Have you ever thought of renting your wedding dress? Hiring your wedding dress or renting bridesmaids' dresses can be a really smart saving on the wedding budget, and you don't have to compromise on style one little bit. I've trawled through a selection of the best rental boutiques in Ireland and the UK for super gorgeous designer wedding and bridesmaid dresses to rent, and I honestly can’t believe the stunning gowns that are on offer, all for less than half the price of a pair of Jimmy Choos!
The Big One: Renting your Wedding Dress...
I think every girl that gets engaged gets a little bit of a shock at the price of wedding dresses - I know I did. Let’s face it, who ever thought they’d spend thousands of euro of their hard earned dosh on one dress that you definitely will not wear again despite the grand plans to dye it, shorten it, restyle it etc…
But of course, we all want to have the perfect dress for our wedding day and it’s not the time to be compromising! Rental boutiques are the perfect solution. It is actually really common across Europe to rent your wedding dress and it makes perfect sense — you will only ever wear it once and it gives you the chance to done a beautiful designer dress without having to plant a money tree. Renting is a great option for bridesmaids too and will help that uber-popular friend from having her own real life 27 Dresses experience (the packed closet part!)
The Ivory Closet
The Ivory Closet in Limerick has been dressing the stylish ladies of the West for weddings the past few years. They have some STUNNING embellished Rachel Gilbert gowns that are uber-glam for a fashionista bride. Your bridesmaid could be styled to perfection with some of the sparkly embellished Rachel Gilbert gowns too.
All prices are on request to Ivory Closet at 061-314422.
Website: theivorycloset.ie | Location: 18 Shannon Street, Limerick City
Covet
I love Covet in the Powerscourt Centre in Dublin — pegged as the borrower’s boudoir, it’s like being given the key to the glamorous walk-in closet of a Hollywood celeb, packed full of gorgeous beading, silk, chiffon, sequins and lace. Covet rent both bridal and bridesmaid dresses for prices starting from €50 and they stock a treasure trove of fashion delights from high end designers such as Alice Temperley, Badgley Mischka, Rachel Gilbert, Alexander McQueen, Valentino, Oscar de La Renta and Prada to name just a few. Covet has even created its own collection to rent or buy.
How amazing is the knee length silk vintage Dior? (Yes vintage AND Dior!)
You can take the dress for 3 days (or longer subject to agreement). Covet offer 10% discount on bookings for 4 or more and you can get the real wedding dress shopping experience with a private appointment with champagne and cupcakes for a special afternoon with your gaggle of ladies.
Really clever temporary alterations including length and seam adjustments can be done er, seamlessly, so that your dress fits like a glove, at an additional cost.
Website: www.covet.ie | Location: Powerscourt Centre, 59 South William Street, Dublin 2
Bridesmaid Dress Rental & Wedding Guest Dress Hire
Hiring a wedding dress is not the right option for everyone, but renting bridesmaid's dresses is an option that is becoming super popular with all sorts of brides (and bridesmaids). It solves the issue of finding matching or coordinating options for ladies with different body shapes and personal styles, and can offer much more high-end stylish options at a fraction of the cost of buying.
Dress hire is also brilliant for those seeking a great wedding guest outfit to shine at that stylish affair where you just know everyone is going to look a-maz-ing.
Hiring Maternity Dresses
A great option for expectant mums who find themselves inundated with wedding invitations but with nothing to wear - why buy a rake of formal maternity dresses for one summer? Hiring glam maternity dresses for wedding guest outfits is a much savvier option...
Style Mama
So we were delighted with our really great find www.stylemama.ie. Gillian of Style Mama, Dublin started up her business of renting maternity wedding and bridesmaid dresses when she had personal experience of having difficulty dressing ‘the Bump’ going to weddings. Gillian welcomes you into her home so you can relax and try on her collection in a comfortable, stress free zone.
Style Mama’s dresses can be rented for 4 days for €60 - €80 depending on the dress.
Website: www.stylemama.ie | Location: 54 Pine Valley Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16
Hiring a Dress in the UK
If you're based in the UK then the options for dress hire are almost limitless with countless boutiques around the country offering the service. For those online addicts like us though, two dress rental websites really shine...
Girl Meets Dress
Girl Meets Dress has a brilliant selection of bridesmaids dresses and bridal gowns to hire that can be delivered anywhere in the UK for 2 or 7 nights to emulate the easy time celebs have borrowing designer dresses for big events. Girls Meets Dress / GMD stocks Herve Leger, Halston Heritage, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Stella McCartney and more.
I just had to include the amazing ISSA Zebra print...
Website: girlmeetsdress.com | Location: Online
Wish Want Wear
Another fabulous dress hire boutique in the UK is Wish Want Wear. I simply adore their collection — the Temperley dresses on offer are the stuff of dreams and are all for rent for between £165 - £215! Just racking my brains here thinking where else could I wear one…?
Wish Want Wear also offer a try before you hire service - borrow 3 dresses to try on for £25, and... they also offer the option of a second standby dress when you rent, in case the size you've picked doesn't suit! Talk about super service!
Website: www.wishwantwear.com | Location: Online
Right, I'm off to plan my outfits for all the weddings later in the summer - now, what shall I wear.... hmmmm....
