I Said Yes To A Dress!

As previously noted I’m very organised despite my wedding still being 11 months away. We have our venue and photographer booked, and with mum and dad over recently I wanted to pin down perhaps the most important element of my wedding… my gown!

My first bridal shopping experience was actually when I was home in NZ in March so I could include my mum and maid of honour. It wasn’t what I was expecting, the first place was a dead end and the second gave such poor service we walked out after two dresses.

At the start of April I did my first Melbourne reccy with my other bridesmaid Beth, checking out three stores along the High Street strip. We found a couple of gowns that looked good at Raffaele Ciuca and also went to Bernadette Pimenta and Karen Willis Holmes. I had seen many KWH gowns that I thought looked amazing, but as I found many times over the day, what looks good on skinny, tall models doesn’t necessarily suit my 5’2″ “average” frame. Sadly, I quickly discovered KWH gowns are not made for anyone with boobs. They could only bring me one gown that I could actually get my girls fitting into properly, and it certainly wasn’t “the one”. I left disappointed. I must say that the tall modelesque girl on one side of me and the petite girl on the other did look amazing though.

Two weekends ago my mum arrived and I went on a scouting mission to Sydney Road with her and my soon to be mother in law. I’d booked an appointment with Mariana Hardwick based mainly on a previous post here on Polka Dot Bride, even though I wasn’t sure their style was what I was looking for. Walking into MH was like walking into paradise – truly what movies lead you to believe all bridal shopping is like. The large open space, the accents of white everywhere, having plenty of space and amazing service all lead me to falling in love with them and their gowns. I pulled out a couple that I was interested in, but it was a gown I had ignored that my consultant thought would be wonderful that gave me goosebumps when I put it on. We went to Raffaele Cucia that day as well, but the gown I thought I liked couldn’t come close to living up with what I’d seen at Mariana Hardwick.

Image via A Visit To The Divine Mariana Hardwick

Over the next week I couldn’t get the dress out of my head, I’ve been dreaming and daydreaming about it constantly and envisaging myself emerging onto our rooftop ceremony location and seeing Chris at the end of the aisle (regardless of the fact we’re doing photos together before the ceremony!). I booked another appointment for Sunday for mum and I, and this time I asked the consultant to give me a whole variety of gowns to try on. I tried on five – slinky, poofy, fishtail, mermaid but as gorgeous as the gowns themselves were, none appealed to me. I then put “the gown” on again, and I immediately burst into tears. Second time around it seemed even more perfect than when I had first tried it, perhaps because I had gone through the process of trying so many other styles first. My assistant Clara (who, we later found out was Mariana’s daughter!), was so wonderfully patient and when I ended up with “the gown” she agreed that it was a no brainer. It makes me feel so stunning, hides any tummy bumps, complements my hourglass figure and, importantly, suits my lack of height! Even more importantly, the fabric just feels amazing, luxurious and soft and my gown is going to be made to measure, rather than having to go through some process of altering an existing gown (which will also allow me to make some tweaks to the shoulders etc). I am so excited for my fittings later in the year and have complete confidence that I will look like the princess every girl wants to be on their wedding day 🙂

I would strongly recommend a trip to Marianna Hardwick for any bride looking for a wonderful experience and their perfect gown. They offered everything I was hoping for and I am so thrilled to have found the dress of my dreams 🙂

Ms Gingham says: On Carly I’m so glad you found your dream dress! The Bridal Emporium at Mariana Hardwick is divine!

Carly says: “My “day job” is as a receptionist (hoping to get a new job soon!) but I also run my own pageant site – long explanation needed there but it brings me a lot of satisfaction, I’ve made some amazing friends in the US and was even blessed to have them donate two and a half grand to get me to Vegas for the show last year. ”