've been doing to stay in shape too. Head over to the FitSugar Community and post your wedding workout tips, or, if you're already hitched, how did you get healthy for your big day?

If you’re in the market for a wedding dress, you’ve probably noticed: the more bells and whistles a dress has, the higher its price tag. But if you’ve got your heart set on a certain dress accoutrement, what’s a girl to do? Three words: DIY.

When I tied the knot, I knew I absolutely wanted a dress with a sash — I loved the way a subtly contrasting ribbon looked cascading down the back of a white dress. The problem was that every dress I found that fit the bill also broke the bank. Luckily, my crafty BFF pointed out that, of all the things that could easily be added to a dress, a piece of ribbon tied in the back probably tops the list.

To find out what I did, keep reading

As we all know, all too well, what we want and what we can afford are two very different things. Budgets come into play, especially as the planning for a wedding unfolds. For the bride the dress can hold a higher place on the list of spending priorities, and setting a realistic budget for the wedding gown depends on several budgeting factors, like who's paying, for instance.

TLC's Say Yes to the Dress offers a glimpse into the stressful, sometimes bridezilla-esque nature of choosing the all-important dress, but also is sure to capture the realistic process of balancing the bridal budget. Regardless of a financial plan, sometimes you'll see the love of the dress outweigh a promise to stick to price limitations. Dream dresses may trump strict budgets, and parents or even fiances, plunk down a little more cash to get the bride exactly what she wants. Still, there are other couples who stick to their budgets, no matter what, and other lucky brides who inherit a special gown.

With the slew of designer gowns, designer discount gowns, custom, and thrifted dresses, wedding gowns can run the gamut on prices, and while there are certainly extremes on both the higher and lower ends of the spectrum, I want to know what a realistic wedding dress budget is. So, tell me, what's your idea of a realistic amount to spend on the gown?