As Carrie Symonds rents her wedding dress (for £45!), here's our edit of the best bridal gowns to borrow for the big day
Planning a wedding is hard work. Just ask the countless brides-to-be who thought they'd finally ticked everything off their list only for a global pandemic to wipe out the entire event...
But now that they're finally back up and running - albeit with restrictions - and you juggle managing that 30-person guest list with florists, caterers and bands, there comes a point in every rookie-wedding-planner's schedule that details surrounding everyone else's enjoyment must be put on hold (who cares if Auntie Karen hates both the meat and veggie options, she can bring a sandwich) and full focus must go on the dress.
THE dress. The one you'll likely only ever wear once, but the one that you have to LOVE more than ANY other dress you've EVER worn.
The one that you'll have to speak fondly of for years to come, and glow in a newly-wed way every time you so much as think of it.
Oh, and the one you'll you'll also be presumed - by yourself and by others - to spend more money on than anything else you ever wear again. Does that all seem a little too much pressure to put on a dress?
How about we give it a little perspective. Sure, you want to adore your wedding dress, but does spending endless amounts of money (money that could well be better placed behind the bar), automatically render it your dream dress? Does having it collect dust as it hangs at the back of your wardrobe for decades really ensure it secures a place in your heart?
Thanks to the rise in rental fashion, there's a far more financially and environmentally sustainable answer.
Leading the charge this weekend was Carrie Symonds, who broke with tradition as she opted for something both old and borrowed for her wedding to Boris Johnson on Saturday afternoon.
Hiring her beautiful bell-sleeved Costarellos gown from rental fashion platform MyWardrobe HQ, Carrie not only made a major sustainable statement but also saved a lot of money.
Costing just £45 a day - a stark contrast to the dress's £2,870 price if bought new - she proved that it's very possible to wear the dress of your dreams on your wedding day without it having to cost the earth.
Earth Day is the perfect opportunity to look into the hot new way to shop…
"We have seen an increasing number of brides-to-be sign up on the app and make enquiries for their big day," revealed Eshita Kabra-Davies, founder of fashion rental app By Rotation.
"It's pretty common for the groom to rent his tux, but renting a wedding dress seems to be more unconventional even though it would be the perfect something borrowed."
"Having spoken to many brides and also reflecting on my own beautiful wedding dress sitting away in a box, I understand that wedding dresses can sometimes be a non-efficient purchase. I listed my wedding dress over lockdown and I love the idea of it carrying on a story instead of sitting in my closet."
Opening up about her own experience buying her own wedding dress (for £10,000) and now renting it out on the platform (for £1,000), Tatiana, a lawyer, admitted that: "If By Rotation existed at the time of my wedding, I would have certainly hired."
"A wedding dress is guaranteed to be the most expensive dress you'll ever buy and you are hopefully guaranteed to only wear it once. It really doesn't make sense to buy it."
"Also instead of spending countless hours on that dress, you should focus on planning the rest of your wedding - there is so much to think about. And of course you can make your outfit very personal with your hair, make up, accessories, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue."
Tempted? Scroll down to see our pick of the most beautiful wedding dresses available to rent right now...
Costarellos Wedding Dress To Rent
Carolina Herrera Wedding Dress To Rent
William Vintage Sourced Wedding Dress To Rent
Anna Georgina Wedding Dress To Rent
Gaurav Gupta Wedding Dress To Rent
Anouki Wedding Dress To Rent
Galia Lahav Wedding Dress To Rent
Ganni Wedding Dress To Rent
Matériel Tbilisi Wedding Dress To Rent
Peter Langer Wedding Dress To Rent
https://www.rotaro.co.uk/collections/dresses/products/marfa-ivory-tie-belt-satin-midi-dress?variant=32882348916813 Wedding Dress To Rent
Rani by Raja Wedding Dress To Rent
Monique Lhuillier Wedding Dress To Rent
Alba Eloisa Wedding Dress To Rent
Anushree Reddy Wedding Dress To Rent
Mira Zwillinger Wedding Dress To Rent
Monique Lhuillier Wedding Dress To Rent
Ilta Wedding Dress To Rent
Atelier Colpani Wedding Dress To Rent
Anna Georgina Wedding Dress To Rent
Jacquemus Wedding Dress To Rent
The Own Studio Wedding Dress To Rent
Elizabeth Fillmore Wedding Dress To Rent
Jenny Packham Wedding Dress To Rent
