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Bespoke Wedding Gowns
Bespoke Wedding Gowns
I went to school with Vic, so you can imagine how excited I was when she emailed me about a wedding dress. Over a couple of wines in Melbourne, we dreamed up a beautiful wedding gown and three individual bridesmaid designs.
The odds were against us, Vic is a pilot (yes, she flys BIG planes) living in Melbourne with a hectic schedule and of course, we’re located in Perth. Vic would fly into Perth for the day just to have a fitting with me, let’s just say, I’m pretty sure I’ll never have such a dedicated client again. Vic has always oozed energy and charisma so it was no surprise that everyone near and dear to her wanted to be involved in the wedding process. Our studio was often filled with her Mums, bridesmaids, sister-in-laws and friends. It was a very fun experience and you could tell that there was a lot of love for this gorgeous couple.
Vic and Jeff decided to wed at Chateau Yering in the Yarra Valley, their family and friends stayed at the beautiful property for the weekend of wedding festivities. Vic was very hands on with the wedding planning and I believe she spent many an afternoon crafting for the big day.
Take a look at these beautiful images captured by Candice Van Moolenbroek Photography and Vic’s reflections on their wedding day…
The most important thing to us was that we wanted every single one of our guests to feel they were there for a reason. The guest list was by far the hardest part of the entire process and every individual meant something to us. We had 115 guests and making that personal is really tricky but I’m glad we took the extra time to add the personal touches. One of the things we did was instead of just names marking the seats, we had a photo of the individual with either Jeff or I, for those we had known for a long time we tried to find photos that showed our history or a funny moment that we shared. The photo was attached to a photo card and inside everyone was a personal message written by Jeff or I. It took hours, I mean hours but it was one of the most commented on things that we did and I’m glad we did do it!
I think the classic line is to say ‘like a princess’ but I didn’t feel like a princess, I felt like a queen! The dress fit so well and was exactly how I had imagined it. I loved swishing my skirt around and spent a lot of the afternoon twirling! Of course I would be remiss to not mention the 3 gorgeous bridesmaid dresses that captured the individual personalities of every girl. They looked incredible and I know they felt confident and beautiful.
It’s hard to put into words what it means to create your own wedding dress with Elvi Design. Sandra and Birgitta will read between the lines with every mismatched crazy sentence and idea you come up with to turn it into something with wow factor. How they managed to read my mind so perfectly, I’ll never know. Every fitting is part of a journey and the excitement that builds over time is an experience that I would recommend to everyone. Professional, talented, creative but above all invested in your dress as if it were their very own. There is no other way to make a wedding dress but with Elvi Design.
Dress: Elvi Design of course!!!
Shoes: Shoes of Prey
Hair: Kendal FX
Makeup: Makeup By Maggie Tamarua
Flowers: Jumping Jonquils
Photographer: Candice Van Moolenbroek Photography
Venue: Chateau Yering Historic Hotel, Yarra Valley, Victoria.
Hanny and Michael wed at the St Mary Star of the Sea Church in Cottesloe, their ceremony was followed by an intimate backyard reception at their home in Cottesloe.
Hanny selected an adapted version of our ‘Tia’ gown. We created a figure hugging lace wedding dress with a crystal embellished waistband and detailed scollop edging. The lace was enhanced by a creamy milk coloured silk dupion. Hanny completed her look with a lace edged finger tip veil which we also made.
Their big day was beautifully captured by Fiona Vail Photography.
My favourite moment of the big day – it’s a tie between walking down the aisle and seeing all my closest friends and family there to support us getting married and when we had the photo done on the building site and it suddenly hit us that we just got married and how much love, deep affection and adoration I can see in my husband’s eyes.
The dress makes me feel like a “Vogue” bride! I feel like a million dollar, unique and womanly. I also love the veil and when I put the veil on whilst walking down the church, I feel so delicately and prettily wrapped !
Suppliers
Flowers: Fox & Rabbit
Bridesmaid Dresses: Zimmerman
In my line of work, there really is nothing more special than creating a friends wedding gown. Not only have they trusted you to make them the most beautiful dress they will ever wear but you also get to spend a lot of quality time with them in the lead up to their wedding.
It’s always a little strange sitting down with a friend and chatting dress. It’s no longer banter between girlfriends, it’s a professional appointment, I have to put on my ‘designer’ hat and listen to their wants and needs like I would with any other potential client.
Kate is the most laid back bride I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. She came into my studio with a vague idea of what she was after and then after a bit of a chat, I sketched up her beach wedding dress. She couldn’t believe that I turned her words into a sketch that she loved!
Tor and Kate planned a relaxed, laid back wedding with their nearest and dearest at the beautiful Long Island Resort in the Whitsundays, Queensland. The location was idyllic and the weather was just superb, the perfect setting for these two lovebirds to tie the knot. I was lucky enough to be one of their guests (my husband had the role of Best Man) so I can vouch that it was a really fun wedding with a great bunch of people!
I had a chat with Kate after the wedding, here’s what she had to say about her experience as a bride, images by Total Weddings Whitsundays
My favorite moment was just as I was about to walk down the aisle. All the nervousness went away and I suddenly felt very calm and ready. Seeing Tor’s smiling face at the end of the aisle waiting for me was the best feeling.
