According to statistics in September 2016, the average cost of a wedding in the UK is £20,000. This is a great deal of money and one that a lot of people can't afford to spend but most people do not want to compromise on their dream wedding and therefore have to come up with ideas to reduce costs. One way to save a little bit of money on your big day would be to have your bridesmaids and wedding dress made instead of bought off the rack. Using Bridal Fabrics from our selection at Calico Laine, you can either make the dresses yourself or have them professionally made. Although it sounds like having a dress made especially for you by a dressmaker would be costly, it can actually work out much cheaper than paying for a designer wedding dress. On average, brides spend around £375 on bridesmaid dresses and a whopping £2,000 on a wedding gown. This can seem a little excessive for one day, even if it is something you may have been dreaming of since you were a little girl! By finding a good dressmaker and a pattern you like, bridesmaid dresses and your own wedding dress can be made at a fraction of the cost. There are a number of Bridal Fabrics to choose from including the traditional duchess satin, satin back crepe, satin back dupion, chiffon, georgette and lace. No matter what style is suited to you, there will be a Bridal Fabric available at Calico Laine. One of our most popular Bridal Fabrics for bridesmaid dresses is cationic chiffon. With a large range of colours to choose from, there is likely to be a colour to match or tone in with the colour theme you have chosen for your wedding. Three years ago, my sister and brother-in-law got married in Cyprus and myself and two other bridesmaids wore turquoise cationic chiffon dresses. These were pleated across the waist and had a polyester/spandex lining. They were perfect for a beach wedding and as they were made especially for us, they were unique as well as being cost effective compared to dresses that were in bridal or department stores. The cost of the fabric for each dress was around £30 which even when you add the cost of the dressmakers fees on top, was much cheaper than anything that we could have bought in a dress shop. Since the royal wedding in 2011, lace has been a particularly sought after Bridal Fabric. Lace dresses in the bridal boutiques can be expensive however if you buy lace and use this as an overlay to a plainer dress, you can achieve a stunning effect without the cost. At Calico Laine, we offer a large selection of corded lace Bridal Fabrics which would be perfect for creating this look. By adding some beads on top of the lace, you can add a bit of sparkle to your dress to make it stand out and most people would never know that you didn't have a designer dress on!