Buying a Secondhand Wedding Dress
A wedding dress is worn once and depreciates immediately, which is why the secondhand market exists. What you save, what it costs you in fit, and what to check before you buy.
The archive
Everything we have filed
Every story on the site, newest first. Real weddings with the budget attached, the fashion, and the planning work in between.
Wedding Dress Alterations: What They Cost and What to Expect
Alterations are bought by 94% of couples, exactly the same share who buy a dress, and they cost more than the median suit. Here is what the work involves and what actually drives the...
Nobody Agrees What a Wedding Dress Costs, and Here Is Why
Six research firms size the wedding clothing market. Their figures span a twentyfold range, and one published growth rate does not survive its own arithmetic. Here is what is actually going on.
What Wedding Attire Actually Cost in 2025
The median wedding dress cost $930 in 2025. The average was $1,739. Here is the full attire picture across 25 line items, including the one nearly everyone pays for and almost nobody plans for.
The 49 Things: Everything the Average Couple Actually Buys for a Wedding
There are 114 separate things you can buy for a wedding. The average American couple buys 49 of them. This is the list, ranked by how many couples actually buy each one.
What a Wedding Actually Cost in 2025
Every year the industry publishes an average. Every year that average describes a wedding almost nobody has. Here is the full 2025 picture, built from 114 line items, and the number you should actually...