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It’s such an honour when a dear friend asks me to make their wedding dress and Zara was no exception. We had a lot of fun at each fitting, with her Mum always in tow, it was a really special time. Zara knew she want a fitted design that would suit the Bali climate. We came up with a fitted v-neck bodice with an illusion lace back and a fitted silk skirt with a soft lace overlay. To allow for the humidity and inevitably ‘sticky’ weather, Zara’s Bali wedding dress was made from pure silk and also lined in silk, I bet it felt like wearing a nighty – so light and dreamy!
Zara and Matt exchanged vows at the Uluwatu Surf Villas surrounded by their nearest and dearest. The views are simply spectacular!! Their lucky guests enjoyed the location for a few days, what a way to get married.
“I have been following Elvi Design since their inception so as soon as i got engaged i knew exactly where i was going! Having now gone through the process with Elvi i can fully appreciate what a fine art they have mastered. Sandra and Birgitta are incredibly talented and they have such an eye for detail. They listened to me and made me feel special every step of the way. Sandra and Birgitta made me more than just a dress, they gave me the priceless gift of feeling like the best version of myself on my wedding day.
Thank you Sandra & Birgitta for making all of my wedding dress dreams come true!”
Photos by Apel Photography
Steph had lusted after tulle from a very young age so there was no surprise that she wanted a tulle wedding dress and not just a little bit of tulle, A LOT of tulle!! Of course, this was fine by me! A tea length wedding dress with a tulle skirt is the epitome of FUN.
Steph & Dan opted for a small, intimate wedding at Guildford Town Hall followed by dinner at Padbury’s.
“I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you both for my amazing wedding dress. Dan said he was “gob-smacked” when he saw me walking down the aisle (obviously the reaction you want!). I was able to move and to be energetic the whole day comfortably. Everyone loved the short veil. I left it on the whole night- who wouldn’t when it was that cute?
It was the perfect dress for our “throwback to the tradition of getting married at the town hall” kind of themed small wedding. I am so glad I didn’t choose a fitted, full length, full lace style of dress that I had tried off-the-rack, and which seems to be everywhere at the moment. My heart was set on a whole lot of tulle from the beginning!! Guilford Town Hall where we got married was also where I first learnt ballet as a 5 year old, so the full tulle skirt was meant to be, I think.”
Photos by Aimee Dehaan
Steph, like most brides I meet with, had a rough idea of what she was after and was unable to find her dream lace and silk wedding dress in a traditional bridal shop so had started the unknown process of meeting with a bridal designer. I always ask brides where they are getting married to get a feel for their wedding. Steph and Ben were planning a wedding with a large guest list, their ceremony was set to be held at the Quarry with a reception at a hotel in the city. Both venues were BIG! Steph is petite and was hoping for an understated bridal gown which reflected her relaxed, easy going nature. After discussing her ideas, we came up with the idea of one dress and a couple of accessories to compliment the venues and provide a bit of ‘wow’!
We designed a lace and silk wedding dress with a detachable train. The fitted bodice had a boat neckline at the front and a low scoop at the back, finished with some delicate lace cap sleeves. The a-line skirt (made from silk) had an overlay of silk georgette. This skirt was floor length, so to create a bigger presence for the ceremony, we created a gathered silk overlay with a dramatic train. This could easily be removed for the reception so Steph could move around freely and change to flat shoes. When Steph removed the overlay at the reception, we made a sparkly beaded belt to pop on and add a little bit of sparkle to her reception outfit. The end result was very Steph – relaxed, romantic and a little bit of fun!
Images Izo Photography
I’ve been dying to share Tanika & Mike’s wedding, it was a stunning Autumn wedding set on a rural property just outside of Perth. Tanika’s bridal party wore black and boy, oh boy, did they look good! It worked perfectly in contrast with her classic crepe wedding dress. Tanika keep the accessories minimal, with statement earrings for herself and bold sunflowers for the bouquets. Whilst her styling was classic and minimal, those little pops of colour were fun and something a little bit different!
When we met with Tanika, she had a very good idea of what she wanted, we guided her to create a classic crepe wedding dress that suited her petite frame perfectly. I’ll let Tanika’s testimonial give you an insight into the journey of her dress. I love her honesty about the process, for so many brides, having a dress made in unchartered territory and can be anxiety inducing. We were there every step of the way and I think these beautiful photos show a job well done.
Choosing a wedding dress was probably the least exciting part of the wedding for me. Even though I knew exactly what I wanted, the thought of getting a dress still caused me a lot of stress. I chose to get a wedding dress made because I just couldn’t find what I wanted out there everything was lace and beads and dresses with a lot of detail and I just knew that wasn’t what I was after. After only going to two places and meeting the beautiful Sandra and Birgitta, I knew they were the ladies for the job.