We came across our ceremony location on the internet. We had a beach wedding in Hamilton Island which I have to admit, I was quiet nervous about having never been there before, however, we absolutely loved it! While a beach wedding is not for everyone, it was perfect for us. Everything about our wedding was very relaxed and stress-free which was exactly what we wanted.
Elvi Design! In all seriousness it really was. Sandra and Birgitta made the whole process so easy. When I had my first appointment, I had so many different ideas but didn’t really know how to explain/pull everything together. As I was talking, Sandra was sketching and at the end of our conversation she showed me her sketch and I couldn’t believe it – my dream dress! Throughout all the fittings, they listened to me, gave good advice and were extremely helpful and patient. Ever since I have been Elvi’s number one fan and very highly recommend Elvi to all Brides.
I wanted to be a relaxed, no fuss bride. My initial thought when I first started to think about the wedding planning was to run off to Vegas and elope – that’s how simple I’m talking! But after some further thought, there were certain aspects that I did want a bit more traditional. And looking back on the memories, I knew I would be glad I did it. That’s why a beach wedding suited us so well, as it met somewhere in the middle of formal and non-formal.
We had a very small wedding with only close family and friends that travelled from Perth to Hamilton Island to attend, so what was most important to us was that everyone had a good time and felt included in their own special way.
Having a wedding planner really helped me. If you can find someone that’s in your budget, I would recommend having one because there are so many different things that you don’t think about that you could easily forget, so it’s comforting to have someone that knows what they are doing to guide you through.
I know it’s hard but try to switch off and not worry too much the night before – otherwise you will end up getting no sleep like I did!
Amazing, I love my dress! I think most woman will agree that it’s probably the most important thing you need to get right. If you feel great in your dress then you are more confident and everything else follows because you’re feeling good about yourself.
I just had to add these photos of Kate modelling her wedding gown at the recent Wedding Upmarket in April. Images by Lola Images.
Now I’m all for a dramatic gown with a beautiful, long train but… here are a few reasons why short wedding dresses are becoming a popular choice for modern brides –
Short wedding dresses are available in so many styles, take a look at some of the designs we’ve created…
Daphne Tea-Length Gown / Image by Still Love Photography
Shea’s Tea-Length Lace Gown / Image by Merge Photography
Naomi’s Tea-Length Gown / Image by Ted Murphy.
Davina’s Tea-Length Wedding Gown / Image by Julie Walsh
Lucy’s Short Wedding Dress / Image by Emma Pointon
Jaymie’s Tea-Length Gown / Image by Still Love Photography
Jessica’s Tea-Length Gown / Image by Jason Tey
I still remember my first meeting with the lovely Jaymie. She had a really good idea of what she wanted. She was chasing a frock that would be suitable for their country wedding in the height of Summer. A tea-length wedding dress was ideal, great in the heat and also super practical! They are pretty much impossible to get dirty. Jaymie isn’t a frilly lass so she wasn’t keen on ‘lacy lace’, we had a play and went with the alternative look of textural 3D lace.
Jaymie initially wasn’t going to go with a veil but as the day got closer, she grew to like the idea of a ‘flyaway veil’. We made up the perfect little veil for her tea-length gown and I just adore this look, it just finished the dress!
I love hearing from each of my brides after their wedding, a big thank you to Jaymie for sharing some moments and photos from her special day.
What was your favourite moment on your big day?
That’s an easy one…most definitely the moment when we said our vows. We had written them ourselves, and had kept them secret from each other – the surprise element made it all the more special, and all the more teary! We wanted our wedding ceremony to be a very personal experience, and made sure we included lots of little quirks and jokes here and there – it was important for people to laugh with us, relax and take it all in.
How did you find your venue?
We searched so many venues in Perth, but couldn’t settle on one that felt ‘like us’. We had visited and stayed at Jalbrook Cottages in Balingup many times to celebrate our birthdays and anniversaries, but it never crossed our minds to get married there until my best friend suggested it. Suddenly, we realised that it was the perfect place all along – a relaxed, casual atmosphere with stunning gardens and the most welcoming owners who’ve always treated us like family. We had always wanted a very inclusive wedding ‘experience’, and Jalbrook allowed us to get stuck into lots of DIY and have all hands on deck when it came to setting up the big day (Yes, we even had members of our bridal party climbing up trees to string festoon lights).
How did your wedding dress make you feel?
I quickly discovered that my dress was made for dancing (and also for keeping cool on a 38 degree summer’s day!) – I felt so special wearing a gown that had been created just for me – I’d watched it come ‘alive’ from a little sketch on paper all those months ago, to become my gorgeous dress that captured the all vintage charm I’d imagined and put tears of joy in my husband’s eyes as he watched me walk towards him. When I look at my dress now (besides wanting to wear it all over again), I’m instantly transported back to the magical day where I got to flutter around in all that gorgeous that silk and lace, creating the happiest of memories with my loved ones – that’s a pretty great feeling!
Images by the clever folk at Still Love.
