Thread: Would You Buy Or Rent Wedding Gown?

Dan Onyema and Ngozi Okafor met in 1987 when they were undergraduates at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). Dan was in his second year and Ngozi was a first year student.

One thing led to the other and before their friends could say UNN, they became very good friends and did things together. The relationship grew so strong and popular that nearly all the students and lecturers knew about it. As fate would have it, both parents approved of the relationship. And as soon as Dan graduated, luck was on his side; he got a job in an information technology company and almost immediately proposed marriage to Ngozi.

Of course, that was her dream. She did not hesitate to accept Dan’s proposal. The next thing was the white wedding.

The date for the wedding fixed, the first thing that came to Ngozi’s mind was her wedding gown. She had always vowed to look her best on that special day and had dreamt of the type of wedding gown she would wear long before Dan even proposed to her.

But Ngozi is not alone in this craze for wedding gowns. Women especially have always looked forward to their wedding day. According to them, it is a day of joy in which one has to look her best.

According to Miss Maria Okoro of Oil Matters, Apapa, "your wedding gown should make you look like a princess because, when you look good you feel good, as it is a special day in your lifetime. This is why women go all out to get the best wedding gowns for themselves."

To get a wedding gown, the bride has to buy, rent or sow to look gorgeous at this once in a lifetime event. And, according to a market survey by Daily Independent, it was discovered that prices of wedding gowns range from N40,000 to as much as N150,000. Some of these gowns are very expensive because they are imported from abroad. If one prefers to sow, it could cost as low as N15,000 or N70,000 depending on the tailor, style and quality of fabric, while it costs between N2,000 and N10,000 to rent a wedding gown, depending on the quality.

Daily Independent

later sought the opinion of single girls on whether or not they would prefer to buy or rent wedding gowns for their weddings.

Tope Ajayi, a marketing executive, responded thus: "Why should I rent my wedding gown? I don’t mind getting the cheapest one at N10,000 rather than rent it. I would prefer to make my own gown. If I rent, what would I refer back to? That means as I am struggling to return chairs and tables after the wedding I would also be struggling to return wedding the gown so as not to pay demurrage."

Bosede Adedeji, a student of Lagos State University (LASU), said she would prefer to buy because she would want to have her own wedding gown.She stated why she couldn’t rent a wedding gown. "I wouldn’t want to rent because I don’t know weather the person that wore the wedding gown previously had skin disease or spiritual problem. Moreover, I don’t like sharing clothes with people especially if the person is not my blood sister."

Emem Bassey, a banker, also shares the views of the first two respondents. She said she would buy because it was a lifetime thing and she had always wanted her wedding gown to be very unique. She also hopes that her daughter could use it for her own wedding just as she would want to use her mother’s if it is readily available. She goes on to give other reasons why she would want to buy her own gown.

"It is not as if I’m hoping to get married today and divorce tomorrow. So, why should I rent? Moreover, do you know the number of people that must have worn the thing I was going to rent? Some people must have worn it and you don’t know how their marriages turned out. We are Africans and we must put that into consideration. There are a good number of tailors that can make beautiful wedding gowns at reasonable prices. I can make my own. It doesn’t necessarily speak well when you rent."

Ngozi Ahamefula, a nurse, has a different opinion. She would like to rent her wedding gown because it’s just a one day affair and cannot afford to spend so much money buying a wedding gown. "I would like to rent because after that day you won’t make use of it except you rent or give it out. You spend so much money buying it and it is just for one day. To me, it is a waste of money. I just like the idea of renting instead of buying."

"I would like to have my own wedding gown," says Nkoli Eboh, who helps her brother in his spare parts shop at Trinity Road, Olodi, Apapa. "I like it, so after using it I would keep it for my younger ones who will wed in future. Moreover, I would like to make it to my own taste." Another reason she would not want to rent a wedding gown is because of the position of Igbo culture. According to her, any Igbo woman who is properly wedded must be buried in her wedding gown. I would want to fulfill that cultural obligation.

And for Rose Okoli, a cosmetologist at Balogun Market, Lagos, she wouldn’t want to start making amendments on a wedding gown that does not belong to her. So, she prefers to make her gown to her own fitting and taste. "My wedding day would be a very special day for me, so I would do every thing to look beautiful. It is a once in a lifetime thing, so I have to look my best. Moreover, I would like to feel new in my wedding dress just like every other person feels when he or she is wearing a new dress," she concluded.

www.independentngonline.com

Either way, but I am leaning towards renting, becos I go wear am once, but I no wan wear wetin countless others don already wear, so you can say I am undecided.

It all depends on a person's philosophy towards money, their sentimentality level etc. There are people who would rather save money towards a house than spend $1000 - $50,000 on a dress. And there are those who want to keep the dress for memory sake - some used to pass the dress down to their oldest daughter but I don't think people do that kind of thing anymore.

Personally, I would rather buy a cost effective dress than rent one but I would make sure its the kind of dress that I maybe able to convert into another outfit - shorten it into a cocktail dress or something. I believe in recycling and I don't believe in spending $50000 on a dress.

Me, I would rather buy because I just can't see myself wearing a rented gown on my wedding day.

would rather buy my own wedding dress rather than rent

i would rather by my wedding dress it every girls dream for it to be perfect.i do not want to be seen in a rented gown, it is my day, i need to glory in it.

I would not rent a prom dress talkless of a Wedding Dress. It's something I would want to save.

Deninately buy my own.

Originally Posted by robeta_021

I would not rent a prom dress talkless of a Wedding Dress. It's something I would want to save.

My sentiments exactly!!

I would rather buy mine than rent.. I believe if you shop around well enough you can get it for a good price. However, that is dependent on how much money you feel you should be spending on the wedding gown.

Originally Posted by Candylecious

Either way, but I am leaning towards renting, becos I go wear am once, but I no wan wear wetin countless others don already wear, so you can say I am undecided.

...just look in the "We Just Sew Am Now Now" isle...
Pa

It depends on how important the wedding gown is to one. If it is extremely important and the one, one wants is beyond one's purse then renting it makes sense, besides it is an outfit worn only once. At the end of the day, it goes back in wraps and that's it. Personally, I would rather buy it, there is always the romantic dream that a daughter or daughter-in-law might sentimentally wear it again.