Second Dress or Not to Second Dress?

That is the question!

So what is the answer? Lol.

White Spaghetti Strap Open Back Fishtail Hem Lace Hi-Lo Dress

I had a second dress for my wedding and it’s reported that Meghan Markle will as well. It has become a huge wedding trend in recent years and they range from the cheap to the ridiculously expensive and over the top.

The question is, is it even worth it?

The answer? It depends.

It can be very worthwhile to a bride to have a second dress for any number of reason. But, in my humble opinion, it only makes sense under one of these 3 conditions:

If you want a fun reception surprise
Its a big Trend now to want to wow your guests during the reception and a costume change will do just that. Make sure that you make a grand entrance.
If your wedding dress is very conservative and you want to sexy it up a little
There could be any number of reasons why your ceremony dress is more conservative. It could be for religious reasons or to please mom who sees you as her little princess. Whatever the reason it is a good way to compromise to make you and everyone else happy.
If you wanna dance
Not all bridal gowns are easy to dance in and if you want to be footloose and fancy free your reception dress is a great way to make that happen. You can choose a fun, flirty style and dance the night away.

If you meet one of these conditions my number one recommendation is to not break the bank. Your reception dress shouldn’t be more expensive than your ceremony dress and it shouldn’t blow up your dress budget either. It should be something you love but not be so over the top that you can’t enjoy your reception. You have worked so hard to get to this day you've earned the party that comes afterward and deserve to enjoy it.

For me, I wanted a fun reception surprise. The dress was a knee length dress from Cache (RIP). The skirt was fringe and my maid of honor (my sister) helped me pay for it because I didn’t want to break my budget and she knew I really wanted it. She’s the sweetest.

Check it out below.