Even with these two ladies, the dress up until the final fitting was extremely nerve racking for me. In saying this, I could not have asked for more in the ladies at Elvi Design. They scheduled extra appointments for me, answered all of my emails – and I emailed A LOT, and went over and beyond to help guide me towards my dream dress. They were always supportive, open, and explained in detail what would and wouldn’t work. Even though I was nervous (and sweating profusely) at each visit, the ladies kept me calm and made me feel so comfortable knowing that they were in charge of designing what I wanted. I can’t thank them enough for what they produced, and how they made me feel when I wore it.
Any advice to anyone getting a dress made by Elvi Design is 100% trust the process (and S&B) and realise that these two ladies have your best interests at heart. What they created for me was more beautiful than I could have ever pictured, and I would choose them over and over again. I have never felt more beautiful than I did in my wedding dress and it’s only a shame I will only get to wear it once! – Tanika, April 2018
Images by LoveHer Photography Styling by Amber Jasper Styling
One of the very best things about my job is being able to cater for brides that would not be able to find their dream dress off the rack. Courtney was not a ‘dress’ kinda girl and definitely not a corseted wedding dress kinda girl. She wanted to wear a dress that she felt comfortable in, it had to fit her nicely without being fitted (or with too much boning!!). I get this, it’s not every day that we wear a boned bodice and if you don’t want that on your wedding day, that’s fine by me! We designed a lovely short wedding dress with Courtney from luscious lace and super soft silk. Seeing these photos of Courtney just make us beam, she looks so happy and comfortable in her short wedding dress.
Photographer: Clements & The Fox
“Our wedding day was everything we hoped for and more, and part of that was made possible by the gorgeous and, more importantly, comfortable custom short wedding dress crafted by the amazing ladies of Elvi Design. From the first sketch to the final silk and lace garment, everything about the dressmaking process was incredible. Sandra and Birgitta were patient with me, someone who is typically most comfortable in a tee shirt and jeans, and made everything easy and reassuring. Everything about our special day, from the sunflowers and yellow Converse shoes to the Perth Zoo venue and female Best Man, was uniquely “us”. All our family and friends commented on how much the wedding dress suited me and I couldn’t have asked for a better compliment. It was a dress I could feel elegant and feminine in, while also allowing me to twirl and dance and enjoy the zoo carousel. I highly recommend to every bride searching for the perfect dress, particularly those hoping for something they can play and have fun in, to consider a bespoke dress from Elvi Design. – Courtney Joy and Rhys Pascoe”
There is so much to love about Cat and James’s wedding, every single detail was well thought out. So I’m not surprised that Cat and her mum put a lot of thought into Cat’s wedding ensemble and were very keen to re-purpose Cat’s Mum’s wedding dress. To do this, they needed to find an expert in vintage wedding dress alterations, they stumbled across us on their hunt and we are so very glad they did!
Cat brought along her Mum and the vintage wedding dress to our design consultation where we sat down and had a chat about what she had in mind. Cat was chasing a two piece outfit. Cat is petite so it was really important to her that she had a fitted skirt that fitted her really well and showed off her curves. We then worked together to incorporate the lace bodice from her mum’s wedding dress into a top with mesh sleeves that was super fun and playful (this idea reflects Cat personality perfectly!!).
Cat and James wed at the Flour Factory in Perth. Their absolutely beautiful wedding was jam-packed with talented local vendors and as a result, featured on the Junebug weddings blog. Click here to take a looksie.
“Mum & I knew after one meeting with Sandra & Brigitta that we wanted them to design my wedding dress. After only a few minutes Sandra had sketched on paper the design that was in our heads. Using Mum’s wedding dress that Nanna made for her 30 years ago they created a 2-piece top & skirt that made me feel absolutely amazing while also re-purposing a piece of my family’s history. They made the whole experience incredibly special for mum & I, we often think back on it and share a moment!” – Catherine, March 2018
Our morning was so relaxed & lovely – we had friends & family popping in all day. Seeing each other in our finery & helping each other with finishing touches was really sweet.
Our ceremony was hilarious! Kirk (Goodsell) was a brilliant celebrant. He told our love story in the best way!
The night ended in dancing with our loves to our favourite tunes and a midnight stroll through our beautiful city as married Laings!!
Photography – iZO Photography // Event Planning – Marielle Studio // Venue – The Flour Factory // Floral Design – Lily & Leather // Catering – The Flour Factory // Cake – The Milk and Sugar Co // Officiant – Kirk Goodsell // DJ – HeroDJs // Makeup Artist – Cat Elizabeth Artistry // Hair Styling – Zoe Mitchell // Wedding Dress – Elvi Design // Bridal Accessories – Bell Frankie & Co // Bridesmaids’ Apparel – Coco & Lola // Groom and Groomsmen’s Apparel – MacGregor & MacDuff // Rings – Linneys // Rentals – Hire Society, Pretty Willow Prop Hire, Pompette Events, and Beautiful By Design Event Hire // Lighting – Micktric Events
Kirsty had seen one of our boho wedding dress designs and knew from the beginning it was the style for her! We tweaked one of our designs to suit her, we changed the base colour to mushroom and made the bodice more fitted. The end result was stunning and suit Kirsty perfectly. We even created a veil and handbeaded headpiece to compliment Kirsty boho wedding dress.
