Choosing a wedding gown will be one of the biggest and most exciting decisions you’ll ever make. I’ve known brides that have had their wedding planned and gown chosen from their early teens to others that simply fall in love with the first dress they try on. Then there are the girls that simply can’t make up their mind. No matter which category you think you’ll fit into, you’ll want to hear what Kel from Kel-Leigh Couture has to say on the subject.
Why?
Not only is Kel-Leigh the only wedding couture designer on the Central Coast, she is downright amazing at what she does. Kel has been designing wedding gowns for over 14 years and currently has a shop front on York Street, East Gosford.
Click on the video player below to see my interview with Kel from Kel-Leigh Couture and learn everything there is to choosing the perfect wedding gown for you. If you’d prefer to read the transcript of the interview, you can do that here.
Well, after watching Kel in action, it’s pretty easy to see she is a ton of fun to work with – there is never a shortage of laughter and I have to say, that is the most ‘serious’ I have ever seen her – amazing what a camera and microphone can do!
This is where most of the action happens behind the scenes – a good old sewing machine. I would be scared to guess how many hours, designers like Kel will spend on this machine for a single dress.
After carrying out so many of these interviews over the past months, I am always amazed at what goes into each business and how involved everything is in regard to weddings. A few things that stood out for me in the interview with Kel were:
- Kel is working on a 12 month lead time for her couture designed gowns.
- The initial design phase is a series of sketches with the bride to be – everything is totally custom designed.
- There are a myriad of silk styles which all affect the look, feel and flow of a wedding gown.
- When a bride chooses a white wedding gown, the decisions on colour doesn’t stop there. With silk as in house paint, there are many different shades.
- Beading and lace are the parts of a couture designed gown that add the most cost – due to the labour involved. Reduce these and the cost comes down, dramatically.
- Girls are faced with 4-5 fitting appointments for the one wedding gown.
- Kel-Leigh will build ‘boobs’ into the dress if you don’t have as much as you’d like in that area.
Like I said, there’s so much that goes into a wedding gown – I was amazed. For the complete picture, make sure you see the video.
More Choice for your Central Coast Wedding Gown
Now Kel-Leigh Couture isn’t the only store to find a wedding gown on the Coast, so I sought some extra advice on choosing a wedding gown from both Gabrielle and Karen from the Bridal Outlet at Somersby who have a fantastic range of ready to wear gowns.
If you were lucky enough to be at the Linton Gardens bridal expo earlier this year, you would have seen just some of the range from the Bidal Outlet and as a spectator during the fashion parade, there was no shortage of oooh’s and ahhhh’s as the different wedding gowns were paraded. One of the most striking was a black and white ‘princess’ style dress that had plenty of attention from the girls.
I love this dress from Kel-Leigh Couture.
Here are a few tips from Gabrielle and Karen for choosing your perfect wedding gown:
- We encourage girls to try various styles of gowns as it’s difficult to know what you’ll like until you actually try it on. The dresses on the racks can be deceiving and look so different once you are wearing them. You need to see the gown on you and actually feel the fit.
- In your fitting session, take particular notice of the different types of fabrics; Taffetas, Silks, Chiffons and Satins as they all have different looks and will feel different to wear.
- Listen to the Consultants at the bridal store, they are there to help you look your best on your wedding day. An experienced consultant will help by suggesting styles that will suit you, your figure and your wedding. They will also advise you about any changes that can be made to the different gowns. For example, you may prefer a lace up back instead of a zip or no beading or a change of fabrics – all of which, may be possible with your wedding gown choice.
- Enjoy the experience, ultimately you will fall in love with a gown, and that will be the one!
- Start searching for your gown early in the engagement, once you have your gown picked, you can start to plan your wedding around your choice. Things like the bridesmaids style and colour of dress, flowers, guys suits, hair styles and accessories – will all revolve around your choice of wedding gown.
When shopping for your bridal gown, it’s not uncommon to come across something beautiful for your bridesmaids. This dress is part of Kel-Leigh’s ready-to-wear range.
A Final Tip
When you start your search for the perfect wedding gown, you may have a preconceived idea of the total look. Be open to suggestions from the couture designers or consultants as they will have fitted hundreds of brides. They may have an idea or opinion that you hadn’t considered that just may surprise and delight you.
Ok, two final tips.
Accept your body shape when you go into your dress fitting appointments. Yes, every (or almost) every girl will attempt some crazy diet before their wedding but it is rare to lose an entire dress size. If you are purchasing a ready to wear gown, buy the gown that fits, that’s comfortable and that feels amazing. After all, you should feel like a princess.
If you’d like to contact Kel-Leigh or the girls from The Bridal Outlet, I have included their details below:
The Bridal Outlet
2/54 Gindurra Rd
Somersby
(02) 4340 4929
Kel-Leigh Couture
58 York Street
East Gosford
(02) 43 210 137
2 Comments