prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

Lifestyle Wedding, Fashion & Beauty
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Hey all,

I’m seriously not trolling right now lol but is it possible to even consider getting a bridal johra under £1000!..

I live in the UK and will most likely do all my shopping here, getting a bridal dress made from Pak without actually going is probably too big a risk (this opinion may change) - when clearly Pakistan prices are somewhat cheaper with better variety too.

I just feel UK bridals are absolute madness, I’m not even being stingy with money or anything. I don’t think spending thousands and thousands on a dress you will wear for a few hours is justified (my personal opinion!!)…Everything shaadi related just seems to cost an arm and a leg.

But back to the original question, am I crazy thinking I’d be able to get a decent bridal dress for a cost effective price in the UK? As much as I love all the beautiful big brands, really not fussed about elan, faraz manan, etc etc etc…just want a pretty bridal dress that will work with my budget, and make me look like a bride (not a guest lol)

Any input would be appreciated.

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Re: prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

Hey,
Bridal Joras are way too expensive these days. Let designers alone even well known karigars are also expensive. Babe according to my personal experience it's too difficult to get a Bridal outfit in UK for that price.
I think you can work with the budget of £1000 in Pak tho. If you consider few points I am mentioning below.
You can get non pure chiffon(material) instead of pure.
Keep the shirt and dupatta heavy but buy your own material and get a plain jamawar lehnga made by a local tailor underneath ( if you are planning to get a lehnga ).

I am not sure if you have heard of Mongas in UK. You can always check their sales and see if you can get something below or around £1000. Their outfits are nice. :)

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Re: prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

I hear you....im planning my wedding nowadays and have enquired with a LOT of deisgners - some not very well known as well. None of them have quoted below 3.5 lacs! That is RIDIC!
There is always an option to go for a replica....but mostly the replicas turn out nothing like the Original one and even then you wont be saving that much as opposed to getting an original.

Hope you are able to find your dream jora within your budget :)

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Re: prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

Pure chiffon or any pure fabric for that matter isn't a significant portion of the cost. I wouldn't suggest compromising on the quality of the fabric to get a bridal. £1000 is the higher end budget as far as market in Pakistan is concerned. These days heavy work is done on lehnga and blouse both. Plain jamawar lehnga wont work anymore because shirts are not that long.

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Re: prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

Hey, I think it really depends on what an individual prefers. I don't like the concept of short shirts for barat. In my opinion one should wear what makes them feel comfortable and beautiful, not what's in trend. I am getting a long flary gown with tail and the lehnga underneath is jamawar because it will only show few inches from the front. The whole concept has worked so well together since the gown is almost fully embroided with a wide border. I wish I could upload pics here but that won't be anytime soon. As per the fabric, it was an outcome of my own research with different bridal boutiques in Islamabad. You ask them to lower the price they give you option to get non-pure material. It sure makes some difference when you have to work around a perticular budget.

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Re: prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

Plz check your messages I have sent you a Dm :)

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Re: prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

Tell me about it. I have been looking for my jora and anything i like is ridiculous expensive. I miss those days where you could get away with wearing a simple jamavaar jora with gota chuni.

All the best in your hunt.

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Re: prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

Can someone tell me how to attach pics ?? 😞

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Re: prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

Thank you so much hun.
All this jora hunting is making me go crazyyyy esp with the prices :(

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Re: prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

I want to share some of my experiences from shopping in Karachi. Man, I was there for 3 weeks, and it still was not enough in terms of time to see everything.

There is a LOT of variety now, that didn't exist before. However, with the advent of "designer" aunties "designing" clothes from their posh villas in Defense, and real designers in the market with true training from PFSD or some other coursework that have hiked up the rates by selling their name on the market (i.e. Sana Safinaz sells not just because of quality but also it's a brand and people like saying they're wearing a Sana Safinaz), the rates have gone up.

I will write a detailed review later, but yes, the prices are out of control.

On average, if you're looking at brand names - you're starting at 4k. And that's cheap in the designer circle. The designers that have taken off with their brand names and reputations are on average charging 10,000 dollars STARTING for their bridals.

Clearly, most of Pakistan's people (including people you may not consider people, like you know, your maasi), can't afford that. The remnant middle class that exists in Pakistan certainly cannot afford that.

They go to hidden gems in the market like the businesses on Tariq Road, Karachi, or some shops that are flailing, but surviving, in Saddar, Karachi. And the range of those dresses is more like 1000-3000 US dollars.

If you're from the working class, you're more likely to go to Qurtuba market and make something for a few hundred dollars, which for a working class family now, is HARD. Most of these families can't afford to make gold, and their idea of a wedding dress ends up being the type of outfit one of us would wear to a kid's birthday party in the U.S.

In an outdoor park.

I'm not talking about fancy rich kids' birthday parties that are done at actual party venues.

It's really sad. The idea of getting married in Pakistan has been blown into such an overpriced business. Question is, like the housing market, when is this bubble going to burst?

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Re: prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

For that amount, you should be able to make a trip and get a decent dress in Pakistan yourself.

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Re: prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

Unfortunately for some us, we do not have the luxury of taking a trip to Pak and go for dress hunting :(
Im completely relying on Insta pics and whatsapp lol

PCG, I totally get what you mean. It's really sad.
But then this price craze is very much prevalent in India as well.
Designer lehengas are for in the range of 2500-8000 dollars. And the amount of kaam and work is not even comparable to the ones we get in pakistani joras.
Leaving Sabya, tarun tahlilani and Manish Malhotra aside, their lehengas are pretty simple and pale in comparison to the pakistani bridals.
Atlease for the 4 lacs or 5 lacs which you are spending, you are getting a heavy worked dupatta, lots of kaam on the clothes and farshi lehenga etc.

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Re: prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

Then I guess we know where the Pakistani designers are getting their arrogance from.

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Re: prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

Lol.
Were you able to find any FTA/MariaB-esque bridal dress in the karachi markets?

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Re: prices of bridal dresses nowadays (semi rant)

My bridal was made my Proto (and it was GORGEOUS). But the reality is I only got it for my parents and in-laws. I'm very minimalist when it comes to fashion and I would have much preferred wearing a western "white" gown, but then again my ideal wedding would've been on a beach. While the bridal was literally nothing short of amazing and fit so well, it was tough to walk in (understandable - because my mom's request for a "heavy" bridal) and I ended up changing into a more simple gold gown when the pictures were done. Where's my bridal now? In storage and I'll probably never see it again.

A couple of tips I would give - opt for a not-so-heavy dupatta with a scalloped edge that brings the price down a lot but still looks stunning. Mine was so heavy I couldn't even set it on my head (but again, that was my mom's ask). Also, do away with the trains, it's cumbersome, unless you plan on just sitting the entire night and not moving.