Asda Taps into the Budget Bridal Opportunity

Released through its own-brand clothing range George, the collection (with prices ranging from £24/$30 to £32/$41) taps into myriad burgeoning lifestyle and aesthetic trends.

Leaning into Spending Less is one of our key Look Ahead trends for 2025. Amidst an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, value for money and rewearability have swiftly become paramount consumer concerns when it comes to discretionary spending on apparel and occasionwear (read Fashion & Frugality for more).

This is becoming more relevant as both wedding ceremonies and receptions increasingly lean smaller, more casual and lower-budget – a trend that was gaining momentum even pre-pandemic and has stuck around as living costs have risen.

Asda’s versatile designs lend themselves aesthetically to modern mix-and-match approaches to bridesmaid styling, whereby it’s more important (especially among Gen Zers and millennials) to have bridal parties in similar colours than exactly matching styles. This allows individual bridesmaids to choose silhouettes and styles that they feel comfortable in. With sizes going up to a UK 24, Asda’s collection was made with size inclusivity in mind.

This clever move (which Asda says was informed directly by consumer demand for affordable bridesmaid dresses) indicates the breadth of opportunity in weddings and other special occasions for mass-market and budget-friendly brands. Fellow British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s clothing brand Tu clocked this in 2023 with the release of its bridal range that started at £22 ($28). Prior to bridesmaid dresses, Asda has made bridal lingerie since 2012 – but there’s still much opportunity to mine.