Where To Find Affordable Secondhand Wedding Dresses
Secondhand Prices, First-Rate Glam For Your Big Day
According to The Knot, the average cost for a wedding dress in 2020 was $1,600. But combine that with the cost of a venue, food, music, and rings, and you’re looking at an expensive wedding day!
Pre-loved wedding dresses are an affordable (and sustainable) option for cutting costs. And there are a handful of accessible websites where you can buy them online. But before we dive in, here are a few tips to assist your search:
If you’re safely able to, find a dress style you love in-person first. This way, you can try on various designers and styles (you may be surprised at what look you end up choosing) and then find it at a secondhand price online.
Street sizes and bridal sizes differ; a size 10 for most brands might be a size 14 for bridal wear. Keep an eye on which size is listed, and remember to accommodate for any tailoring you might need. (Don’t forget to adjust the dress length based on your shoes!)
Read the fine print and ask for photos and close-ups before purchasing. Look for rips, stains, and missing lace or beading.
Double-check buyer protection, delivery, and return policies, since many wedding dresses are final sale.
Now that you know the basics, let the search begin! Here are seven online platforms for new, used, sample, and vintage wedding dresses. Price ranges are noted below, and if you don’t find what you need here, be sure to check out our guide to new sustainable wedding dresses, too!
PRICING GUIDE
$ | Typically up to $500
$$ | Typically $500–$1,000
$$$ | Typically $1,000–$1,500
$$$$ | Typically $1,500+
1. Once Wed
Based In | Georgia
Best For | High-end designers
Price Range | $–$$$$
At almost any given time, you can find ~1,000 wedding dresses to choose from at Once Wed. Since launching in 2008, the website has become a leading marketplace for secondhand wedding dresses—thanks to its easy-to-use filters, worldwide availability, and pricing range. Find popular vendors like Maggie Sotero, Watters by BHLDN, and Essence of Australia in just a few clicks. The brand partners with PayPal to protect your purchase of up to $20,000 if your dress isn’t shipped, isn’t as described, or isn’t authentic.
Shop Once Wed
2. Borrowing Magnolia
Based In | Illinois
Best For | Designer gowns up to 80 percent off
Price Range | $$–$$$$
From Vera Wang to Mori Lee, Borrowing Magnolia carries hundreds of quality brands up to 80 percent off the retail price. You can filter by size, price, fabric, and silhouette, to name a few—and once you see the results, you’ll know exactly how much you’re saving! Then, you can directly contact the seller to ask follow-up questions or negotiate. Borrowing Magnolia has been named a specialty vendor by Wedding Wire, so you’ll be in the best of hands.
Shop Borrowing Magnolia
3. Still White
Based In | Sydney, Australia
Best For | Inclusive sizing
Price Range | $$$–$$$$
Still White touts itself as the world’s largest online wedding dress marketplace, with over 50,000 dresses to consider. It’s the most size-inclusive as well, with options from zero to 30+. But don’t let its breadth overwhelm you; there are approximately a dozen filters to narrow down your search with the option to “save” your favorites. To date, the brand has helped brides recoup nearly $50 million in costs through secondhand sales.
Shop Still White
4. Nearly Newlywed
Based In | New York
Best For | Sample sale dresses
Price Range | $$–$$$$
Nearly Newlywed is a standout for new, sample, and used dresses at a fraction of the retail cost. The platform shares both the street size and the wedding size for the most accurate look since they can differ drastically! If the dress isn’t the right fit (literally or figuratively), you can take advantage of the risk-free five calendar day return policy on all items at a flat rate. Nearly Newlywed has been named a Couples’ Choice vendor in 2021 on Wedding Wire.
Shop Nearly Newlywed
5. Tradesy
Based In | California
Best For | Payment plans & sales
Price Range | $$–$$$$
Tradesy is a global marketplace for secondhand sellers focused on apparel, bags, shoes, and, yes, wedding wear. In addition to dresses, brides-to-be can also find veils, jewelry, and other wedding day must-haves all in one place. Best of all, Tradesy often hosts sales for extra discounts, and payment plans are available through Affirm (so you can pay off your dress over time). Peruse thousands of listings from desktop or mobile via the Tradesy app, wherever you are.
Shop Tradesy
6. Brides For A Cause
Based In | Oregon
Best For | Dresses that give back
Price Range | $–$$$
Brides For A Cause is more than a bridal store—this Portland-based shop has given away more than a million dollars to women-focused nonprofits, too. Former brides can donate their old wedding dresses, and when they’re re-sold, proceeds support organizations like Joyful Heart Foundation, Dress for Success, and She’s the First. Brides For A Cause has three locations in the Pacific Northwest you can drop by, and the team hosts Facebook live streams to auction off dresses nationwide. We love Brides For A Cause so much that one of TGT’s editors bought their wedding dress here!
Shop Brides For A Cause
7. eBay
Based In | California
Best For | Vintage dresses
Price Range | $–$$$
For vintage and even custom wedding dresses, look no further than eBay! This longtime online marketplace boasts hundreds of secondhand dresses in pristine condition, with some sold directly from boutiques and others handed down from the 1940s! Whatever your style, let one of these pieces be your something old or borrowed on your big day.
Shop eBay
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