Searching for your dream wedding dress but a bit overwhelmed with all of the options? We’re here to help…

Over the last 20 years, Nemo Bridal & Couture has asserted our position as the most trusted bridal workroom in the Queenstown-Lakes region, if not the whole of New Zealand’s South Island.

Along the way, our talented stitch queens have worked on hundreds or even thousands of wedding dresses; from creating completely custom-made gowns, to remodelling vintage heirloom dresses, completing alterations to the increasingly popular “off the rack” wedding dresses, or tweaking gowns for hire- we’ve literally seen it all!

Upon reflection of all we have witnessed through the years, there have been a number of lessons learnt along the way, and we feel it's important to pass along the knowledge to help guide brides who may be considering purchasing a dress online or from a bridal boutique. There are many factors to keep in mind when purchasing an ‘off-the-rack’ gown, and we hope by reading on you might learn something new, and potentially save yourself some time and /or money...

Online wedding dresses

In today’s digital age it doesn’t take much time searching online to find a cheap wedding dress that looks like it ticks all of your boxes. But, as with every decision you make in life, you must weigh up the benefits and the pitfalls.

On one hand, these cheap gowns may look polished and pretty online, but more often than not the real cost comes from the dress makers using cheap labour markets, inferior fabrics, and large factories that produce poor quality garments very quickly.

Today it is not enough to just be driven by cost. It is the responsibility of all consumers to consider the modern day “slavery” conditions in factories off-shore that create these dresses so cheaply. In addition to the human rights violations in these factories, it’s also important to examine your budget dress’ eco-footprint from the toxic textile production & waste, as well as the fossil fuels consumed during the trans-global journey it will take to get to you.

We hazard a guess that you, like millions of others worldwide, have once purchased something online that looked completely different than what you received. Simply google “Disappointing dresses bought online” and you’ll find a huge number of examples of online shopping gone wrong. We suggest you do some serious research before pressing ‘purchase’ on your dress bought online… or anything bought online for that matter.

‘Custom’ gowns and Alterations

It’s also important to not be fooled into thinking you’re getting a ‘custom-made’ or ‘made-to-measure’ dress just because you have been asked to add your measurements during the checkout process. This is rarely the case and we have had to alter and sometimes completely remodel hundreds of these so-called ‘custom’ dresses. Many brides are then shocked by the final cost of alterations in comparison to what they have purchased the dress for.

It is certainly possible to purchase a wedding gown from a popular designer that was not made under poor conditions or with toxic materials, but we again caution you to keep in mind the additional cost of alterations. We’ve often observed that premium label designs are typically created for just one standard body type, and the subsequent cost to alter them can see the price of the gown sometimes double! To avoid disappointment, we suggest that you try to find a gown that needs minimal alterations after purchase; aim for only easy alts like shortening straps or a trimming the hem, and steer clear of major alterations like attempting to change the shape of the dress.

Bespoke Beauty

Click to read about influencer Sophie Piearcey’s experience creating her dream 'dress’ completely bespoke with Nemo.

But, if you find a bridal gown style that you love but doesn’t fit perfectly, and you’re not particularly attached to owning the designer label, we highly suggest getting it custom created for you by a couture workroom like Nemo Bridal & Couture. With a bespoke gown design, you have complete control over budget, design & shape, and the end result is a gown that looks beautiful and fits exactly as it should, without any alterations. Read about influencer Sophie Piearcey’s experience creating her dream 'dress’ completely bespoke with Nemo.

For those brides who have a clear vision of a look but can't find it for sale, or would like to combine elements of different gowns to create their dream dress - going for a made-to-measure gown is the perfect option for you.

A wedding gown is likely to be the most expensive attire purchase you will ever make; so to have the connection and experience of designing a bespoke garment is a wonderful way of making your gown hold everlasting memories beyond the single wedding day it is scheduled to be worn.

The Future of Wedding Trends

It is truely time to turn the tide on consumptive patterns where we can. The Green Bride Guide states that the average wedding produces 400 lbs of garbage and 63 tons of CO2. With an estimated 2.5 million weddings per year, that is about 1 billion lbs of trash and as many emissions as approximately 4 people would produce in a year, in just one single day.

There are many ways we can curb the waste that is associated with our own weddings, and starting with your dress should be the first port of call. We need to start thinking of these garments as our familial tohunga and treasure them or value them enough to pass on for others to use, whether it’s just another bride, or passing it down through our family.

We’ve loved seeing the recent resurgence of the trend to update and remodel vintage family gowns that have been lovingly handed down. There is something so special about an heirloom gown, and we’ve been honoured to be a key part of the remodelling of a few local gowns recently (See: Jane & Gisella’s gown edits) .

Read all about Jane’s extra special 3rd generation dress remodel on our blog.

Another traditional practice that is coming back into trend is packaging wedding gowns for preservation, allowing future generations to keep the garment in use- a service that we also offer with our Newlove & Eggelton’s packaging for posterity service.

Read more about the Nemo B&C Botanical Dye Shoot on our blog.

ECO Conscious Brides

We all have a responsibility to thoughtfully ponder every purchase we make, and in this spirit of consciousness we have been delighted to see weddings are now trending towards being eco-focused.

One great way to stay ecologically minded with your wedding attire is to hire where possible, and ultimately keep such special attire circulating.

Here at Nemo Bridal & Couture we are continually editing, renewing and using up our ends to create bridal attire for our bridal hire collection that is transformative, interesting and timeless. And, if you’re not interested in hiring your whole wardrobe, choose to hire your one-time use accessories, like veils, belts, shoes, or even a vintage fur.

Final words

Whether you’re purchasing your gown online or designing one bespoke with your local workroom, our advice is to make sure to first have a clear but obtainable vision, then to make any further decisions consciously and with lots of research.

The internet can not only be an untrustworthy place to purchase your gown, but in many instances it may also be supporting a system that isn’t looking after it’s employees or the environment. So, we suggest engaging your local workroom to not only make sure you’re getting the best possible gown, but to also support your local economy in the process.

But, above all, the best piece of advice we can give is… do your best to enjoy the process! This is likely to be a once and a lifetime experience… so have fun!