A Melbourne bride-to-be has shared her horror after discovering the $22 wedding gown she ordered online had an "X-rated" flaw.
The average Australian wedding costs over $69,000, so finding a way to shave off some of the expense is a necessity for many brides.
Which is why buying your wedding gown online from a budget overseas retailer can be quite tempting. Especially when you see glamorous shots of beautiful brides in gowns that cost as little as $22.
But we've all seen the disastrous results of those online shopping fails — they're hilarious and make for a funny social media post, but it's not something you want to risk on your big day.
Which is why after recently getting engaged, Melbourne-based blogger Tina Yong decided to try on a few of the budget wedding dresses from online store Wish that have been getting a lot of attention online lately — revealing the reality of wearing some is actually pretty X-rated.
In a video shared on her YouTube channel, Tina said the store's "Sexy Suspender Dress Mesh Openwork Perspective Princess Dress" — yep, it's a bloody mouthful — was nothing like it looked in the photos, stating it was completely see-through.
"If my mum saw me wearing this down the aisle, she would be mortified," she said after slipping into the $22 dress.
"This is very X-rated, this looks nothing like the photo. In the photo she looks really elegant and you can't see anything. This is like a curtain."
The YouTube star wasn't impressed with the glitter on this gown, describing it as 'cheap', Photo / YouTube
Tina explained you could see her "bra and undies" in the lacy design, adding she "might as well be naked walking down the aisle".
As well as the bizarrely sheer budget dress, she tried on a variety of others from the store — thankfully not all as revealing.
But a common complaint was the quality of the garments, which the bride-to-be felt often felt and looked "cheap".
A $19 glittery apricot-coloured dress — the Deep V Perspective Dress Skirt Lace Formal dress Prom Dress Sleeveless — failed to impress, especially when the glitter fell out everywhere and stuck to her skin.
There were also some traditional style bridal dresses, which at $38 were the most expensive of the bunch.
"This has a bit of weight to it, so maybe it's better quality," Tina said, trying on the Elegant Wedding Dress Vintage Champagne Church Wedding Gown.
The lace detail was "actually sewn on" and felt like the "best quality".
"This one was the most expensive. While I don't think I'd wear something like this and I'd probably go more fitted, it feels most like a wedding dress," she said.
BIG WEDDING RIP-OFF
News.com.au recently revealed hosting a wedding is a huge rip-off thanks to the "wedding tax", which essentially means you may be paying significantly more for services purely because they are for a wedding.
We put this theory to the test by contacting different services and seeing how much they charge for a wedding compared with a 40th birthday party.
When contacting people for quotes, we made sure the details of both of the events, like the number of guests, day of the week the event is planned for and start and finish time, were the same.
Two different venues both gave a quote of $10,600 to hire the space for a cocktail-style 40th birthday party that would have 100 guests.
This $22 dress has been getting a lot of attention online. Photo / Supplied
This price also included a canapes menu and beverages at both locations.
When contacted again about booking a cocktail-style wedding reception, with the same food, drinks and number of guests, one of the venues gave the same quote as they had given for the 40th.
The other venue, however, added another $10,600. Despite being given the same details as provided when asking about the birthday, the total estimate came to $21,000.
There was a similar outcome when getting quotes for a cake. A simple cake with minimal decorations that would be suitable for both events was requested.
