DALLAS — Springtime means wedding season and if you have ever planned one yourself, the details can be daunting. The ritual of marriage might be steeped in tradition but the trends and fads are constantly changing.
Especially when it comes to wedding dresses.
“The shift in style is every four to five years,” said Amber Harris, the owner of Mockingbird Bridal. “One of the first questions we ask is ‘what is their venue like?’ Where are they getting married to set the tone of the wedding.”
It is not just varying styles and colors but a WFAA story archived in the SMU Jones Film Library from 1976 reported on an emerging trend at the time in the world of bridal gowns.
Long considered a family heirloom often passed down from mother to daughter, brides in the 1970s looking for new yet cheaper styles began renting their wedding dresses.
The story reported the average price of buying a wedding dress was between $100 and $200, while rentals could be had for just $50.
But in the wedding industry today, rentals – and those prices – are a thing of the past, according to Harris.
“There are no rentals these days. Brides are picking out their own personal style and flair,” Harris told WFAA.
Harris said the average wedding gown now costs between $1,800 to $3,000, and brides who do not hold onto their wedding dresses will sell them online or to consignment stores.
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