Everything related to your wedding is stressful enough, let alone shopping for your wedding gown!! And if that wasn’t hectic enough, the stress taken by a plus size bride is even worse! The horror stories faced by these brides by judgmental shop girls and extremely small accessories that leave brides-to-be shaking. Written below we’ve laid out some of the five best tips to go shopping if you’re a plus-sized bride so sit back, relax, and above all, have fun!

1. Plan ahead

Most bridal boutiques keep a stock sample of dresses for the “average” bride, which is generally all-around a size 10. Hence, a smart move would first be to read reviews and call and check on the availability of dresses in larger sizes. So make sure you call ahead of your visit to be sure they have a variety of plus-size bridal dres's sample styles for you to try.

1. Find an expert

Request for an expert specialist who’s well versed in plus size dressing to make the most of your visit. Find someone who’s not only knowledgeable but is also excited to work with you. Keep in mind, you’re not just paying for your couture bridal gown, but for expert knowledge as well. So take full advantage of the situation and ask plenty of questions. Follow their advice to the T – they’re the professionals, after all!

1. Ignore numbers

Most of the bridal brands often use size tags that are significantly higher than what you would wear in your normal, everyday life. So your best bet is to ignore the number entirely and focus on the overall feel and fit. If you find a bridal gown in Melbourne that helps bring out your inner Beyoncé, then who cares about the number?

4. Don’t stick to your comfort zone.

Just because you are in love with A-line, doesn’t mean you have to try only that sort of dress. Try to have a little open mind and follow whatever your stylist recommends to you. Even if they recommend a fit and flare that they swear would look gorgeous on you, then giving it a shot would not be the worst idea ever. Since they are professionals in their field, keep an open mind and listen to their advice. After all, what would be the worst-case scenario? You just won’t like it. But the best case scenario? You suddenly find the dress of your dreams!

5. Take tips from other brides.

Opt for the gown that you feel most beautiful in, leaving behind all stereotypes. That being said, there are always a few tried and true to the heart styles that’ll help you start your journey to finding the perfect dress, even if you’re not sure where to start.  For example, a body fitting dress always helps mask any perceived imperfections, for skinny as well as curvy girls. 

It’s an unknown myth that the wedding bouquet represents the good fortunes and future prosperity of the bride. An old European tradition even states, as custom for unmarried women to tear pieces from the bride’s bouquet in order to capture some of that good fortune for themselves! Over time, that tradition has now changed and we toss the bouquet for another woman to share in the piece of good fortune.

So what makes a perfect bridal bouquet? And how should you go about choosing the perfect bouquet for you, is a mind-boggling dilemma most bride's face!

Your wedding bouquet is one of the most important accessories on your wedding day, also making it one of the most challenging to select!

Below are a few tips that will help you in choosing the perfect bridal bouquet for your big day.

Define your colour palette

Usually by the time you get to considering flowers you have selected your wedding dress in Melbourne, your bridesmaid dresses, as well as decided the colour palette for your entire event. Your wedding colour palette comprises all of the shades and hues that will be present throughout your decor from the entourage dresses to the centrepieces at the reception. Whether you choose to stick to royal blue and white for the winter, or fresh green and yellow for summer, a defined colour palette will help you in picking a bouquet.

Formal or Casual?

The tone of your ceremony is a good factor to help guide your wedding bouquet style. Casual events are more conducive to generous armloads of flowers in an array of colours -- or rustic bouquets with non-traditional elements, like berries or fresh herbs.

Bouquet Shapes

Wedding bouquets can be arranged in many styles, from a petite, compact nosegay to the popular domed bouquet to a cascade. Loud wedding bouquets will work well with ornate wedding gowns that have full skirts and long trains, while simple ones pair best with sleek dresses. 

Choosing a Florist

Once you have collected ideas for your bouquet, find a florist who will help you bring your vision to life. Begin your search well in advance. Consult recent brides for recommendations or pair up with the right event organiser. 

