Charmeuse: a luxurious option, this fabric is light but glossy on the outside and matte on the inside, made of silk and with a soft drape that is to die for (although more challenging to work with)
Most of the time, wedding dresses are not made from just one material - but the foundation of your wedding dress does matter, and the fabric used to accentuate this or highlight that. The most expensive wedding material is undoubtedly silk, whereas the most inexpensive kinds are synthetic (polyester, rayon, etc.).
We asked you to tell us what inspires your choice the most, the dress or the designer, and over 90% of you told us it was the dress. And you know what? Our experts agree with you.
“I always ask, what is your dream dress?” she shared. “What I want, it doesn't matter. This is what you want. Other people and the bride always have their own visions. So they [say], ‘Okay, I love this one. And this one. And this one.’ So I always ask them, what is your dream dress today? [Then] let's see if that silhouette and style [suits] you or not.”
Whether or not you want a wedding dress train is a personal choice. Some people imagine gliding down the aisle with a fluffy, taffeta cloud in their wake; others can’t bear the bother. If you’re someone that’s set on it or simply can’t decide, these are the options you have:
The date of your wedding tells us a lot, including the weather you’ll be having. You don’t want to be shivering in a silk slip with nary but a Watteau wedding train to keep you warm! You can choose fabric and accessories based on the predicted weather (or make plans for the unexpected). The location allows you to do the same, helping you to choose something that better fits the climate and your surroundings.
Keep the season and location in mind when choosing and altering your wedding dress. Your sewist will know what’s best for you as they help you to achieve your dream wedding look, so be sure to communicate all those details with them.
We asked what style best suits you when it comes to wedding dresses, and it was a whole medley of choices. 9% of you lean towards more vintage styles, such as family pieces or heirlooms. 51% of you go off-the-rack for a custom fit. 29% of brides design something from scratch. 12% choose designer dresses and get them tailored to fit
This variety of replies aligns perfectly with what our dress experts told us - and one of Nazneen’s greatest pieces of advice: “It’s good to have an idea of what you want,” she told us, “but I think you should go into the store being open-minded. Whatever you think will suit you may suit you, sure, but there’s something that may actually look better. When you have that professional help [from designers], I think to try everything on - all the different styles. So then you don't ever go like, ‘Oh, wait, what if that actually looked better on me?’”
Your wedding dress style and your wedding dress budget are the best of buds. What you want to wear and how much you’ve got to spend on it pretty much can’t be separated, like a couple of gummy bears fused together in the sun.
That said, unless you’re determined to spend a lot on your wedding dress, you don’t have to spend a lot. You should look at bridal salons’ average price point and compare it with your own budget.
The average price of an off-the-rack wedding dress in NZ is around the $3000 mark, trending upwards depending on the number of customisations and alterations you may need. Custom wedding wear begins slightly higher, at $3500 to $4000.
Jenny: “The price range will be around, like, medium - $2500-ish. Then, and then you will have my custom-made [pieces], and it will [start] from $3500 to $5000.”
Nazneen: “So our prices, they start from $2500 and range into the $6000 sort of mark. The prices at the moment are about the $3000 to $4000 mark.”
If you’ve found your dream wedding dress in a non-traditional sense, that’s perfectly fine. You can customise hand-me-downs from your mother, grandmother or loved one to suit your body and style better. You can hire a dress for a day or more from certain stores. You can check out consignment stores and discover the wide world of secondhand and vintage wedding wear. Your options are kinda endless, aren’t they?
Don’t know the first thing about wedding dress hire? Here is a helpful guide to inform you, covering all the pros, cons and any concerns you may have.
The bottom line is that you have more choices than just buying your wedding dress. Wedding dress sewists are also a dab hand at altering and adjusting wedding wear to fit you just right. Goldilocks would be proud.
The more you try on, the more you discover your style, shape and tastes. If you’re shopping online, many stores will offer trial periods so you can try on the pieces in the comfort of your own home. If you want something more traditional, head to a bridal boutique or salon for the chance to twirl around in front of a giant gilded mirror, just like every romcom known to humankind.
