8 Best Places to Rent a Wedding Dress

For brides looking to save money on their wedding, renting a wedding dress is a simple solution that can save up to thousands of dollars.

All rental dresses arrive clean, freshly pressed, and ready for you to slip on right out of the box. Plus, you’ll cut the cost more because none of these sites require you to professionally clean the gown before you send it back.

If dress size is a concern, you’ll enjoy knowing that some sites have the option to add a “backup” in case your regular size doesn’t fit as it should.

So do yourself – and your pocketbook – a favor and check out these best places to rent a wedding dress for your big day.

Top Places for Wedding Dress Rentals

Perhaps you think renting your wedding gown seems like an unusual concept. But have you thought about what you will do with it after you say I do?

After you spend all that money, you could sell your dress, yet most brides admit it sits in the back of their closet collecting dust.

Instead of spending a small fortune, here are the best places to rent your wedding dress.

1. Rent the Runway

You might be familiar with Rent the Runway because of their wardrobe subscription service. In exchange for a monthly fee, designer styles show up on your doorstep, so you never run out of clothing to wear.

Because the service gives you access to top fashion pieces, it’s popular among college students, working women, and moms who want to save money but still look great.

But did you know Rent the Runway has wedding dress rentals, too? It’s true – renting your wedding gown is a cinch with Rent the Runway. Plus, it could save you thousands of dollars over the cost of buying one.

With a selection of dresses from over 300 designers available on the website or mobile app, you’re sure to find a style you like.

You can see pictures of how the item fits and the size and occasion it was selected for. Plus, the height and body type of each person in the review can help you decide if that dress is a “yes.”

Returning your gown is hassle-free, given that Rent the Runway includes a prepaid return shipping label with your order.

2. One Night Affair

One Night Affair is an innovative online gown rental company that dates back to 1979. They recognize the high cost of buying designer gowns and work to help you look your best by renting gorgeous styles at a fraction of the retail price.

If you expect all the glamour and flair of a red carpet experience for your wedding day, One Night Affair is your one-stop shop.

The biggest downside is that they’re located in Los Angeles, California, and they only see brides by appointment.

Although, if a destination wedding in L.A. is an option, or if you live in or around the area, One Night Affair combines your perfect dress rental with a full line of services to make you stand out on your special day.

The staff will manage your dress, hairstyle and makeup application with the care and precision every bride deserves. For more elegance, lash extensions can add a finishing touch to complete your look.

If going above and beyond is something you desire, One Night Affair also has wedding veils, accessories and reception dress rentals for a full array of bridal attire.

Even pets become part of your celebration with a tailor-made outfit to match the design and theme of the wedding party.

Seeing as you’re renting the dress on-site, you won’t pay shipping costs or worry about delays. Plus, you’re sure to have the perfect fit since you’re trying on your dress in person at the store.

3. Etsy

One of the perfect places to find wedding anything is Etsy. The site is famous for artisans selling their amazing crafts online.

Etsy also has wedding dresses available for rent. Make sure to look closely when searching. Some of the dresses are only available to rent for photo shoots.

When we did a wedding dress rental search, 239 dresses came up. That is a great selection to choose from. Next we had to find one that works.

When we looked through the dresses offered, it was fun to see they offered a great variety from traditional to pregnancy wedding dresses.

The check out process is similar to shopping on Etsy. The seller will offer their terms for rental length and shipping costs. Some sellers even offer free shipping as well.

4. Borrowing Magnolia

Borrowing Magnolia is not technically a rental service. However, it is a second-hand retailer of used wedding dresses (and bridesmaid dresses and accessories). 

Once you are done with your perfect dress, you can just as easily resell it. There are no commissions or hidden fees for using their services. 

You will pay them a small service charge when you buy your dress at up to 80% off the original retail price!

This website allows you to search for your dream dress by size, price, style or designer. Each thumbnail displays not only a picture of the dress, but it also conveniently includes the size and percentage savings you are to expect. 

When you click into the dress you want,  you are then greeted with all the extra information you might need before buying the wedding dress: silhouette, neckline, condition, etc. 

Once you’ve made your decision, you can easily contact the seller to finalize the transaction. 

Borrowing Magnolia offers the same service for bridesmaids dresses and for wedding accessories. They have an expansive selection of high-quality items to choose from. 

