Don’t discount unconventional ideas when shopping for your wedding dress. Sometimes less-traditional, more affordable wedding dresses are more flattering like this Clothilde American made Maxi from Bullet Blues. Photo courtesy of Bullet Blues as seen in Cowgirls In Style Magazine.

Is it possible to find simple, affordable wedding dresses, minus the hefty price tag? Can a bride still feel elegant in anything less than a Cinderella gown? Not only is it possible, it’s easier and less stressful. Choosing simple, affordable wedding dresses is, well, ‘simple,’ as long as you have creativity and an open-mind. Let’s be real, strapless mermaid designs have been done to death. So, why not create a highly-personal, affordable, elegant country event with a personal, flattering and affordable dress to match?

And, “affordable wedding dresses” don’t have to mean cheap, tacky, or ugly. Coco Chanel said it best, “A woman can be overdressed, but never over elegant.” For tips on creating an elegant, affordable wedding to fit this simple, affordable theme, read this 2015 article, “An Intimate Destination Wedding in Big Sur, California,” on Brides.com.

Instead of killing yourself to earn enough for a big, pricey wedding dress, why not choose a simple wedding dress with tons of elegance and understatement. You and the groom will feel less pressure as a newly-wedded couple with much less financial strain.

How to find elegant, affordable wedding dresses

1. Look for clean lines. If you have the height, take a lesson from Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, who epitomized elegance with a very simple, Narciso Rodriquez gown. While her gown was pricey, it was essentially a simple, sleek, full-length slip-dress, easily found anywhere for less.
2. Dress your shape. Maybe you have wideset shoulders? In this case, a strapless gown might not flatter your shape. Adjust your fantasy to accommodate your actual shape. For tips on finding the best wedding dress for your shape, read this article from Real Simple, “Choose the Perfect Wedding Dress for your Body Type.”
3. Think outside of the box. With the right makeup, hair and flowers, even a simple jersey dress will look elegant. A hoop skirt and layers of tulle aren’t everyone’s idea of chic. Instead of wearing something out of your comfort zone, drop your rigid ideas of what a wedding dress should look like. If a mini-dress is more your style, it’s your wedding, so go for it.

If you are planning a beach or barn wedding, consider a clean-lined cotton dress. Less can be more when it comes to creating elegance.

Where to look for your simple, elegant wedding dress

Today, shopping for your wedding dress doesn’t mean limiting yourself to bridal shops. Online shopping has opened up worlds of choice for upcoming brides. Elegant wedding dresses are everywhere once you drop traditional ideas of where to shop. The designer dresses you may normally consider out of your price range are usually much cheaper than traditional wedding gowns.

A light cotton dress for a summer beach or barn wedding can look every bit as elegant as the priciest gown, given the right makeup, hair and flowers.

Shopping outside of these traditional bridal shops can save you thousands of dollars. Sticking to your values and realistic price limits doesn’t mean a less-than-stellar wedding. Get creative.

And, as always, drop the consumer guilt and buy American-made designer apparel from Bullet Blues.