If you’re reading this it means you’ve survived Christmas with your family and have safely made it to today, Boxing Day. In case you missed it we kicked our ‘Best Of 2018’ series off last Friday with the most popular bouquets from the past 12 months (according to your clicks, likes and comments throughout the year), then it was onto Bridal Parties and Cakes and today it’s all about bridal gowns!
Last years top 10 wedding dresses featured some of our all-time fave Australian designers and this year is no different with over half the gowns on this list from homegrown creatives. It’s amazing to see so many brides get behind the many talented designers that make up the Australian and New Zealand bridal industries, a trend (shopping local that is) we hope to see continue into 2019 and beyond.
So without further adieu ladies and gents, pull up your Pinterest board and get note taking, here, in no particular order, are our top ten bridal gowns of 2018…
JULES & JOSH, KAREN WILLIS HOLMES
Jules was smitten with her sequined gown from Sydney designer Karen Willis Holmes right from the get-go, telling us “I loved my dress, especially the hand beading and plunging back”. You can check out Karen’s latest sequined collection here and be sure to head on over to their website for the latest curve collection too. This Melbourne wedding was photographed by the lovely Jess from Brown Paper Parcel.
LAURA & ALEC, BO & LUCA
We love Queensland bride Laura’s stunning Bo and Luca gown so much we featured in on the cover of issue 19 (check it out here). Turns out the bride loved it too as she tells us “It was the first and only dress I tried on. It was love at first sight and I bought the dress on the spot.” This stunning label (check out their new collection here) is available in Sydney at Hope X Page and at Sphere Collective on the Sunshine Coast. This wedding was photographed by our mate Janneke Storm – you can check out more of her best wedding work here.
ALEXANDRA & MIKE, PREA JAMES BRIDAL
Like we said above it makes us so damn happy when we see brides support local labels. And it does not get much more local than Prea James Bridal, whose headquarters is based just down the coast from our Southern Sydney office. Bride Alexandra, who picked up her gown at one of our fave boutiques, The Bridal Atelier, tells us “I thought finding my dress was going to be the most difficult part, but surprisingly it was the easiest. As annoying as it sounds, it was the first dress I tried on. I saw it on Instagram, tried it on and loved it. It just felt like me”. This wedding was photographed by HM fave Scott Surplice Photography. You can check out more of his work here.
BEC & JAMES, MARCHESA NOTTE
Well, what’s not to love about this golden Marchesa Notte number from everyone’s fave online boutique Net-A-Porter. The bride tells us she actually purchased a different dress but kept going online to revisit this beauty then “about six weeks before the wedding, I went back again and the dress was on sale and only my size was left in stock. It was meant to be.” This wedding was photographed by Elsa Campbell. You can check out more of her wedding work here.
DAISY & BEN, GRACE LOVES LACE
There is no denying this gown was one of the years most popular with other brides wearing it here, here and here. This Grace Loves Lace number was made on the Gold Coast and looks stunning on brides of all styles, shapes and sizes. Daisy and Ben’s wedding was photographed by Love Her Wild Photography.
EMMA & MAX, RUE DE SEINE
Bride Emma rocked the Avril Gown by New Zealand label Rue De Seine as she tells us “I had been eyeing it off since the day I got engaged. I was lucky when I found out the designer of the dress happened to be in store (at Sydney boutique The Bridal Atelier) and she did my fitting! Given how long I had been looking at this dress online, I’m so glad that once I had it on, I felt even better in it, than I did just looking at it”. This wedding was photographed by Zoe Morley Photography. You can check out more of her work here. Be sure to check out the latest collection from Rue De Seine too for more gorgeous gowns.
RHODA & ROLAND, MARIA KOROVILAS BRIDAL
Whilst we love to see brides supporting local it’s also rad to see international designers make a regular appearance on our blog is always exciting too – especially when it’s refreshingly different designers like LA-based Maria Korovilas Bridal. It’s hard to imagine gorgeous bride Rhoda getting married in anything else – but that was almost the case as she tells us “I was in the process of commissioning a figure-hugging couture gown when I found out that I would be six months pregnant walking down the aisle. Needless to say, my original dress of choice was abandoned. Four months out from my wedding I decided to start looking for a boho-inspired dress that would flatter my expanding baby bump and I came across Maria Korovilas Bridal. I absolutely fell in love with my dress the moment I saw it and purchased it straight away.” This wedding was photographed by Lover of Mine. You can check out some of their best wedding work here.
EMMA & DYLAN, MADE WITH LOVE BRIDAL
It was a one-stop shop for bride Emma when it came to finding the perfect wedding gown as she tells us “My bridesmaids and I headed straight to Made With Love Bridal, where I tried five, or more dresses on. As soon as I tried on ‘Stevie’ I fell in love! The nude underlay with the ivory lace, I knew it would be the perfect contrast against the beautiful farmland. The dress was so comfy and light, I could totally imagine myself boogieing away all night in it!”. This wedding was photographed by Joseph Willis Photography.
KATE & ANDREW, ODYLYNE THE CEREMONY
It’s so refreshing to see a bride break from the tradition of white and wear a little colour on her wedding day. Of the decision bride Kate tells us “the thought of going into wedding dress shops and trying on white bridal dresses made me feel quite ill, so when I stumbled across the beautiful Alyse Gown from one of my all-time favourite brands, Odylyne The Ceremony online (and kept coming back to it), I knew it must be ‘the one’. Trying to track it down from the states was proving difficult when by some miracle, I contacted a few boutiques in Sydney and Love Marie just happened to have one sample that they were no longer stocking. It just so happened to be the colour I wanted and my size. Another miracle that just fell into place.” This wedding was photographed by James Simmons (who also shot the cover of issue 23, on sale now)
ASH & DANIEL, RUE DE SINE
It’s no surprise Rue De Seine have made not one but two appearances on our best of 2018 list as they have long been a favourite with Hello May readers. Of the experience, the bride, Ash, tells us “I first saw the ‘Beau’ gown from Rue De Seine on Instagram. I sent it to my best friend telling her this was the dress. She found the stockist (The Bridal Atelier), booked an appointment and we drove down the next week. It was the first dress I tried on and I fell in love and knew it was the one. We ordered it that day. My experience was beautiful and calm. This wedding was photographed by Joel from Barefoot and Bearded. Check out more of his work here.