Of all the items on the wedding checklist, there’s probably none as important to a bride-to-be as the ‘Wedding Dress.’ The interesting part is, while few women might be content with an N7,000 off-the-rack store-bought dress, many others probably have a million and one considerations that go into picking their dream wedding dress’. From style to designer to cost, it can easily be the source of anxiety if you are not careful.
So, the question we are putting out is this: Should you buy or rent your wedding dress? On one hand, a new dress would be magical. You would be the first person ever to wear it and it would be wholly and truly yours. On the other hand, renting is more cost effective, and you could surely use the extra money saved to do something else.
Here are the things to bear in mind in deciding whether to buy or rent a wedding dress.
Is your decision influenced by what “other people” think?
The only right answer to this question is, “no”. You should not care about what other people think, especially if they are not contributing to the solution. You are the one that has to dole out the money and wear the wedding dress, so you should ignore everyone else and think about how it affects you.
Can you afford it?
Isn’t this always something to think about? If you already know the type of dress you want, you probably also know how much it costs. A new dress is nice, but it shouldn’t come at a cost you cannot bear. Remember that you will only wear this dress once, so you don’t want to be paying for the wedding dress ages after this day has passed. If the dress you absolutely want is too expensive, find a bridal outfit that will rent it to you at fraction of the cost. This way, you will experience the thrill of actually wearing it, and it will be immortalised in your photos.
What do you plan to do with it after?
It’s already been said—you only get to wear it once. So, what are your plans for the wedding dress after your wedding day? Are you going to sell it, or keep it in your family to be passed down?
If you feel strongly about getting a new dress but have no plans for it after the wedding, and you can spare some money, you could consider selling it. You can recover a percentage of the money you spent on it. If you don’t need the money from selling it, you could also decide to give it away—you’ll make another bride-to-be very happy.
A lot of women buy their wedding dresses with lofty ideals in mind like wanting their daughter to wear it in years to come. This is a really cool thing, but before you hinge your decision on this, consider the possibility that if you’re not wearing your mom’s, your daughter might not wear yours.
What does he think?
Ok, we were too hasty when we said to ignore what everyone thinks. The groom is the one person whose opinion you need. What are his thoughts on this? If you drew up or are drawing up the wedding budget together, then you probably both know what is allocated to your individual outfits. Ask him how he’d feel about you buying or renting the dress that you want.
In the end, renting or buying have their pros and cons that vary according to individual needs. Whatever you decide, make sure it’s comfortably accommodated in your budget.
So, here’s to looking fab and worry-free on your big day!