The dress.

婚紗。

For some, what a bride wears on her wedding day is almost as important as the wedding itself.

對某些人而言，新娘在婚禮上穿什麼可說是跟婚禮本身一樣重要。

But for many brides, finding that perfect dress comes at a price, literally.

但對許多新娘而言，要找到完美婚紗可是有代價的，真的「帶價」。

So what makes these gowns so much more expensive than any other dress?

到底是什麼讓這些禮服比其他服裝還要貴上許多？

Bridal designer Lila Rose says it's the custom nature of a wedding gown that makes it so valuable.

婚紗設計師 Lila Rose 說是婚紗的特製性讓它如此有價值。

I think it's really about the quality of fabrications, the type of embroidery, the way that it's done, and you can really tell that it was done individually instead of being mass-produced and there really is a difference

我認為重要的是製作的品質、刺繡的樣式還有剪裁的方式，妳可以分辨說每件婚紗都是獨立製作的而不是大量生產的，這之中真的有不同之處。

Oftentimes, we're using Indian embroideries where all of that is hand done.

我們時常使用印度刺繡，全部都是手工繡上的。

There's a lot of different hand work in our gowns, so there really is this artisanal quality that does make each piece special and unique to its own self.

我們的婚紗使用了許多不同的工法，所以真的看得出上面有手工的品質，而這也讓每一件婚紗都是特殊而獨特的。

It's a very labor intensive process and I think that that's also what goes into the pricing of wedding gowns.

這是一個非常勞力密集的過程，而我想這反映在婚紗的訂價上。

It's not just that designers are saying "oh, you need it for your wedding, and I know you're willing to pay more".

而不只是像設計師說的：「 噢，妳婚禮上需要婚紗，而我知道妳願意付多一點錢。」

We know how important these pieces are and it's your one time to have this really amazing special gown and we treat it that way.

我們明白這些婚紗有多麼重要，而且一生只有一次機會能穿上這美好特別的婚紗，而我們也是抱持這樣的想法製作婚紗的。

Handcrafted details, custom fabrics, and excessive skilled labor all add to the garments final cost.

手工剪裁的細節、客製化的織料還有工人的技術全部都會被加到服裝的最終價錢上。

But Mark Ingram, owner of Manhattan based bridal boutique Mark Ingram Atelier, says it's just as much about the experience of dress shopping as it is about the dress itself.

但 Mark Ingram，曼哈頓婚紗店 Mark Ingram Atelier 的老闆表示重要的是購買婚紗的過程而不是婚紗本身。

The trick to understanding pricing and value of a wedding dress really is about the make and the fit.

去了解一件婚紗的定價與價值的要點其實是製作與新娘試穿的過程。

At say $49 retail, if you're getting a dress online.

這麼說好了，一件在網路上賣 49 美元的零售婚紗。

Somebody's got to give.

一定有人會妥協。

But it's also about the experience, you know?

但購物的經驗也很重要，懂嗎？

You're paying for the dress.

妳付的是婚紗的錢。

You're paying for being in a retail environment, a brick-and-mortar store, that has to staff, has to pay rent has fixed overheads as well.

還有零售環境的錢，一個實體店面還得有員工、租金和其他固定開銷。

These things are all factored into the price that a dress.

這些東西都是婚紗訂價的要素之一。

You're asking for service, you're getting service.

妳要求服務，妳就得到服務。

In this day and age, there's so many other ways to purchase a wedding dress.

現在這個時代有太多其他方式可以購買婚紗。

I think that shopping for a wedding dress in a retail store with the true wedding professionals.

但我認為在真正的婚紗專家的幫忙下在婚紗店購買婚紗才是最好的。

Ordering a Couture dress and having a Couture experience and being sized and fitted in alterations.

從訂購婚紗到整體的經驗，包含被丈量或是試穿量身訂做的婚紗。

It's nothing like that process.

這種經歷是難能可貴的。

They're once-in-a-lifetime process, and I think you should never miss it.

這是絕無僅有的經歷，而我認為妳不該錯過。

It wasn't always this way.

並不是一直都是這樣的。

Up until the mid 1800s, most women wore something from their closet.

直到西元 1800 年中期，大多數的女人只會穿衣櫥裡有的衣服。

Often leaning towards colorful garments that were easier to clean.

通常會傾向於選擇色彩鮮豔又好清理的服裝。

But in 1840, Queen Victoria broke the status quo by opting for a satin ivory colored dress.

但在西元 1840，維多利亞皇后打破了現狀，選擇了象牙白的絲綢禮服。

Magazines helped spread the story and thus the iconic white wedding dress was born.

雜誌大肆宣傳了這個故事，最經典的純白婚紗禮服因此誕生。

And it's an image that's still promoted in pop culture today.

現今流行文化也依然會推廣這樣的形象。

When I get married, I'm wearing something like that, only bigger.

當我結婚的時候，我要穿得像那樣，只是更大件。

I do love it.

我愛死了。

Of course not every wedding dress on the market costs an arm and a leg.

當然並不是所有市面上的婚紗都所費不貲。

Today, more and more brides are looking at secondhand gowns as a way to cut costs.

現今有越來越多的新娘會選擇二手婚紗來減少支出。

And sites like wish.com are gaining an infamous reputation for their bargain bin priced gowns

而像 wish.com 的網站，因站上廉價的婚紗而聲名狼藉。

Don't I look like a beautiful bride, well?

不覺得我看起來像個美麗的新娘嗎？

Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it usually is.

記住了，如果它看似太美好而不真實，別期望太大。

Ultimately, it comes down to basic economics.

最終，問題又回到基礎經濟學。

If something is only worth as much as someone else is willing to pay, then the question remains "what is the dream dress worth to you?"

如果大家對想買的東西金額心裡都有一把尺，那麼問題來了：「 妳心目中的婚紗值多少錢 ？」