Mon 11 Jun 2007
In a marriage of discount and dreams, a major retailer wants to prove that a once-in-a-lifetime experience doesn’t require a once-in-a-lifetime investment. So here comes the bride… in a budget wedding gown from Target. The gowns, sold through Target.com for less than $200, have appeared in recent weeks on “Oprah” and on the pages of Lucky and Glamour magazines.
And they’ve caused a stir on fashion blogs, where their arrival has ignited a debate about whether there are any boundaries left when it comes to saving money. “It certainly is quite bold,” said Wendy Liebmann, president of WSL Strategic Retail, a New York-based consulting firm that has studied the bridal industry. “It’s taking them into an area where you say: ‘Wait a minute. Is it cheesy to buy your wedding dress at Target for $100?’ It’s a very delicate balance. If anybody has the brand equity to do it, Target is the one.”