Check RealReal for your favorite wedding dress designers/brands (Pronovias, Vera Wang, etc.). Unlike Poshmark etc., RealReal accepts returns within 2 weeks.
A wedding dress needs to be properly altered anyway, so don’t get discouraged if the sizing is off. Alterations experts can provide some advice regarding whether and what can be done. A dress can be generally altered up to about 2-3 sizes down but only a size or so up.
My Indian neighbor and a Chinese friend refused to receive a sharp object like a knife or a scissors as a gift from me. They believe it’s a bad omen i.e. bringing bad luck , ruining friendship, etc.
They paid me a $1 as a token so such items were considered bought, not gifted.
I am sure not all Indian or Chinese people believe in this but some definitely do.
When I was married (almost 39 years ago) I received a set of knives as a wedding gift and they included a penny for each knife. I was unfamiliar with the tradition at the time!
My mother always said never to give knives as gifts as it is a signal to cut the relationship. Pretty easy to avoid!
We requested and got knives and have given them. Still have intact friendships. We do tape a coin to the knives for whatever superstition folks have and that seems fine.
30+ years ago we bought our friends a very nice set of knives (off their registry). They wrote a cute thank you note saying something like “they will come in handy on our special fights [crossed out], uhm, nights.” Still great friends and still together!
You can find alteration people that can do a wonderful job and perhaps much less than what a bridal shop will charge. But you do need an ‘expert’ when you are going down a great deal in sizing, and someone who knows if a dress will look good altered a lot down, and how much one can alter a bit larger – depends on seem allowances. I bought a prom or homecoming dress for DD that needed altering, and I should have asked what she would charge, because it was a ridiculous amount for very little alteration work.
One can make an appointment (and do make an appointment - and do it earlier in the day so the consultant is ‘fresh’), and just try on what they have in the store - at least DD can see what different styles of dresses look like on her. I know DD was reluctant to go to David’s Bridal with me, but I told her she needs to see how she will look in a wedding dress, and what she envisions. We had a very experienced consultant at David’s (that gal moved to our area due to having family here), and we purchased some of the under garments for DD from David’s. We showed the consultant the dress DD was wanting from Italy, and the gal said this was a legit designer. I ended up purchasing my MOB dress from on-line David’s site – it was a perfect color for me (teal) - and it was on sale for $80 (marked down from $100). It didn’t look ‘cheap’ - it had lace overlay, with scoop neck and 3/4 sleeve. Since then, I have found good wedding attendance dresses at Nordstrom, Macy’s, etc.
Maybe DD has some ideas from bridal magazines on what she is looking for. Ask around for your friends in the area that have been MOB.
When is the wedding?
My daughter got her wedding dress from Grace Loves Lace. It is an Australian company with showrooms in the US. She tried on dresses and was measured. Then you order online(they order for you), the dress is made specifically for the bride and mailed straight to your house. No alterations necessary. I was skeptical, but sure enough when the dress arrived it fit perfect. The style is kind of Boho. But they have a wide variety of dresses. All prices are on their website. When she bought her dress a couple of years ago, because the company is in Australia, we didn’t have to pay sales tax. I am not sure if that is still true. the whole process was incredibly easy.
My kid seriously considered Grace… but fell in love with another dress. Their dresses start at $2k and go to about $4k, which includes custom measurements. Most of the time, alterations are not needed, but a lot can happen in 6-8 months it takes for the dress to get here. Oh, the sales tax is definitely added to the invoice.
We started our dress shopping at David’s…not because we planned to buy there, but it was close to home…and they had a ton of different styles, colors, fabrics, etc…to give DD a sample of what was out there.
We also went to an awesome bridal consignment store where she almost got a Maggie Soterra gorgeous gown, veil, just gorgeous and fit her to a T…for less than half of the retail price. But she decided to keep looking.
Ended up buying her dress at a very small (a few store) chain. She wears a sample size and was able to get a lovely dress for 20% off…and free storage (for about a year) and alterations. I think it was about $1200. Allure. And she loved it!
Our 2022 bride decided to get long tulle sleeves (detachable) that she wore instead of the veil for her ceremony. I had no idea that something like this existed but thought it was great! Something to potentially consider if the dress has no sleeves.
No veil here. Just two beautiful hair combs that a good friend custom made for the bride!
I think we spent ~$1,200 for D’s dress (Maggie Sottero), purchased in 2019 for the wedding held last summer. It was a perfect fit and didn’t need any alterations. It probably could have been shortened a bit, but she didn’t want to spend the money. The shop she bought it from doesn’t do alterations, so it would have meant finding the right place. We’d been warned about the high cost of bridal gown alterations, so happy we could forego them.
As to knives - my mom always said that if someone gives you a knife, give them a penny in return to ward off bad luck. British superstition? 
Is the finding-a-dress-for-the-wedding thread still active? With the wedding in November, my daughter and I are starting to get serious!
Might be a good idea for a new thread! Congratulations!
I posted the link above but it also posted a thread post or something!
November? Your daughter needs to start her dress hunt now! Six months to order (if she is ordering and not buying a sample/pre-made dress) and a couple of months for the alterations. Our 2022 bride started dress shopping in November for her July wedding.
My daughter’s dress is already in her house, awaiting alterations closer to the wedding. I’m talking about my dress!
Oh that is great! That is a BIG deal. 
You will find your dress… plenty of time! I found mine a couple of weeks before the wedding. 