A good florist should guide and tell you whether your choices are realistic and (if not) suggest alternatives to match what you had initially planned. 

After choosing your florist, go over the minor details. Share specifics such as your wedding dress fabric and pattern, as well as shoes to understand what bouquet would add the highest amount of comfort factor. With the right inspiration, and proper planner, the flowers you carry on your big day will surely be as breathtaking as the ones you’ve been dreaming about ever since you decided to get married. 

Lastly, do not leave behind any detail present in your mind about your wedding. Your special day should go exactly how you imagine it to be and the more you communicate, the more to life your wedding will be. 

Wedding veils, unlike the other wedding accessories that pair with a wedding gown, have a history that goes way beyond a simple fashion statement. They are the oldest part of a bridal ensemble. Its history dates back to ancient Rome when brides were wrapped head-to-toe, representing the delivery of a modest and untouched maiden to her husband-to-be. Another reason for the flawless veil was meant to hide the bride from any evil spirits who might want to thwart her happiness. In arranged marriages, veils also signified the desire to hide the bride’s face from the groom. 

As we evolved in terms of modern fashion and human era, the types and lengths of a bridal veil has seen a lot of changes. There are more than one way in which you can choose your wedding veil, by matching it to your gown or the venue you’re getting married in. Following are a few tips to help you choose better. 

Start With the Veil Length

Begin with considering the length of your veil to match your wedding style. Try out different options when selecting your gown, or even wait until you go for your first dress fitting to find out what suits you best. Fixate on a style that complements your overall silhouette and not just your gown and ideas—afterall, you don't want your veil to interrupt the flow of your look. Let your couture bridal gown designer help you in deciding your veil look as they often make veils keeping in mind the look of the dress on the bride. 

Find the correct balance
Whether the perfect veil for your wedding day will be a heavily embellished piece, or a minimal but sophisticated piece, will solely depend on your designer wedding gown Melbourne. Try and pair a simple and clean veil with a heavy worked up gown. Vice versa, be a bit more adventurous if you decide on a simple gown. In the case of the latter scenario, play with unexpected shapes, accents and textures, like a classic floral-embellished cathedral veil, or a couture-inspired bubble veil with over-the-top volume. Balance out all the types of embellishments. What we mean is that while you don’t have to match the ones on your dress exactly, they should at least complement them in color, size and style. 

Match your wedding hairstyle

Just as you should wait for your wedding gown design, don’t forget your hairstyle before you choose the perfect veil for your wedding day. The bridal hairstyle you choose may affect your final veil decision. For example, a bridal cathedral veil will work best when your hair is tied down or in lower updos, while blushers and birdcages are much more versatile and can be worn with any bridal hairstyle. Your hairstyle might also affect where you place the veil and how you fasten it. If you're wearing your hair up, you can wear the veil above or below your bun. Pinning it above gives it more volume and achieves a more classy look, while placing it below feels more modern and keeps the focus on your stylish updo. 

Every little girl dreams of walking down the aisle in the perfect wedding dress. Finding the perfect dress can literally make or break your wedding. It’s not an easy project. You spend a lot of days, and even months; Rambling through racks, pictures and designers until you find “The One”. But what should you do with it until your wedding, which is months away? How will you be sure that your dress will be kept safe? (And we mean safe from damage, not safe from your finance's curious eyes!) Here are some easy steps you can take to make sure your bridal gowns in Melbourne make it to your wedding day without damage.

Remove the plastic

The first rule of thumb any preservationist will suggest is to remove the dress from plastic if it will be stored for longer than a few days. Plastic typically does not allow fabrics to breathe and has the potential for staining, as chemicals break down and gasses are emitted. It is best to use a cloth garment bag or plain cotton sheets to wrap your gown.

