Wedding hire companies will be able to provide you with absolutely everything you might need for your big day. It really just depends on your budget. Buying a wedding dress is a considerable expense, and so you might be considering renting your wedding dress to save a bit of money. After all, you're only going to need to wear a wedding dress once (well, hopefully anyway). Renting a dress enables you to wear a lavish designer gown for a fraction of the cost of buying it. Should you opt to rent, there are a few things you need to be aware of once you've found your dream rental wedding dress.

1. Just Like a Rental Car

You might have heard horror stories about people who drive their rental car away, only to be charged for pre-existing damage when they return the vehicle. They should have noted the damage before taking possession of the car, and you need to do the same with your dress. Carefully inspect the garment before you take it away. Look for any tiny imperfections, whether it's a small tear, a tiny stain or discolouration, or even loose stitching. You need to ensure that any problems are noted as already being there before you take the dress away.

2. In Case of Damage

You will be wearing your dress all day, and you will be putting the dress in a small amount of jeopardy during this time. You will be eating, drinking, and dancing (possibly outdoors, depending on the location of your wedding). While you will do your utmost to look after the dress, accidents can happen. If the dress is damaged, what is your liability? Do you need to pay for any damage, or will you actually need to replace the dress? You should enquire whether or not the dress hire company offers any kind of liability insurance in the event of damage. You will be charged a small additional fee should such insurance be possible, but it can be worth it. You don't want to worry each time you pick up a glass of red wine. Some hire places will have a type of insurance in the form of the deposit you need to pay when renting the dress. If the dress is damaged, you might not need to pay for any repairs, but you might also not get your deposit back.

3. If Alterations Are Needed

Are alterations possible? Many hire companies will rent the dress "as is," but if you choose your dress fairly early on and then your weight changes, you need to have a backup plan. Find out whether alterations are possible, and if not, does the hire company allow you to choose a second dress in your size for no additional fee?

4. Cleaning and Returning

Is dry cleaning required? This is often the case, and you will need to know. You need to have the dress dry cleaned while still leaving enough time to return the dress to the hire company by its due date. Some hire companies might also require that you take the dress to a specific dry cleaning company.