“The most important thing for me? Gosh, well, these days, the most important thing for me is the price. I meet many brides - they always [say that] the price is their main issue.”
Top 10 Places To Buy Wedding Dress In PhoenixAnd we’ve got the data to back that up. Our polls told us that only 3% of people spend $10000 or more on their dresses; the most common price tag is less than half of that, keeping with the average price in NZ.
Just kidding, there aren’t that many. According to our experts, wedding dress alterations can happen anywhere from one time to multiple, depending on the type of dress you’ve ordered and your own feedback. Ultimately, they are a wholly necessary part of guaranteeing that you look as good as you feel on your special day.
The bread and butter of it is simple: a wedding dress fitting is your scheduled time with a sewist or designer to have your dress fit as comfortably as possible.
It can happen over a series of sessions or be more limited, depending on your sewist/designer and your own time. In these sessions, your dress turns into The Dress, sculpted and tailored for your body.
It’s a good rule of thumb to have every wedding outfit fitted. It’s highly unlikely that something off-the-rack, rented or borrowed will fit like a glove. Designers and sewists specialise in changing that. Even inexpensive wedding dresses deserve the zhuzh that a comprehensive fitting gives them. You’ll be amazed at what a snip here and a clip there can do to transform your outfit into something even more spectacular.
Hemming: which is where most simple alterations begin. This is bringing in the length, adjusting the sides or changing how it fits/falls in minor ways. This is the foundation of your wedding dress alterations and should never be overlooked or rushed.
Detailing: which is the icing on the cake. These wedding dress alterations cost a little more, but they are what add personality to your outfit. It can be anything from adding or removing a train, beading, extra lace, bodice appliqués and more. You can get creative as you want - and as much as your budget (money- and time-wise) allows.
Time is the most significant factor in ensuring your wedding look is as sleek as can be. Bigger changes require more fittings, which will mean adding a necessary amount of extra fittings. Talk to your sewist about how many extras you’ll need for details and how to schedule your alteration process.
Jenny said, “If I design and custom-make [the dress], the chance of alterations is [once]. Because we custom made [it], meaning that we've made it to customer’s measurements, so the chance of having a fault or a little bit of mistake on the measurements is probably only like like 20% - like very minor mistakes. So [some] customers can wait, and then we do alterations on the spot.”
If the dress is off-the-rack, inherited or rented, there’s usually more than just one alteration, according to Nazneen. “If it’s only the one, it’s usually just the hem of it - but if a person needs hemming, and [it’s] due to them being short, then obviously then the shoulder and the waist ratio also will need to be altered.”
Of course, further alterations can happen if you decide you need them. Maybe you want something shorter or looser or whatever. It is necessary to communicate this with your designer and allow them time to fulfil your requests - alongside more fittings, most importantly! Besides, who doesn’t love trying on the wedding dress of their dreams as many times as they’re given a chance?
Nazneen breaks down the details of wedding dress alterations and customisations in this comprehensive FAQ. Check out the guide for all the nitty-gritty questions, from how long they can take to fluctuating dress sizes.
According to our experts, know what kind of wedding dress you’d like a year out from the big day. From there on out, it boils down to who you’re working with to create your masterpiece.
Custom-made wedding dresses can take anywhere from three to six months to create before you can alter them accordingly so that chops your year in half. Six months, however, is the ideal amount of time to consider your style, shop around, try on as many dresses as you want and eventually settle on the fabric-based love of your life.
12 months out: the dress search begins! Find inspiration online and in real life. Talk to loved ones and experts alike for different points of view. Begin the shopping experience by allocating time and energy for this to be as fun and relaxed as possible for you.
9 to 8 months out: take the plunge! Buy your wedding dress. You’ve given yourself a few months to consider what you want and why. You’ve tried on outfits and modelled for your besties in a taffeta-clouded bridal boutique over bubbly. Now it’s time to settle on the one, putting down a deposit of around 50% of the total price (alterations included). Fabric, customisations and more may be sourced from around the world, so this is the longest waiting game you’ll play, dress-wise.