Out of sight, out of mind

Once your gown is properly stored away, try to resist the temptation to try it on or remove it from the bag (unless you need alterations). Your chances of staining and potential oil marks increase with each time your dress is handled. Sweat marks and makeup stains are your major dangers to look out for when trying on your dress. 

After the wedding, have your dress cleaned

Before you jet off for your honeymoon, ask a bridesmaid or family member to drop off your dress at your local dry cleaners to have your dress professionally cleaned, before stains set in. In order to best preserve your wedding dress, purchasing a conservation-grade and acid-free box or container wouldn’t be too bad an investment.  It is best to avoid long-term storage on a hanger, because this can lead to stretching the fabric over time. Once again, storing the dress under your bed or in a spare closet is the safest method to help preserve the life of the dress.

Don’t Wait Too Long

The longer you delay in cleaning the gown, the more stubborn the stains. The longer a stain sits on any fabric, the more it sinks into the fibers of the fabric itself, and bridal fashion fabrics are the worst! Never mind delicate silk—even that stunning polyester blend will grab onto dirt, spills, and moisture and not want to let go.

2Ps - Pass or Preserve

Preserving and storing your wedding dress is mandatory if you plan to pass it on to future generations or if you think you might give it away or sell it. Some brides take some time to treasure their dress at home—perhaps a few months—then donate it to a nonprofit resale shop or sell it either online or on consignment in an upscale boutique. Others keep their dress just to look at and reminisce along with cards and photos and other wedding day treasures.

Whatever your choice, please do take the time to treat your designer wedding dresses in Melbourne like the princess it made you feel when you wore it on what was, most likely, the most important day of your life!

When it comes to your big day,  you wouldn’t want to compromise on anything that is a part of this big day. From decor to jewellery, to even your troupe’s attire you want it to be perfect to the T. Sometimes we even go an extra mile by trying to be different and consequently the best by breaking the so-called "rules." However, that doesn't mean there aren't still tried-and-true tips to bend the rules, even if it is for your wedding day jewelry. So helping you make simpler decisions with a little guidance from one of Melbourne’s best wedding dress designers to accessorizing your couture bridal gown, read on below.

Find the metal that your dress will say “I do” to

Each shade of white will have its own grace and beauty. And deciding to pair it with so many options like gold, silver, imitation, can be quite the challenge, let alone frustrating. So if you find yourself confused, here’s a mini guide to allowing your dress choose the type of jewellery you wear. 

White: This classic hue will look best when paired with pretty platinum or silver pieces.

Ivory: Yellows or gold jewelry will best enhance this creamy shade.

Champagne: Even this colour will go best with gold jewelry complementing the warm tones in this very light & beige shade. If you're planning to put together an antique-inspired look, burnished silver with rhinestones would add an extra charm to your D-day dress.

Pearly white: Try rose. The pink cast in the metal will coordinate with the soft pink of the dress.

Add a touch of your Personal Style

Just because you are not a fan of chunky jewellery doesn’t mean you should completely let go of the idea of wearing it. Try to create a list of the various pieces that would look good on you with the right material and gown. This would give you a much clearer idea of how particular pieces would look with your dream dress. 

Don’t forget about your neckline

The neckline of your dress will play a huge role in framing your fairytale wedding look. So you’ll want to keep that in mind when picking out your dresses to compliment your look accordingly.

Don’t forget your hair

You may not be a big fan of wearing a tiara on your wedding day, but there is no harm if you do. Nevertheless, there are many fascinating options in hair accessories, like combs and head pieces that can make you look very pretty. Whether you tie your hair up or leave it down, you should consider decorating it with a headpiece that matches your dress and adds more impact to your overall look on the day. 

Be you! 

At the end of the day, the most important thing when selecting jewellery for your wedding day look is to be comfortable, confident and happy with your selection.

Don’t feel pressured to over-do it or hold back if you’re looking to make a statement. If you’re happy in your accessories and you're ready to wear wedding dresses, you’ll feel confident and that’s the best accessory. After all, it’s your special day.