If you're a bride-to-be shopping for a wedding dress in Southern California or Los Angeles and love the timeless look of an A-line lace wedding dress, you might be wondering how much you actually need to spend to get the look you want.
At Lovella Bridal, a luxury bridal boutique in Glendale and the Los Angeles area, we know it can be difficult to understand what your wedding dress budget really buys you. Two bridal gowns can have a similar A-line silhouette and all-over lace design but be thousands of dollars apart in price. So what exactly are you paying for?
We're comparing three A-line lace wedding dresses at approximately $2,400, $3,600 and $9,500 to show you how details like lace quality, train length, embellishments, construction and materials can change as the price increases. Most importantly, a higher price does not automatically mean a better wedding dress. It's about understanding the differences so you can decide which details are worth the investment to you.
Watch the Video: A-Line Wedding Dresses at 3 Different Price Points
Watch the full video as Nayri, Wedding Fashion Expert and bridal stylist at Lovella Bridal, compares three A-line lace wedding dresses side by side at three very different price points.
You'll see an Essense of Australia wedding dress around $2,400, a Martina Liana wedding dress around $3,600 and an Ines Di Santo wedding dress around $9,500. While all three create a similar romantic A-line lace bridal look, looking closely at the fabrics and finishing details helps explain the difference in price. Prices are approximate and subject to change.
A $2,400 Essense of Australia A-Line Lace Wedding Dress
The first bridal gown is an Essense of Australia A-line lace wedding dress priced around $2,400.
At this price point, you can still get a beautiful lace wedding dress with an incredibly romantic bridal look. The differences become more noticeable when you start looking closely at the smaller construction and design details.
For example, this gown has a straight-edge hem rather than a scalloped lace trim. The buttons cover the zipper rather than continuing all the way down the train. The train itself is also narrower and shorter than the trains on the two higher-priced wedding dresses.
The lace is also finer and has less texture, depth and dimension. That may actually be exactly what you prefer if you want a softer, more delicate lace wedding dress rather than a heavily dimensional design.
This particular sample is shown in ivory over ivory, which makes the lace pattern appear more subtle. Choosing a contrasting underlay, such as champagne beneath ivory lace, can make the lace details stand out much more prominently in wedding photography and video.
A $3,600 Martina Liana A-Line Lace Wedding Dress
Moving up to approximately $3,600, the second wedding dress is by Martina Liana.
At first glance, the overall concept is very similar. It's still an A-line lace wedding dress, but the differences become apparent as you look more closely.
The lace has more texture and visual dimension than the first bridal gown. You'll also notice a decorative lace trim along the hem, adding another layer of detail to the finished dress.
And if you're wondering what happens to that beautiful lace border when your wedding dress is hemmed, don't worry. During alterations, the seamstress can remove the lace trim, shorten the gown to the appropriate length and then reapply the trim so you don't lose the original design.
A Longer Train & More Bridal Details Can Increase the Price
The back of the Martina Liana wedding dress demonstrates another way your wedding dress budget can impact the overall design.
This gown has a longer, wider train than the $2,400 option, along with buttons extending all the way down the back.
Those details require additional materials and labor, which contribute to the higher price point.
A longer train may feel like a lot of fabric when you're standing inside a bridal boutique, especially because you're not accustomed to walking around in a wedding gown. But it can create an incredible effect in wedding photography, particularly when paired with an even longer bridal veil.
If you love a dramatic wedding dress, train length and width may be details you decide are worth prioritizing in your budget.
A $9,500 Ines Di Santo A-Line Lace Wedding Dress
The third wedding dress is an Ines Di Santo gown manufactured in Canada and priced at approximately $9,500.
This is where you can really begin to see what a luxury wedding dress budget can buy in terms of materials.
Rather than one primary layer of lace, this wedding dress features two different layers. There is Chantilly lace underneath with French lace layered over it, creating significantly more depth and dimension throughout the gown. You're not only paying for a more luxurious lace, you're getting twice the lace.
The gown also features a beautiful lace trim and an exceptionally wide, long train that creates a dramatic effect from behind.
Interestingly, this dress does not feature buttons down the back. More expensive does not necessarily mean adding every possible detail. The design simply doesn't call for buttons, although they can be added for an additional fee if a bride prefers that look.
Is a $9,500 Wedding Dress Better Than a $2,400 Wedding Dress?
No, one wedding dress is not better than another. And that's one of the most important things to understand about wedding dress pricing.
