Current:Home > NewsMore brides turning to secondhand dresses as inflation drives up wedding costs-LoTradeCoin
More brides turning to secondhand dresses as inflation drives up wedding costs
View Date:2024-12-23 23:52:08
Beverly Hills — Bride-to-be Georgia Etheridge is beaming in the months ahead of her big day. Her perfect, pearly fit is thanks to a secondhand gown.
"A bride who had planned her wedding and then COVID happened," Etheridge says of her dress' history. "So this dress actually had never been worn to a wedding, so I'm giving it its first chance."
According to online wedding planning site Zola, the average cost for a wedding in the U.S. this year is $29,000. As inflation continues to take its toll on the economy, Etheridge is part of a growing number of brides across the country who are finding bliss in pre-loved wedding dresses.
"The bridal industry standard is all sales are final, you simply cannot exchange your dress," explains Sarah Ghabbour, who opened her Beverly Hills, California, consignment shop Loved Twice Bridal during the height of the pandemic.
"There's been a shift in the market I think as far as value," Ghabbour said. "The girl who is shopping nowadays, she's typically paying for the gown herself."
There's also the environmental concerns. Ghabbour says that 2,300 gallons water are used to make a single wedding dress.
"If you can make any kind of impact on your carbon footprint, and it's in your wedding gown, why not?" Ghabbour asks.
The trend is catching on. Sales of white cocktail and special occasion dresses are up 23% this year, compared to 2019 at secondhand retailers, according to online resale platform thredUP.
Ghabbour says preowned dresses can cost up to half the original price.
"I definitely think secondhand dresses are here to stay," Ghabbour said.
The soon to be Mrs. Stephens is putting the $4,000 she saved with a used dress towards other wedding details.
"He basically just gave me a high-five and said, 'well done,'" Etheridge said of her fiancée when he learned of the savings.
She's also thankful that her storied gown is now part of the fabric of her love story.
"It's like the sisterhood of the travelling wedding dress," Etheridge jokes.
- In:
- Inflation
- Wedding
veryGood! (7)
Related
- FSU football fires offensive, defensive coordinators, wide receivers coach
- A pro-peace Russian presidential hopeful submits documents to register as a candidate
- The Emmy Awards: A guide to how to watch, who you’ll see, and why it all has taken so long
- Worried About Safety, a Small West Texas Town Challenges Planned Cross-Border Pipeline
- Amazon Prime Video to stream Diamond Sports' regional networks
- Homicide victim found in 1979 in Las Vegas identified as teen who left Ohio home in search of her biological father
- Poland’s new government moves to free state media from previous team’s political control
- Horoscopes Today, December 19, 2023
- Timothée Chalamet Details How He Transformed Into Bob Dylan for Movie
- Florida deputy’s legal team says he didn’t have an obligation to stop Parkland school shooter
Ranking
- 2025 NFL mock draft: QBs Shedeur Sanders, Cam Ward crack top five
- Former Chelsea owner Abramovich loses legal action against EU sanctions
- IRS to waive $1 billion in penalties for millions of taxpayers. Here's who qualifies.
- IRS to waive $1 billion in penalties for millions of taxpayers. Here's who qualifies.
- Amtrak service disrupted after fire near tracks in New York City
- Israel’s top diplomat wants to fast-track humanitarian aid to Gaza via maritime corridor from Cyprus
- Some state abortion bans stir confusion, and it’s uncertain if lawmakers will clarify them
- Missouri Supreme Court strikes down law against homelessness, COVID vaccine mandates
Recommendation
-
Seattle man faces 5 assault charges in random sidewalk stabbings
-
Native American translations are being added to more US road signs to promote language and awareness
-
Counselors get probation for role in teen’s death at a now-closed Michigan youth home
-
Patrick Mahomes’ Wife Brittany Claps Back at “Rude” Comments, Proving Haters Gonna Hate, Hate, Hate
-
Prominent conservative lawyer Ted Olson, who argued Bush recount and same-sex marriage cases, dies
-
Homicide victim found dead in 1979 near Las Vegas Strip ID’d as missing 19-year-old from Cincinnati
-
Robot dogs, e-tricycles and screen-free toys? The coolest gadgets of 2023 aren't all techy
-
New protections for very old trees: The rules cover a huge swath of the US