It’s a common question asked of many wedding dress designers: just why are wedding dresses so expensive? It’s a good question, and one we will endeavour to answer in this post.
On average, around nine per cent of the average UK wedding budget is spent on the bride’s outfit. Compare this to around just one per cent of the budget going on the groom’s attire, and it is no wonder so many brides wonder what it is that makes wedding dresses so expensive.
At Lucy Can’t Dance we prefer to look at a wedding dress more as an investment in your happiness rather than as an expense.
We believe it’s an investment in making your lifelong dream come true courtesy of a wedding gown that reflects your personality; that fits you perfectly and that makes you feel like the most special bride ever.
Think of your wedding dress more as an investment in your happiness, rather than an expense.
Low cost wedding dresses versus handmade bespoke wedding dresses
Not all wedding dresses can be considered expensive.
There are plenty of low cost options out there, where beads are glued on rather than sewn on.
Or where all the stitching is machined, so the attention to finer detail that you get with hand stitching just isn’t there.
Some cheaper methods of wedding dress making involve overcast stitching, where all the beads are attached on a single thread. Snag that thread, and the whole string of beads will go.
A wedding dress that is bespoke to your taste, style, personality and sizing is always going to call for something of an investment.
At Lucy Can’t Dance, all our wedding dresses are handmade to measure, with exceptional personal care taken to ensure that all-important detail that makes such a difference.
Hand crafting takes a great deal of time, and lots of creative expertise and dexterity. It takes many, many hours to create and perfect an individual wedding dress. There is no mass production line, so of course this is going to enhance the cost of the gown, because only one can be produced at a time.
What’s more, all our wedding dress designs can be and are often altered to suit a bride’s specific style. This can mean adjusting fabrics, hem lines, neck lines, sleeve style and length, waist and bust fittings and so much more. This is a process that calls for a great deal of artistic skill, because every element of the whole wedding dress design has to be considered within the adjustments, not just a single aspect of it.
There’s more to a wedding dress than meets the eye
Something else to think about when it comes to the cost of a wedding dress is the fact there is so much more to the gown than would outwardly meet the eye.
A wedding dress is a sum of individual component parts, some of which you can see, some of which you can’t. At Lucy Can’t Dance, we always ensure that every component of each dress we design meets our strict quality criteria; whether it’s the thread we use to stitch on our beads, pearls, crystals or sequins; the zips, buttons and button loops or the hand cut scalloped lace hems and necklines. Every element matters. If the quality of the hidden components didn’t match that of the uppermost layers, then to us, it just wouldn’t be a quality wedding dress.
What’s more, depending on its individual style, any one wedding dress can involve several layers of varying fabrics, all of which have to be handled with great care in different ways.
A wedding dress can involve several layers and types of fabrics, not to mention the beads, buttons, button loops, appliques, tassels… so many component parts!
Over layers; under layers; linings; flowing trains; bodices; sleeves. Just the fabric alone accounts for quite a proportion of the price tag. And then there are the beads and buttons; the button loops; the embroidery and appliques; the tassels; the zippers. Now you can see just how much goes into a wedding dress, and that’s without the creative know-how that brings all of these component parts together and crafts them into your ultimate gown.
The most special dress you’ll ever wear in your life
A wedding dress that is truly yours. That you feel both comfortable and special wearing. One that fits you flawlessly, and echoes your individual personality. A wedding gown where every detail is carefully perfected by the very designer who has worked closely with you to create precisely what you always dreamt of. This is what you’ll get when you invest in a Lucy Can’t Dance wedding dress.
So why is a wedding dress so expensive? The volume of fabric involved, yes. The many components, of course. The hand crafted detailing and creative expertise, definitely. But it’s also about the personalised effort that’s put in to making this the most special dress you have ever worn in your life.
Your wedding dress: make it truly unique with help from Lucy Can’t Dance
You could look high and low for a wedding dress that you can honestly say is ‘the one’. Or you could make an appointment at the Lucy Can’t Dance tropical-themed bridal studio where you can discuss colours, designs, fabrics and all that means everything to you for your dream wedding gown. It’s a place where you can relax and take your time in making your choices, with expert help from Lucy herself.
To book your appointment send a message with your preferred dates and times and Lucy will get right back to you!