Everything you might need for the wedding of your dreams is just a couple clicks away. And when you are done with your outfit, you can conveniently relist everything you don’t want to keep on the website. 

5. Fashion Pass

Fashion Pass is a subscription service which allows you to rent as many outfits as you want for a reasonable monthly fee.

The most basic package, the Socialite, offers two outfits and one accessory to be rented out at any given moment, while the most advanced package allows four clothing items and three accessories to be loaned. 

The beauty of this service is that you have unlimited rentals. So as soon as Fashion Pass receives your outfit and/or accessory return, you are immediately able to rent another item consistent with your monthly package. 

Although this service is not exclusively a wedding dress rental service, it is perfect for coordinating all your wedding events. 

Fashion Pass has everything you need for engagement parties, bachelorette weekends, rehearsal dinners and morning brunches. 

If you specifically need a bridal gown, Fashion Pass has a nifty search feature that allows you to filter by clothing style, color, size, brand or even by occasion (e.g bridal, brunch, casual, vacation, etc.).

When you select the “black tie” event with “white only” dresses, you encounter a variety of potential wedding gowns to use for your big day (not to mention all the wonderful accessories, too)!

6. Janet Mandell

If you want the high-end, luxury experience without the steep price tag, then you need to give Janet Mandell a try! 

Not only do they have something for every occasion, but they also provide the option to text with a stylist any time between 10 AM and 10 PM. 

If you are local to Chicago or Los Angeles (New York coming soon!), they do offer a showroom experience where you can make an appointment for a fitting and styling session. 

Once you’ve said yes to the dress, they provide temporary alterations to adjust length and straps with their in-house stylist. 

Janet Mandell truly wants you to dress like you own it! Then after your event, simply text them the tracking number. They will even provide you with a UPS return label for a small fee. 

For the complete online experience, Janet Mandell offers an online inventory of their design pieces. Simply text them to chat with your stylist and reserve your dress! 

They allow you to rent the item for 4 days and then you would need to coordinate your return of the dress via UPS. 

Some of the designers to rent carried by Janey Mandell include Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta and others! 

Keep in mind, the price to rent out these gowns hover around $1500, so it might be a little steep. But compared to the original retail price, it is significant savings for a beautiful designer dress! 

7. Nearly Newlywed

Nearly Newlywed is an exclusive, online wedding gown purchase site with new, sample and pre-owned dresses up to 90% off and risk free returns! 

Each listing contains a plethora of information regarding the gown, as well as multiple pictures of the dress modeled by the previous owner on the big day.

This website works pretty much exactly how you think it would. You are able to browse through their online selections and search by design, silhouettes and style. 

What separates this site from the others is their unique White Glove Verification service. With this $50 add-on, you are able to have a member of Newly Newlywed thoroughly check the gown for any blemishes, stains or imperfections prior to shipping it out. 

They will also collaborate with the seller to put together detailed pictures and videos of the dress from head to toe. You will have the option to provide a final verification before they ship the dress to your doorstep. 

Delivery will typically take about three weeks. Once you receive the dress, you then have 5 days to return the item for any reason for a small fifty dollar fee. 

The convenience of Nearly Newlywed lies in its resale policy. If you purchase through their site, your dress is automatically approved for relisting for sale after your wedding day. 

Once you provide photos and a detailed, authentic description of the dress, they charge you a one-time listing fee of $19.99. When the dress finally sells, Nearly Newlywed will issue you 70% of the final sale price of the garment. 

So, although they are technically not a wedding dress rental platform, you can make back most of your money when you sell it through them.

8. Tulerie

Tulerie is an interesting hybrid option. You won’t find your traditional wedding gowns, but when you search white dresses, you can certainly find plenty of options for a low key ceremony. 

When you download the Tulerie app, you are given access to other app users who have given you a glimpse into their closets. 

You can request to borrow an article of clothing from the lender for 4, 10 or 20 days, depending on what works best with your schedule. 

On the last day of your rental period, use the original packaging to return it to the lender. You don’t even need to worry about cleaning the item! 

Through their website, Tulerie does not have rentals or borrowing capabilities. It is solely high-end garments for final sale. So you definitely want to download this app and give it a try!

Summary

If cost is a concern when planning your wedding, why not consider renting the dress. It is a great idea considering it will only be worn one time.

Our rental sites listed above offer a variety of rental types, styles and hopefully offered some great tips for your special day.