Where to find a good dress maker in Canberra?

I need to find a really good dress maker to construct my dress for my formal this year. There is no pattern for the dress i only have a picture of what i want.

Oh I don’t know Ant – I think if a couple has been living together and has all of the ‘stuff’ they need, then asking guests to contribute to the wedding isn’t such a bad thing (especially as I never know what to buy people who already have everything!). The last few weddings that I’ve been to haven’t asked us to pay for dinner directly, but they have requested cash instead of a gift. I know some older rellos have issues with this, but I am quite happy to give cash – saves on wrapping paper (so better for the environment)and at least the happy couple doesn’t end up with piles of unwanted stuff that will be endlessly ‘regifted’ to subsequent happy couples. The other, more restrained/tasteful option is to ask your guests not to give you anything at all – but as a guest, I find this really annoying…. because I always want to give something and then I end up really stumped!

well, that is funny! evidently some people have a sense of restraint and taste, and we both know people of that ilk. Weddings nowadays are events of awfulness. I got an invite to one a few years back where bridezilla wanted guests to pay for their own ticket to Thuh Dinnuh.

words fail me, as they did then.

ant said :

Deezagood, that surprise marriage announcement/house warming party…. was that in Latham?! I attended one-such years ago too. Very tasteful way to do it. IT was all about celebrating a marriage with friends, rather than a ostentatious and awkward stage performance.

I really get amazed by this current situation where women want to be Toilet Brush Princess for a day, and seem to regard a wedding as their chance to be the star of their own hollywood film. They spend an insane amount of money on a dress that will be worn once, and there’s all this nonsense about beading and detailing and stuff that costs a motz, and no one notices it anyway, you can’t see it in the photos.

Prancing around a garden in a ballgown or evening dress is downright silly.

the best thing about weddings is the way that all those unfamiliar flouncy dresses and high-heeled shoes, combined with alcohol, result in really excellent footage for the Silly Video Show of women toppling over.

No Ant – mine was in Melbourne, but sounds like they were similarly lovely!

Not sure if she’s still there, but Dani at Angelic Inspirations at Gold Creek made my wedding dress and I loved it to bits. It was a short notice job, over Christmas too (engaged in September, married January 3). Price was reasonable, even compared to the off-the-rack dresses I considered.

Tina Harris in OConnor – she is fabulous

Deezagood, that surprise marriage announcement/house warming party…. was that in Latham?! I attended one-such years ago too. Very tasteful way to do it. IT was all about celebrating a marriage with friends, rather than a ostentatious and awkward stage performance.

I really get amazed by this current situation where women want to be Toilet Brush Princess for a day, and seem to regard a wedding as their chance to be the star of their own hollywood film. They spend an insane amount of money on a dress that will be worn once, and there’s all this nonsense about beading and detailing and stuff that costs a motz, and no one notices it anyway, you can’t see it in the photos.

Prancing around a garden in a ballgown or evening dress is downright silly.

the best thing about weddings is the way that all those unfamiliar flouncy dresses and high-heeled shoes, combined with alcohol, result in really excellent footage for the Silly Video Show of women toppling over.

Everyone’s right about getting slugged for cash when you mention the W word. For my wedding I checked out dress shops and bought a beautiful cream lace number in Civic (unfortunately the shop isn’t there any more, but there are similar boutique style shops). I bought a matching (short) lace veil from a wedding shop that cost me twice as much as the dress because it was official wedding gear.
Several old dears commented at the wedding on the quality of my dress and asked for the name of the seamstress.
Maybe I was just lucky finding the right dress, but it’s worth having a quick look before you organise the services of a seamstress.

Just buy a nice white/cream frock. Ebay have heaps of them (don’t include wedding or bride as a search term). I’ve even seen some used bride frocks at my local Salvos store that would look great with a bit of a dressmaker overhaul.

All the hoo hah about having fittings and a dressmaker are leftovers from the 60’s and 70’s (when I imagine your own mother was married).

If you include the bride word or the wedding word in any transaction you will be slugged for $$$.

Katydid said :

deezagood said :

Katy – from experience, I would advise you that anything associated with weddings tends to be 10 times the cost

Thank you for the advice. We’re finding that out ourselves as we go along – especially as we’re planning quite a low-key wedding (just a barbecue/picnic reception in a backyard!) and every wedding professional we speak to wants to ‘luxe’ it up!

I love low-key weddings, so don’t let anybody compromise your own vision for the day. One of the best weddings I can remember was a surprise wedding; where we were invited to the couple’s home for a house-warming and they sprang the wedding on us on the night … it was just wonderful. Although my husband and I had a reasonably low-key wedding, and a fantastic day, I do still regret that we didn’t go even more low-key (we didn’t even have a honeymoon, as we were too poor from our wedding!) and spent the money on a house deposit.