Bargain buys: Where to find designer, vintage wedding dresses in Cairns
A bride-to-be bought four frocks for under $600 so she could have a party with her bridesmaids to choose her ‘dream dress’. Here’s 20 wedding bargains at a boutique that might surprise you.
Cairns
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From designer dream frocks to stunning vintage, there’s a Cairns boutique beloved by savvy brides-to-be wanting a gorgeous, affordable and sustainable dress.
From the latest styles to beautifully preserved gowns from the 50s, there’s an amazing range of wedding dresses and bridal party outfits of bridesmaids, grooms, flowers girls and ring bearers at your local Vinnies.
Yes, Vinnies.
FNQ Vinnies executive officer David Monaghan, said the Cairns store managers had met many prospective brides who had been thrilled – and surprised – to find an elegant wedding gown at a bargain price.
With formal wedding dresses for sale from between $150 to $400, grooms suits less than $100 and a dazzling array of bridesmaid and wedding guest formal attire for under $100, it’s no wonder op-shops are now so popular.
“We have a great range of wedding dresses as well as suits, outfits for flower girls and ring bearers as well as mother of the bride and formal wear for guests,” he said.
“All of these items are in very good condition for a fraction of the retail price.”
Mr Monaghan said as the cost of living increased, buying pre-loved wedding items was now considered a great idea as brides happily shared their bargains on social media.
“There was one customer who didn’t think she could afford her dream dress and ended up so excited that we had four dresses that fitted her perfectly,” he said.
“The store manager told me this took the pressure off deciding which one to buy and she purchased four for $600 and have a party with her bridesmaids where she’ll try the dresses on and decide on one for the ceremony, one for the reception and the others she will pay forward and give to another bride to be.”
Mr Monaghan said another customer who had to cancel her wedding during Covid and lost her job, was now on a budget.
“She bought two dresses, again one for the ceremony and one for the reception,” he said.
“Another store manager told me her customer was getting married at Hamilton Island and had been to all of the wedding boutiques, couldn’t find a dress that was within her budget or had the fairytale feeling, so she came in after seeing a social media post, found a dress that fitted her perfectly for $150 and said it was the dress of her dreams.”
And sometimes buying a Vinnies pre-loved wedding dress helps the ceremony get booked, he said.
“A store manager said a customer — engaged for three years but thought it was bad luck to choose a dress before they set a date — came in," he said.
“The dress she tried on in Vinnies fitted her perfectly, her friend encouraged her to buy it and she came back a week later to say her fiancee and she have now set a date.”
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Originally published as Bargain buys: Where to find designer, vintage wedding dresses in Cairns
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