Bride spends less than $10 on her wedding dress, says she 'still felt like a princess'

Why do weddings need to be expensive? Do we really need to shell out a lot of cash for one day? Sure, it's a celebration of love but some brides are paving the way to show that weddings don't need to be a costly affair. Take Rachel Connealy who ended up getting two pretty wedding dresses for under $10! "I still felt like a princess on my day," Connealy told Good Morning America. "I guess my own version of what a princess looks like." She thrifted the attire, getting one for $3 and another for $5, equaling a grand total of $8! Now, the 26-year-old Florida-based bride is advising other brides to look at thrift stores for their dream dresses. 

"You go to the wedding dress section of a thrift store and there's these beautiful white silks and vintage lace...and get creative with it," she said. Since the wedding dress was cheap, she was able to buy her bridesmaids their dresses. "For me, I would much rather have an experience than have this dress in a box that I can show my kids in 20 years that they're like, 'That's so out of style,'" she said. 

And she's not the only bride paving the way for more affordable weddings. Vlogger Kiara Brokenbrough wore a $47 wedding dress and spent only $500 on her entire wedding. She told Insider, "Our wedding began with an intimate, 30-person ceremony in an outdoor location that we did not have to pay for. We rented 30 chairs for $76 and a triangle-shaped arch for $230. The flower petals, cake, and the runner on the floor were all gifted to us, and for the reception, we all went to a nearby restaurant where everyone paid for their own food and drink. I decided to share clips from a video of me trying on the dress on TikTok a few weeks after my wedding. As more and more people watched it, many soon-to-be brides began commenting that I inspired them to opt for a less expensive dress too. I'm glad my video was able to positively address the pressure that a lot of women feel to splash out on a wedding outfit, and the supportive response made me all the more confident that I made the right decision with my dress."

The new generation of brides seems to be opting for far more affordable options from thrift shops and online retailers. The TikTok hashtag #CheapWeddingDress has nearly 400,000 views, while #CheapWedding has 4.2 million, according to The New York Post. “I feel like a lot of younger people now want to travel more, or they’re like, ‘Wait, I can put this towards my honeymoon, or I can put this towards an experience,’” Connealy told the outlet. It looks like people are becoming more focused on experiences over material things.