7 benefits of renting your wedding dress like Carrie Symonds

The Prime Minister’s new wife chose to rent her bridal gown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Carrie Johnson in the garden of 10 Downing Street after their wedding on Saturday (PA Media)

You might think the soon-to-be wife of the Prime Minister would shell out thousands for a bespoke bridal gown, but Carrie Symonds reportedly chose to hire the dress she wore to marry Boris Johnson at a cost of just £45 per day.

Symonds, 33, is said to have ordered three other dresses in different colours from My Wardrobe HQ alongside her ivory Costarellos gown to avoid raising suspicion when it was delivered to Downing Street.

While most brides don’t have to worry about keeping their nuptials under wraps, there are lots of other reasons why you should consider renting your wedding dress…

1. Hiring is significantly cheaper

Weddings are a very expensive business. Whether you’re on a strict budget or would rather put the cost of a gown towards a once in a lifetime honeymoon, hiring bridalwear is far cheaper than buying.

Symonds’ appliquéd embroidered tulle gown, for example, retails at £2,870, but rental starts from just £45 per day. Keen on that particular dress? Keep an eye on My Wardrobe HQ. It will be back in stock soon, but you’ll have to be quick, we think it will be in high demand this summer.

2. It’s more sustainable

What with the metres of tulle, silk, lace and embellishments that go into making bridal gowns, they use an awful lot of resources and many are only worn once. Renting a dress (or suit – bridal tailoring is a trendy option) can be much more eco-friendly.

3. It’s an affordable way to nab a designer gown

Your bridalwear budget may not allow you to buy a designer gown, but if you’re renting at a fraction of the cost, you might be able to afford a high-end dress. Other well known designers available on My Wardrobe HQ include Monique Lhuillier, Viktor and Rolf and Marchesa.

4. Hiring is easy

Wedding dress hire is as simple as online shopping. You browse online to find your perfect gown, select the dates you need it and for how long, then wait for it to arrive. Some sites let you try more than one size, or you may want to do a trial run with a few dresses ahead of the big day, to make sure you get the perfect fit.

To send the dress back, most companies provide prepaid return labels or courier pick-up, and you don’t have to worry about dry cleaning the dress, that’s all taken care of. You will have to be a bit careful, as you may have to pay for any major stains or damage to the dress.

5. You won’t have to wait long

Bespoke dresses can take months to complete and even minor alterations to a ready-made dress can take weeks. Rental dresses are available at short notice, so there’s no need to worry you won’t be the same size as when you ordered the dress.

6. You won’t have to decide what to do with it after

Unable to part with their beloved – and very expensive – purchase, many brides hang onto their wedding gown for years, even though they have no intention of wearing it again. With a hired dress, you have to send it back, so it won’t take up valuable wardrobe space for years to come.

7. It can be your ‘something borrowed’

According to the old rhyme, every bride must have ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’ on her wedding day. By hiring your gown, you’ve automatically got your ‘something borrow’ sorted.