The $9,500 wedding dress isn't automatically "better" than the $2,400 or $3,600 bridal gown. You're seeing differences in materials, lace, construction, train size and design details, but whether those things matter to you comes down to personal preference.
A bride who loves a softer, finer lace may actually prefer the least expensive dress of these three. Another bride may immediately fall in love with the dimensional layered lace and dramatic train of the Ines Di Santo gown.
The goal is not to spend as much as possible on your wedding dress. It's to understand what you're getting at different price points and decide which details matter to you.
You Can Find a Similar Wedding Dress Look at Different Budgets
This comparison is also a great example of how bridal stylists can often achieve a particular wedding dress aesthetic across multiple price points.
All three of these wedding dresses offer an A-line silhouette and romantic all-over lace. The details change as the price increases, but the overall bridal aesthetic remains similar.
That doesn't mean every wedding dress style will be available at every price point. Depending on the specific design you're searching for, there may only be a few options available within a particular budget.
Quality of selection is more important than quantity. You don't necessarily need 20 wedding dresses that fit your criteria. You need the right one.
When Should You Increase Your Wedding Dress Budget?
We recommend beginning your bridal appointment within the wedding dress budget that feels comfortable for you.
Explore those options first.
If you've tried everything that meets your style preferences within that price range and still haven't found your wedding dress, then you can decide whether increasing your budget makes sense.
Your bridal stylist can show you exactly what spending more would open up for you. Maybe an increased budget gives you access to more dimensional lace, a more dramatic train or a particular construction detail you've consistently been drawn to.
Once you've tried wedding dresses and understand those differences, you can make a much more informed decision about whether those additional details are worth the investment.
Your Dream Wedding Dress May Cost Less Than Your Budget
There's another side to wedding dress budgeting that brides don't always expect.
You might walk into a bridal boutique prepared to spend $10,000 and discover that the exact wedding dress aesthetic you're searching for is available around $4,000.
A larger budget doesn't mean you need to spend all of it.
Wedding dress pricing depends on the designer, fabrics, construction and specific details you're drawn to. Your perfect bridal gown is the one that gives you the look and feeling you want, regardless of whether it falls at the top or bottom of the budget you initially planned.
Final Thoughts: What Does Your Wedding Dress Budget Really Buy?
When comparing A-line wedding dresses at $2,400, $3,600 and $9,500, the biggest differences can be found in the details.
You may see more dimensional and layered lace, decorative hem treatments, longer and wider trains, additional buttons, more fabric and other elements that require additional materials and craftsmanship.
But a higher wedding dress price doesn't automatically mean that gown is right for you. Your wedding dress budget should help guide your search, not determine which gown you're supposed to love.
At Lovella Bridal, we encourage brides to start with a budget that feels comfortable and pay attention to what they consistently love as they try on wedding dresses. Once you understand what different price points offer, you can decide where you want to invest and where certain details simply aren't important to you.
Wedding Dress Shopping Tips from Lovella Bridal Los Angeles
We hope this guide to the top wedding dress trends helps you feel inspired as you begin your bridal gown shopping journey. At Lovella Bridal, we share expert bridal styling advice to help brides feel confident and prepared every step of the way.
For more wedding dress inspiration and helpful tips, explore these related posts:
- How To Choose The Perfect Wedding Dress Silhouette
- What Brides Should Know Before Wedding Dress Alterations
- Unexpected Truths About Special Ordering A Wedding Dress
- What To Expect When Wedding Dress Shopping For The First Time
About Lovella
If you're shopping for your perfect wedding dress, come visit us at Lovella Bridal in Glendale, CA. We carry wedding dresses in all sizes and styles, including plus-size bridal gowns and a full selection of veils and accessories. Lovella Bridal is the premier, luxury bridal wedding dress shopping boutique located in Los Angeles, California. Lovella features couture, feminine, modern and chic bridal gowns in all sizes from the best wedding dress designers. Schedule an appointment to find the wedding dress of your dreams at Lovella Bridal. We can't wait to help you!
Meet Lovella’s Wedding Fashion Expert in Los Angeles
Our wedding dress shopping tips and advice are from Nayri, Lovella's own, in-house wedding fashion expert. Nayri is truly the expert when it comes to bridal fashion and wedding style. As the Wedding Fashion Expert, Nayri is the top bridal fashion stylist and the best-selling author of the book "I'm Getting Married And I Have Nothing To Wear," the ultimate guide to helping brides find their wedding day style and their perfect wedding dress. You can subscribe to her YouTube channel or listen to her podcast for more helpful and practical advice on wedding dress shopping.
