12 incredibly stylish wedding dresses under £500

For the chic yet budget-conscious bride.

high street wedding dresses

Wedding season is back on, and if you're on a budget, then may I interest you in one of the best high street wedding dresses? Whilst you might be saving on £££, you certainly won't be scrimping on style.

This season, there is a style to suit every bride, from retro mini dresses to tailored maxi gowns, romantic lace frocks to shimmering numbers and everything in between.

Brands such as Self-Portrait, RIXO and Whistles all offer gorgeous bridal collections for price-conscious brides-to-be unwilling to compromise on style. Whilst Net-A-Porter is known for its designer offering, it also has a great bridal section from contemporary brands and it's a great destination for alternative wedding dresses.

Options for traditional high street wedding dresses

For the traditional brides, the likes of Whistles and Monsoon are great for lace fishtail gowns or tailored maxi dresses. Meanwhile, boho brides will love ASOS and RIXO for the ‘60s and ‘70s-inspired styles.

Ideas for alternative high street wedding dresses

For something altogether more contemporary, some of my favourite high street stores are serving up tasteful separates which you can mix and match to create your own outfit. Think suiting, off-the-shoulder tops and minimalist silk slips.

Bridal mini-dresses are also trending at the moment, seeing a 229% increase in searches of late. We have a completely separate article for that one, if you're looking for a wedding dress on the shorter side. 

High street wedding dresses for every shape:

As well as all of these, I've found dresses to suit all shapes and heights - from bias-cut silk dresses to full-skirted traditional styles. Prefer to be a little more covered? There are some great long-sleeved wedding gowns that will solve your bridal dilemmas. Want your waist to stand out? Try a cinched style. Petite figures will suit all the lovely ruffle dresses that are so in at the moment, too.

I've handpicked the below dresses as I love each brand's take on wedding gowns. Keep on scrolling to pick your dream outfit from the best high-street wedding dresses available now. If you're looking for more inspiration, don't forget to check out my guides to the best places to rent designer wedding dresses and the best wedding guest dresses.

Shop wedding dresses under £500:

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.

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