Wedding Dress Hire: The Best Places to Rent a Wedding Dress
Trying to tighten your wedding budget and save money? Hiring a wedding dress could be the perfect answer! Here is everything you need to know...
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Renting a wedding dress is not only a sustainable choice for your big day, but it saves you money too, and can count as your something borrowed - win-win-win!
If you've always dreamed of a designer wedding dress but it seems out of budget, hiring a wedding dress could be the answer to your prayers, as By Rotation explained to Hitched: "The biggest benefit of hiring a wedding dress is that your dream designer dress, that once seemed unaffordable, will suddenly be more accessible.
"Hiring a wedding dress will allow you to put more money into different aspects of your wedding day and allow you to save on added costs massively," By Rotation continued.
On the sustainability note, they added: "Hiring a wedding dress is a way to keep your special day sustainable, given that wedding dresses come with a lot of hidden environmental costs. With the metres of tulle and embellishments that go into making them, they use a huge amount of resources."
The brand also adds that if you're a last-minute kind of person, hiring a wedding dress could be a godsend. "By hiring a wedding dress, you don’t have to worry about waiting for a long time for the gown to arrive. With rental wedding dresses being available at such short notice you won’t need to worry about changing size before the big day."
If you're sold on the idea of hiring your wedding dress, keep reading for the best places to rent your dress and advice from the experts...
Best Wedding Dress Hire Services
We've rounded up the very best wedding dress rental services. If you're looking to hire a wedding dress, read on!
Rixo Rental
In their bid to create conscious fashion, Rixo has created a rental platform, and while they don't have a dedicated 'wedding' section, but if you filter by white dresses, you'll be greeted by the brand's ethereal collection of modern wedding dresses, just waiting to be hired.
Don't fret about the gowns not fitting - Rixo's Fit Policy gives you your money back if the item doesn't fit you, you just need to return this item within 24 hours of your rental beginning, and once your item arrives back with the brand, a full refund, minus the dry-cleaning cost and delivery charge, is processed.
To rent the Simone dress above, it costs just £60.47 for four days - what a bargain!
John Lewis Fashion Rental
Everyone's favourite department store offers wedding dress rental - who knew? The selection is limited, with a collection of wedding dresses courtesy of Whistles and other mid-range brands on offer, with the sexy wedding dress above available for £38.85 for four days.
John Lewis's Fit Policy gives you your money back if your item doesn't fit. Return it within 24 hours of your rental beginning and once your item arrives back at John Lewis, a full refund, minus the dry-cleaning cost and delivery charge, will be processed.
By Rotation
By Rotation is an inclusive community-powered platform that allows users to lend and rent their clothes. Many brides are now renting wedding dresses for more spontaneous, smaller ceremonies while others are into non-traditional options such as non-white dresses.
"Hiring a dress on By Rotation is a super easy process," the brand tells Hitched. "Just browse online for your perfect dress, select the days you’d like to rent the item for and then get in touch with the lender. Most lenders will allow you to try on the dress before renting so you can ensure the item will fit on your special day."
The Devout
The Devout is a monthly rental subscription service for sustainable fashion fans. The brand is trying to make bridalwear more accessible and affordable for those who want to dress in stunning gowns for a fraction of the original cost.
You can rent a wedding dress and two other items for just £39-a-month. Other membership prices include the 5-items-per-month for £59, and a whopping 10 items per month for £99. The all-inclusive membership, which features laundry, delivery and collection, can be enjoyed on a rolling basis or as a one-off.
And, you’ll never pay any damage fees if you accidentally damage your rentals - it’s just send-back as normal.
Hurr
Hurr is a clothing rental platform that lets you join as a lender or a borrower (or both, if you want!), and it has dedicated bride and bridesmaid sections, so you don't have to trawl the site for hours on end.
Brands available to rent on the site include Grace Loves Lace (perfect for those looking for a boho wedding dress), Berta, Halfpenny London and more. Don't fret if you dress doesn't fit or suit you when it arrives. If you return this item within 24 hours, you'll receive a part-money, part-credit refund.
Rental of the gorgeous gown above costs costs £66.37 for four days, as reference.
Atelier Tammam
Atelier Tammam is a haute couture fashion house that offers bespoke design, fabric sourcing styling, and couture alterations. All their sample gowns are available for hire at a lower cost compared to buying a dress.
For very special occasions such as weddings, they even offer a bespoke hire service, meaning they will create one of their signature styles to exact size and detail specifications for half the price of a regular bespoke service.
The nearlywed can then return their customised dress to Atelier Tammam and their experts will give it a new life. Being an indie brand, they’re flexible and very happy to find a perfect solution for their clients.
The Bridal Gallery
The Bridal Gallery is a London-based specialist in bridal, special occasion wear and accessories. They have plenty of styles and brands for you to choose from even if your wedding day is only a week away and you don’t want to spend a ton on your wedding dress.
They’re one of the few boutiques that offer wedding dress rental services. From as low as £200, you can wear the designer of your dream without the stress of waiting and going over your budget. If you’re looking to rent a dress, book an appointment and reserve your rented wedding dress in advance to make it yours.
Something Borrowed
Something Borrowed is a wedding wear rental and resale service for brides and bridesmaids. Their aim is to make preloved and unwanted gowns for the wedding day accessible and more affordable while helping the modern nearlyweds reduce wedding waste and make more sustainable decisions.
To rent a wedding dress at Something Borrowed, you can follow three simple steps: try, borrow, and return. They also offer a two-day home try-on service at £75 that allows you to choose up to three styles to try in the comfort of your own home, and it is redeemable against the rental cost of your chosen dress.
