Everything we decide to wear is an expression of who we are. This goes for our wedding day, too. Bridal wear is steeped in history, culture, and fashion. That's why they're such a big deal - they're more than just a piece of fabric. Designers use expensive fabrics such as silk, charmeuse, and lace to create wedding dresses that exude elegance and sophistication. This attention to detail contributes to the cost of the gown. When it comes to the price of a wedding dress, so many factors come into play. In order to express these factors and ensure no one is misled when it comes to pricing, we asked for a few helping hands. Recommended suppliers The Bridal Boutique Warwickshire, Lovely Bride, Lula Ann Bridal and Halfpenny London all answered a few burning questions regarding those all-important wedding gowns, and the answers are in. So, just how much are wedding dresses?

How much are wedding dresses? We asked some experts 

Do you charge for appointments?

Halfpenny London: Yes. There is a charge of £30 for a weekday appointment before 5pm and £45 for evenings and weekends.

Bridal Boutique Warwickshire: Yes, we charge for weekend and evening appointments.

Lula Ann Bridal: No, all of our appointments are free of charge!

Lovely Bride: To ensure our customers have the absolute best time in our store, we secure a private fitting room for brides and their guests and a personal stylist to help find a dress they will fall in love with. We also offer bubbles for everyone to celebrate. Bridal appointments are £30.

What do the wedding dresses in your boutique/collection range from?

Halfpenny London: The average cost for a complete wedding look is between £2,500 - £5,500. We do also have a semi-bespoke collection starting from £7,500 where you are able to make pattern and detail changes, or a fully bespoke service which starts at £15,000.

Bridal Boutique Warwickshire: Our dresses range from £1800 - £4000.

Lula Ann Bridal: Our main collection dresses are priced from £995.

Lovely Bride: Our price range is £2,000-8,000 with the majority of dresses in the range of £2,500-4000.

What impacts the cost of a wedding dress?

Bridal Boutique Warwickshire: How it's made definitely impacts the cost. hand-made gowns in a small factory with good quality fabrics that are unique to that designer are always going to cost more. If they're made in larger factories with machine cutting, have no bespoke option, or if dresses come in random sizes, they're going to cost less. 

Lovely Bride: Usually the amount of structure, intricacy and type of material used are the factors that impact the cost of a wedding dress.

Do certain fabrics cost more than others?

Halfpenny London: Yes, absolutely. We use a diverse edit of fabrics, including some vegan textiles. I’m so very passionate about how they drape and what they feel like on, so I don’t compromise on my fabrications. Naturally, laces and beading cost more. When it comes to silk, it's interesting because you can have a low-cost silk that’s very thin, sheer, and not suitable for the outer of a dress but is technically 100% silk. On the other hand, you can have an incredible mixed-fibre fabric which is so liquid-like and drapes beautifully, but actually costs as much as a not-so-magnificent silk. So, for me, it’s all about finding the ultimate material for the dress. Also, some dresses use meters and meters to create these incredible, dramatic trains. I’ve always been obsessed with textiles and love experimenting with fabrics and really testing their boundaries so we can use them with maximum impact in our designs.

Do you charge for alterations?

Halfpenny London: Yes, we have a lot of separates in our collection and our brides love layering these to create their own unique look so we have a range of alterations packages to suit each bride’s specific needs.

Bridal Boutique Warwickshire: We have a recommended seamstress to who we direct our couples.

Lula Ann Bridal: Yes, we do charge for alterations. We have our own on-site alteration studios with qualified seamstresses on hand.

Lovely Bride: We recommend amazing tailors within the London area and alterations are a separate cost.

Do you have regular Trunk Days? What can you expect to save? (How much are wedding dresses)

Halfpenny London: We’re lucky enough to be stocked by some of the most wonderful boutiques in the UK and overseas, and regularly send our collection to them for Trunk Shows. Any discounts offered are discretionary and dependent on the stockist.

Bridal Boutique Warwickshire: 10-15% one a year for each designer. 

Lula Ann Bridal: We do hold Trunk Days but these are not on a regular basis. We usually offer 10% off on new orders.

Lovely Bride: Yes we do! Usually, we would plan a trunk show around the launch of a new collection. Some of our designers also do regular sales events. The typical discount is 10% which in the bridal world can mean hundreds of pounds saved! The bride should keep an eye on our Instagram or the events page of our website

Do you host Sample Sales? What can you expect to save?

Halfpenny London: We have sample sales regularly and brides can enjoy discounts of up to 50% off wedding dresses and separates.

Bridal Boutique Warwickshire: LOADS! Truly loads. Brides can expect £3k dresses down to £600! 

Lula Ann Bridal: Yes, indeed! Once a year we have a sample sale, with up to 70% off!

Lovely Bride: Sample sales typically happen once a year. We also offer Sample Sale appointments every week, Tuesday to Friday, and on Sundays for brides with a tight timeline and budget, or eco-conscious brides who are big on sustainability. This appointment can be booked online alongside our regular bridal appointment.

How long have you been in this profession?

Halfpenny London: I’ve been designing wedding dresses forever! I specialised in bridalwear for my fashion degree in the ’90s. I then founded Halfpenny London in 2005, alongside a thriving career as a celebrity stylist and costume designer. By 2012, Halfpenny London had grown so much that I opened our boutique in Woburn Walk. This was our first of what is now a 4 premise site to date.

Bridal Boutique Warwickshire: About 12 years!

Lovely Bride: I have been in the bridal profession for nearly 10 years starting as a part-time stylist in 2013 and quickly developed a huge passion for all things bridal. Our store is part of the Lovely franchise with 20 locations across the US and London being the first international one! The first store opened in New York City in 2010 and we have had brides saying yaaaas here at Lovely Bride London since 2020.

Whether you're after a classic wedding dress, a bridal suit, or something more alternative, you're going to look absolutely gorgeous!

So, there we have it. We want to stress that whilst these answers have all come directly from our fabulous Recommended suppliers, we couldn't get answers from every bridal boutique in the world. That may take some time... Just remember that every bridal boutique is different, and you can take these questions and ask them, so you have a good idea of how much you'll be spending on your wedding dress. Generally speaking, it's always a good idea to ask your suppliers questions. That's why we've got a whole article on questions you should ask your wedding venue. If you want to know how far in advance you should get your wedding dress, we've got a helpful article on that, too!