Dressing up for the wedding can be one of the most fun things on your big day to-do list. From the bride’s dress, shoes and jewelry to the groom’s tuxedo or suit, looking your best is a wedding essential.

Saving money on your wedding look often takes time and planning but it can be done with glamorous results.

Gown Guide

Buying a gown is typically one of the first things a bride does but in order to stay on budget, you need to have a definite financial plan before you try on or buy a dress.

Vintage

Many brides’ fashions are inspired from the past. Annabel Beeforth, a British blogger from the wedding blog www.lovemydress.net and author of "Style Me Vintage: Weddings, An Inspirational Guide to Styling the Perfect Vintage Wedding" says a vintage wedding gown showcases a bride’s sophisticated personality.

For example, a petite, slim and athletic bride might find inspiration from the 1920s, where the dress style was narrow. Think “flapper dresses” featuring beading and tassels. Finish the look with closed toe T-bar shoes, which aren’t too high and are ideal for dancing.

Vintage gowns from the 1940s tend to be modest and not about glitz and glam since society was focused on World War II. Accessorize with short gloves and mid-height heels.

Fast forward to 1970s bridal fashion, which ran the gamut from hippie chic to disco-style. Many brides who wear a '70s vintage style wear loose, flowing hair.

While vintage styles are often very fashionable, you need to make sure the dress is well made and without rips, tears or stains. The fabric, beading and other embellishments on older gowns may be fragile.

Things to Consider

Look for sales and deals whenever possible. Buying off-the-rack can be a good choice. Many designers and bridal shops have sample sales where they sell last year’s “try on” dresses at a discounted price. This can be a great opportunity to save on a high fashion dress but there are a few things to consider:

1. most sample gowns are made to fit brides who wear a size 10 or smaller;
2. you need to be prepared to buy the dress quickly, since other brides are vying for the same gown during the same sale;
3. sales of sample gowns are final so make sure it’s just what you want in color, style, design and size; and
4. alternations are extra so make sure you budget for the tailoring too.

Custom Creations

Depending on your dream dress style and fabrics, you might be able to hire a seamstress to make you a custom gown. While this is often an expensive way to go, you can save money if you know the seamstress, such as one who’s a family member or friend. You can buy the supplies like the pattern, fabrics and beading and then pay the seamstress a build-it fee. This can be a challenging way to get your gown but it can work if the right person is talented enough and interested in creating your dress.

Resale Style

It’s no surprise that most wedding gowns are worn only once so why spend thousands of dollars on an outfit for one day? Consider purchasing a gently used gown through resale shops or websites like HustleYourBustle.com whose mantra is “Love. Share. Re-wear” and Tradesy.com, where you can buy and sell wedding items including clothes, shoes and decorations

One Wed is another site where you can buy or sell your gown, with a portion of their revenue supporting International Justice Mission, a charity that fights “for justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and violent oppression.”

Supporting charities while buying a gown is common too. For example, Brides Against Breast Cancer sells used dresses through its “Nationwide Tour of Gowns,” where they sell an average of twenty gowns per show; annually they raise two million dollars for cancer support programs. Brides for a Cause sells used gowns online, at Road Shows and in their Portland, OR store to benefit Wish Upon a Wedding, a charity that helps provide weddings and vow renewals for couples dealing with terminal illness or life-altering situations.

You can also look for dress deals on eBay and Etsy, an online marketplace where you can buy new, used, vintage and handcrafted gowns.

Most of these sites allow you to track potential purchases by dress brand, style, color and pricing, such as ivory Vera Wang ball gowns under $1,000.

Thrift shops often have bridal gowns too but it’s tough to be as discriminating since the inventory changes often and you can’t necessarily shop by brand name or a specific style, like a mermaid or a sheath gown. Pricing at thrift shops is usually the best compared to other resale options, but again, your choices may be limited.

Groom Style

Shopping for the groom’s wedding attire is typically a lot less complicated than it is for the bride’s. Often grooms wear a tux or a suit, which can rented from a tux shop or purchased for a reasonable price at a department store.

If you’re renting, ask the tux shop if they offer any discounts or freebies for the groom. For example, many formalwear shops offer the groom a free tux or suit rental if a certain number of groomsmen order their formalwear there too. The shop may also throw in free shoes or a tie, vest, cummerbund rental.