Yes, you can rent a designer wedding dress. It is exactly what we do at Something Borrowed, where the rail is full of the labels most brides assume are out of reach. A Vivienne Westwood gown, a Pronovias silhouette, an Oui The Label dress that looks like it cost the earth. You get to wear it for your day, and then it goes on to be loved by the next bride, rather than sitting in a wardrobe for the next twenty years.
If you have fallen for a designer dress but blinked at the price tag, renting is the answer you have been looking for. Here is how it works, which designers you can choose from, and why so many brides are deciding that owning the dress matters far less than wearing the right one.
Which designer wedding dresses can you rent?
This is where Something Borrowed is a little different. We are not a high street rental rail with a few unbranded gowns. Our collection is built around real designers, the names you would recognise from the bridal magazines and the boutiques in town.
Right now you can rent from labels including:
- Vivienne Westwood, including the striking Cocotte gown and the dramatic Galaxy Cape for brides who want something with real presence.
- Pronovias, the Barcelona house known for its romantic, beautifully cut silhouettes.
- Oui The Label, for the modern bride who wants something soft, sculptural and a little bit different.
You will also find Rewritten bridesmaid dresses for the rest of the party and designer accessories to finish everything off. The whole bridal collection is there to browse, and we add to it often, so it is worth a second look if your date is a little way off.
Why rent a designer gown instead of buying one?
Buying a designer wedding dress is a serious outlay. Most sit somewhere between £1,500 and £6,000 or more, and that is before alterations, a veil, and the cleaning afterwards. For a dress you wear once, for a handful of hours, it is a lot to ask of any budget.
Renting changes the maths entirely. You pay a fraction of the retail price, which means the designer gown you thought you could only admire from a distance suddenly becomes the one you actually walk down the aisle in. The money you save stays where it matters, whether that is the honeymoon, the flowers, or simply not starting married life with a dress-shaped dent in your savings.
There is something freeing about it too. You are not committing to a single dress months before the day, hoping you still love it when the time comes. You can choose the gown that feels right, wear it beautifully, and let it go.
The pre-loved difference
Every gown we rent is pre-loved, which simply means it has been worn and loved more than once. We think that is a lovely thing, not a compromise. A dress that has already made one bride feel extraordinary carries a little of that with it.
It is also the kinder choice. The wedding industry produces an enormous number of dresses that are worn for a single day and then stored away forever. Renting keeps these beautiful, well-made gowns in circulation and out of the back of a wardrobe. One dress, many brides, far less waste. Sustainability is woven through everything we do, and renting designer is one of the easiest ways to marry well and tread lightly at the same time.
How the try-on works for designer gowns
A designer dress deserves to be tried on properly, which is why we bring it to you rather than rushing you through a showroom appointment.
- Book a home try-on. Choose your favourites and we send them to your door. The £75 four-day home try-on is redeemable against your rental, so if you go ahead, trying first costs you nothing extra.
- Live with them for four days. Try your shortlist on in your own light, with the people whose opinion actually matters. No mirrors full of strangers, no pressure to decide on the spot.
- Wear it, then send it back. Your chosen gown arrives freshly cleaned and pressed before your date. Afterwards, post it back with the prepaid label and we take care of the dry cleaning.
The whole point is to let you fall for a designer dress the way you should, slowly and certainly, in your own home.
Accessories to complete the look
A designer gown deserves the right finishing touches, and you can rent those too. Alongside the dresses you will find designer accessories, from a Sophia Webster bridal clutch to the veils and pieces that pull a look together.
It means you can build the whole picture in one place, all delivered to your door, all cleaned and ready, and all without the cost of buying things you will only use once.
Frequently asked questions
Which designers can I rent?
Something Borrowed stocks designer wedding dresses including Vivienne Westwood, such as the Cocotte gown and Galaxy Cape, Pronovias, and Oui The Label, plus Rewritten bridesmaid dresses and designer accessories like a Sophia Webster bridal clutch. The collection grows regularly, so it is worth checking back.
How much does it cost to rent a designer wedding dress?
You rent for a fraction of the retail price. Buying designer often costs between £1,500 and £6,000 or more, so renting keeps a great deal of that in your pocket. The £75 four-day home try-on is redeemable against your rental.
Is a pre-loved dress the same as second hand?
Pre-loved means each gown has been worn and loved more than once. Every dress is delivered freshly cleaned and pressed, so it arrives looking its best. It is the kinder, more sustainable way to wear designer, keeping beautiful gowns in use rather than tucked away.
How does the home try-on work?
We deliver your shortlist to your door for four days. Try everything on at home, keep what you love and return the rest with the prepaid label. The £75 try-on is redeemable against your rental.
Do you handle cleaning and returns?
Yes. Your gown arrives cleaned and pressed, and after your wedding you post it back using the prepaid label. We handle the dry cleaning, so there is no storage, no resale, and nothing left for you to sort out.
Browse the bridal collection and find the designer dress you thought was out of reach.