Buying a dress off of a suuuper cheap site: AliExpress, Shein, etc.

lol…. I know how this sounds.

I have a dress that I absolutely adore (pictured). It has all the elements that I want (sleeves, slit, CORSETTED), which are proving to be quite difficult to find in store, for some reason.

I’ve found dupe dresses on AliExpress (I know.. terrible, unethical). I’m wondering if anybody has any experience buying their wedding dress off of a site like this? Is it worth it? Is the quality trash? Should I just bite the bullet and spend more? Is there a more ethical dupe somewhere out there that’s calling my name?

I’ve been looking out on second hand sites, thrift shops, Etsy, and even marketplace. I’m open to Frankenstein-ing a dress together by a seamstress if I can find a similar base dress, I think the lace should be easy enough to add. However, I can’t seem to find one that’s ivory and corsetted. Unsure of how easy a slit is to add, someone I know said this was an absolute pain in the butt with their seamstress.

I want to look and feel beautiful. Unfortunately, I just can’t justify spending over $2500CAD on a dress I’m going to wear twice (two ceremonies) :( I don’t want to rent. I’m hoping to spend around $1000CAD absolute max! Please tell me if I’m being completely unrealistic lol. Clearly, this is my first time doing this… lol. Please be gentle.

Any other ideas? What’s your advice? Help!

lol…. I know how this sounds.

I have a dress that I absolutely adore (pictured). It has all the elements that I want (sleeves, slit, CORSETTED), which are proving to be quite difficult to find in store, for some reason.

I’ve found dupe dresses on AliExpress (I know.. terrible, unethical). I’m wondering if anybody has any experience buying their wedding dress off of a site like this? Is it worth it? Is the quality trash? Should I just bite the bullet and spend more? Is there a more ethical dupe somewhere out there that’s calling my name?

I’ve been looking out on second hand sites, thrift shops, Etsy, and even marketplace. I’m open to Frankenstein-ing a dress together by a seamstress if I can find a similar base dress, I think the lace should be easy enough to add. However, I can’t seem to find one that’s ivory and corsetted. Unsure of how easy a slit is to add, someone I know said this was an absolute pain in the butt with their seamstress.

I want to look and feel beautiful. Unfortunately, I just can’t justify spending over $2500CAD on a dress I’m going to wear twice (two ceremonies) :( I don’t want to rent. I’m hoping to spend around $1000CAD absolute max! Please tell me if I’m being completely unrealistic lol. Clearly, this is my first time doing this… lol. Please be gentle.

Any other ideas? What’s your advice? Help!