Each and every piece in their bridal collection is designed and hand-made in London with the greatest care and crafted in sustainable fabrics.
Girl Meets Dress
Girl Meets Dress is a dress hire service with a big catalogue of items by hundreds of designers such as Self Portrait, Stella McCartney, and Suzannah. They have a dedicated wedding section that will satisfy the needs of both the brides and their guests.
The process of renting a dress through their website is simple. You browse, order, party, and return! A plus point for this site is the Advance Try On service. Select this option at the checkout and you will receive the dresses ASAP to choose check they fit, before sending them back to be redelivered for the big day.
MY WARDROBE HQ
Since launching in 2019, MY WARDROBE HQ has built up an attractive selection of designers including the likes of Stella McCartney, Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Saint Laurent, and Valentino. Each item has both rent per day and buy prices with the former going as low as £17 for a full wedding gown. Their bridal edits are both trendy and classic, meaning you're sure to find something you love.
Selfridges Rental
Selfridges Rental is a designer rental service with stylish items curated by their expert buyers. Currently, they don’t have a wedding section, but if you filter the clothes by colour, you will see a glorious selection of white dresses that you could totally rock at your intimate wedding day. If you’re feeling bold or unconventional, you also have plenty of choices of coloured gowns to choose from.
Something Borrowed Bridal
Something Borrowed Bridal is an Essex-based bridal rental service, which started after owner Alyson couldn't find anywhere to sell her own wedding dress - so instead, she launched a rental platform!
The rental prices start from £250 and go up to £600 depending on which dress you choose, and this covers the dry cleaning cost too. You still get the experience of going to a bridal shop and trying on dresses, but without worrying about where to store your dress or the additional expense of buying one.
How to Rent a Wedding Dress: What to Consider
For brides who are thinking of renting their wedding dresses, we spoke to Steve Bryant, the founder of The Devout, a fashion rental subscription service, to ask for his top tips. He advised, “Focus on the fit and not the size. Wedding dresses are cut differently depending on the style, particularly those with a train. Sometimes taking a size up to your usual can give you a little extra wiggle room while still giving the desired aesthetic.”
By Rotation emphasise the importance of measuring yourself before ordering, as you can't have a rental dress altered. "Before hiring a wedding dress, it’s important to have a good idea of your measurements, given that a lot of people will have their wedding dresses tailored to fit them," they say.
He emphasised on the use of accessories. For example, statement necklaces offer an elegant touch to elevate your look, so the bride should try several on to find the perfect match and keep the wedding theme in mind. He added, “Remember you’re in this all day – don’t forget to consider your comfort on the day.”
You can rent a wedding dress hassle-free online but you can also visit the rental dress shops and try on dresses there to save the delivery time. Many services allow you to rent for a week or even longer to suit your schedule.
Other than wedding dresses, you can also rent bridesmaid gowns, bridal accessories, shoes, clutches, and veils. Even though, technically, you can rent a dress on the same day as your wedding day, we advise to reserve it at least 3 months in advance.
Can You Hire Wedding Dresses?
It's pretty safe to say that yes, you can hire wedding dresses! So many different brands offer rental options for their wedding dresses that you'll be spoilt for choice.
How Much Are Wedding Dress Rentals?
How much it costs to hire a wedding dress is going to vary from wedding dress rental place - what we can say though is it's undoubtedly cheaper than buying a wedding dress. Yes, you don't get to keep the dress and you must return it, but you'll get the dress for a fraction of the cost, which is great if you're on a tight budget or love a gown that's out of your price range.
What Type of Nearlywed Does a Hired Wedding Dress Work Best For?
Rented wedding dresses work best for the savvy bride who spends smartly, always looks stylish and stays worry free without compromising on quality or design.
Hiring a wedding dress makes for some serious savings that a bride can keep, put towards an extended honeymoon, an extra special holiday or for an important shared project with her new spouse.
Do Hired Wedding Dresses Cover Every Size?
Yes! Most places cover sizes 4-26, as any normal boutique would.
Of course, it’s likely that there won’t be lots of choice in your preferred size, but lots of services will order styles in for you. Start looking early to see what is available in your size to make sure you can rent the wedding dress of your dreams.
Can I Go For a Fitting in a Store, or is Everything Done Online?
This depends on the service you choose, but lots of companies do have boutiques which you can visit to try the dress on. Remember to also look at the positives of ordering online, like being able to try the dresses on from the comfort of your own home and often being able to return anything you don’t like easily.
While the majority of rental wedding dress services don't have physical store for you to try on the gowns, many offer a fittings policy, which allows you to send the dress back if it doesn't fit, with you only being charged the cleaning and delivery fee.
What if I’m Having a Destination Wedding? Can the Borrowing Time be Extended?
Most dress rental services will extend borrowing time in this situation. Some even deliver and pick up direct to location if necessary.
Besides Wedding and Bridesmaids Dresses, What Else Can I Hire?
Lots of dress rental services offer exclusive bride and bridesmaid collections, bridal accessories and styling services.
It’s great to be able to hire high-end shoes, clutches, veils and hair accessories from the same place as your dress, and lots of companies will throw in the hire free of charge! You can also hire lots of wedding décor too.
How Far in Advance Does a Rental Wedding Dress Need to be Reserved?
Some dresses can be borrowed the same day, though for more popular styles, we would suggest booking at least three months in advance.
Still looking for an affordable wedding dress? Browse our edit of the best high street wedding dresses.
