HerCanberra Wedding Series: what the women wore

Posted on 18 June, 2014

Selecting your wedding dress is the most exciting part of the planning process. If you are anything like me you’ve been picturing it since you were 11 years old. Since those early days of dreaming,  the style has most definitely evolved to what I ended up choosing for my most special of days.

The Dress

I’ve had my heart set on an Anna Campbell design since we first got engaged. Anna is a young Australian bridal designer based in Melbourne but with boutiques scattered along the coastline.

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So why didn’t I get a dress from Canberra? I’ll cut to the chase by saying there is still a lack of bridal boutiques that offer unique styles that steer away from your classic strapless top half with puffy bottom. Before you roll your eyes let me say this is my opinion only and I’m sure that there are many brides who have been completely satisfied with their purchases here in Canberra. We have some amazing local designers, like bridal couturier Vicky Kidd-Gallichan of Rockstars and Royalty, but I wanted a particular style, so there was no messing about…I knew exactly where I needed to head.

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The Isabella gown is the one that I wore, its hand beading made me swoon. It’s extremely feminine with a hint of vintage bling- I fell in love and knew this was the one. My Mum and sister still insisted we go and look in every other bridal shop, by the end of the day I was exhausted. This was a custom made dress and was fitted over three fittings which I was more than happy to accommodate.

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And the price you ask? This will all depend on your budget, I know some girls who’ve been completely happy with a $200 ebay purchase. So my advice is to pay whatever you feel comfortable with. This gown was just under $5000 and I was happy to pay every cent of that…after I took a big gulp. The detail and care is evident in every stitch and I felt like a princess in it.

The Bridesmaids

The task to find my bridesmaids dresses was the first time I felt stressed out in the whole wedding organising process. Having seven bridesmaids, two of which were pregnant, one who lived overseas and three who lived interstate added more logistical nightmares than I cared to think about.

I decided that in the interest of growing baby bellies that custom made dresses would be the way to go. I met with a number of local dressmakers, and based on a design I found online their prices varied from $450-$600 per dress. And as a tip, the fabric itself is generally not included in that price.

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I was most impressed with Gloria Grady Design based in Fyshwick. Her level of knowledge on fabric type and dressmaking in general showed that every penny spent with her would be well worth it. However with the number of bridesmaids I had it just wasn’t viable. But for a one off dress like a racing day number then I would recommend her.

After much research and asking around I eventually locked in a dressmaker. Souki does this for a hobby and she is great at what she does. The dresses came to the bartered price of $150 each plus the cost of raw silk which I purchased from one of my suppliers in Melbourne- the perks of being in the Interior Design business.

Souki originates from Laos so the language barrier at times ended up in laughing fits whilst we tried to communicate with each other. The dresses were faultless in their execution; the quality a testament to Souki’s skills on the sewing machine.

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My organisational skills were pushed to the limit in setting up multiple fittings for all of the girls who are spread across the countryside. The end result was exactly what I was after and the girls looked fantastic. You can contact Souki on 0418486530.

My biggest tip would be to get the ball rolling right at the start. Most dressmakers require at a minimum 6 months notice from the wedding date. So get researching and find the dressmaker you feel most comfortable. Feel free to ask them to see photos of previous work they’ve done, this may help in putting your mind at ease.

Did you buy your dress locally? Where did you get it from? Which boutiques and dressmakers would you recommend?