Wedding Gown: Should I go 'all-in'?

It is surprising that I have not written an article on wedding gown. Should a bride go 'all-in' for a wedding gown? My answer has always been '100% yes' until recently. It's been 4 years since my wedding and I have been regretting that I did not spend more to pick an even nicer dress since then. (For your reference, I spent $2500 on a Justina McCaffrey dress.) Now, my husband and I start to have a hard time remembering our wedding anniversary, and this is the time when I realize I could have done a lot with that $2500.

I am not saying you should buy a cheap dress. NEVER buy a cheap wedding gown, as you will look cheap real-time and on your photos! I am saying there can be ways to buy a premiere designer gown with less.

One store I like which sells discounted bridal couture:

Glamour Closet in San Francisco, where you can get excellent labels for less. The nice thing is no appointment is required. This is what I called the 'win-win' situation - wear a nice gown on your wedding, while saving the money to do other things that are valuable in your life.