“I bought a Vivienne Westwood wedding dress on Vinted – and saved £3.5k”

A savvy bride bought a second-hand designer wedding dress from Vinted and saved £3.5k. Alice Bolster, 30, has always loved vintage fashion and set her heart on getting a second-hand wedding dress.

She spent time curating a Pinterest board of antique and vintage style ideas. She ended up buying a second-hand £700 Charlie Brear dress – worth £2,200 – from a charity bridal shop, but still wasn’t sure it was ‘the one’.

Alice kept looking at Vinted and couldn’t believe it when she found a ‘dream’ Vivienne Westwood dress – worth around £5,000 to £6,000 new. She bought the dress for £2.5k – saving £3.5k – and says it made her feel “special and beautiful” on her big day on June 1, 2024.

Alice, a graphic designer from Teddington, London, said: “I never felt like getting a new wedding dress was an option. It wouldn’t have felt authentic. I would have felt guilty.

“We clicked on wedding dresses and entered the brand as Vivienne Westwood. This came for £2.8k. I thought, “Oh my God, I love it so much.”

“I sent a message asking about the measurements and asked ‘would you do it for £2.5k?’ It is literally my dream dress. Fits like an absolute glove. Had to be.”

Alice grew up with her mother, Ruth Darby, 63, who championed second-hand and vintage fashion. She said: “He’d be grumpy with me if I got an ASOS order.”

Alice now primarily shops for herself and says her wardrobe is 95% second-hand. She shops at boot sales, charity shops and Vinted and Depop.

She set up her own business We Go Full Circle in October 2021, where she sells vintage pieces she finds and styles. When her now-husband George Bolster, 30, a consultant, proposed in June 2023, Alice knew she wanted to find a second-hand wedding dress.

She said: “I really wanted a second-hand one. I wasn’t sure what I wanted.”

Alice set a top budget of £2,5000 to £3,000, but initially found the ideal dress for under £4,000. She found a dress in a charity bridal shop but it didn’t fit her.

Alice said: “I wasn’t sure it was definitely the one. I kept struggling watching Vinted”.

But when Alice came across Vivienne Westwood in January 2024, she knew she had to get it. She said: “I knew I liked it. I had a vision. It fit perfectly. It was a robbery.”

Alice believes her style is worth between £5,000 and £6,000. She also gave her bridesmaids £30 each to find a second-hand outfit for her wedding – most of them found their dresses on Vinted. Her mother, who works for Oxfam, wore a vintage 1920s blouse and green satin trousers that she already owned.

Her father, Andrew Darby, 65, a retired accountant, wore a suit that he has been wearing since the 1990s. Alice loved wearing her dress that day.

She said: “I felt like she was the one – the one I dreamed of. He made me feel special and beautiful. There are so many second-hand dresses.”

Alice is trying to rent out her dress so others can wear it – but she’s still undecided.