Our wedding was at AQWA in Hillarys, on a windy day in December. It was a wonderful day and I was so comfortable in my beautiful dress which was the most important thing to me when choosing a design.
It felt meant to be when I found a picture of a dress I loved online, took it to Elvi Design and they said “that’s one of ours!” from then on, working with the team at Elvi was the easiest part of the whole wedding – and I was thrilled with the final product. A couple of months out I asked them if they could make me a headpiece after my hair stylist recommended it. They custom made the most beautiful piece to help hold my hair back and I had never felt more beautiful! The dress fit perfectly with our by the sea wedding.
As a girl, you naturally fantasize about what kind of wedding dress you’ll wear, those styles change and change again as you get older – but I will never fall out of love with my dress! And the lace… oh that lace… – Kirsty, December 2017
Photos by Tyler Brown Photography
Nayelly and her family brought such joy to our studio from the very first time we met to her final fitting when we handed over her sequin wedding dress. Nayelly’s family are from South America so her wedding was always going to be a BIG party and Nayelly wanted a wedding dress that she could dance and move about her cocktail reception comfortably in. Nayelly simply tried on one of our samples, the Millie tea-length sequin wedding dress, and fell in love. We made a few tweaks to the design so it fitted Nayelly perfectly. The beauty of this dress has to be the sequin silk bodice and the subtle latte full circle silk skirt. This dress was made for partying!!
Being fond of bright colours, Nayelly teamed her sequin wedding dress with a pair of burgandy suede heels that would inevitably match her lipstick and epic blooms by Bits and Blooms.
Tyler Brown was there to capture Nayelly & Greg’s special day and I really love the vintage vibe that sets the tone for the whole day. Both the ceremony and reception was held at Fremantle venue, The Guild Hall.
“The big day was great and the dress worked perfectly. Thank you for all your hard work. I really can’t imagine getting married in a different dress… Dancing in a different dress.” – Nayelly, October 2017
We created a boho wedding dress for Kate’s down south wedding, Kate was looking for a dress that would compliment the relaxed vibe of their wedding. Kate’s relaxed boho wedding dress featured a soft, flowy silk georgette skirt and a simple yet delicate lace bodice with shoestring straps and a low back. Kate finished her bridal look with boots (perfect for photo adventures in the bush) and a bright flower crown.
It was an absolute pleasure having Kate and her girl gang in the studio for each of her fittings. I bet the wedding was a wonderful day for all involved!
We got married on the 25th of November 2017 down at Fontys Pool in Manjimup. The day was beautiful and I felt amazing in my wedding dress, it was comfortable yet elegant and suited the down south vibe.
Getting my dress made by Elvi design was the best decision! Sandra and Brigitta were very professional and paid great attention to detail, they made the whole experience so easy, from designing my dress at the first consult to picking the lace and watching it all come together at my final fitting! It was everything I had dreamed of and more! I would definitely recommend Elvi Design to anyone wanting the perfect dress for their big day 🙂
Photos by Lana Pratt Photography
When Lorraine visited our studio she had a few ideas of what she might like and she was intent on having something different that reflected her personality. She also wanted the option to wear the dress again. For us, it was quite simple really, we designed and created a blue wedding dress consisting of a silk tank and a blue tulle skirt with a dramatic train, making it easy to wear both items again! We’re loving this environmental movement where brides are looking for different ways to put together their outfit on their wedding day, who said a wedding dress had to be a dress or even white?! Our tip is – invest to re-wear, purchase quality items that will stand the test of time.
Lorraine styled her blue wedding dress with the most gorgeous Valentino rockstud flats and a veil she borrowed from her sister.
Lorraine and James wed by the water in Fremantle followed by a relaxed cocktail reception at Distribution Lane. You can really feel the emotion of the day in the photos by Sarah Tonkin. I think I’ll let the photos do the talking…
I had never thought about weddings or dresses until we finally set a date. I started to scroll through social media trying to find a look or some inspiration. I really wanted something that captured my personality, I wanted something slightly different and a dress to call my own.
I was recommended by a good friend of mine to go and visit Elvi design. Having never heard about Elvi Design I stalked them on Instagram and fell in love, I made an appointment straight away.
Sandra and Birgitta made me feel so welcome and comfortable, dress shopping can be daunting, however, not with these two, and they are amazing at what they do!! You can see the passion the ladies have for design and helping you create that perfect dress.
I can’t thank Sandra and Birgitta enough for creating my blue wedding dress I was over the moon with it and it was everything I’d ever wanted.
I thoroughly enjoyed the process, it was so lovely getting to know them both and sad to say goodbye at the end of my final fitting.