Erin & Chris had a stunning winter wedding at The Grand Hyatt, Melbourne

The bride knew what she wanted in her wedding dress. Heavy lace, long sleeves & elegant.

I made the bridal gown, cathedral veil, flowergirls dresses & Bridesmaid dress.

Was a pleasure working with Erin.

Credits -

Bridal gown - www.lbcouturedressmaker.com.au

Photography - www.lisaleek.com

Venue - Grand Hyatt Melbourne www.melbourne.grand.hyatt.com

Hair - Murray McKinnon & Zoe Anne Williams

Makeup - Tobi Dew

So I have a little ballerina in the house - actually two of them.

My youngest daughter has begun to do solo's this year which means she needed a tutu made.

Well I can make a wedding dress, but a tutu is a lot different!

In January my daughters ballet school arranged a tutu making course with Danielle Legge from Tutus by Dani.

It was a 3 day course where we learnt how to make the entire tutu, decorate it & make a matching headpiece.

Here's how I went...

All ready for her eisteddfods.

Credit - Tutus by Dani, based in Woodend. www.facebook.com/TutusByDani

Part two of our big bash!

I went with a Great Gatsby inspired theme - extravagant & luxurious was the feel I was aiming for.

Delicious food was supplied all night & the open bar flowed with cocktails, beer, wine, champagne & soft drinks.

Of course the main reason to host a party is to celebrate with family & friends & people that mean the most to you. Enjoy X

Credits -

Photography - www.louisajones.com.au

Hair & Makeup - www.monicahenry.com.au

Catering - Ginger & Zest www.gingerandzest.com.au

Cakes - www.meaghancook.com

Biscuits - www.sweetthingsbycaroline.com.au

Cakepops & Cupcakes - Cara Mia Cakes

Macarons - Andre's , Torquay

Signage - Indie Lime www.indielime.com.au

Lighting/Bar hire - www.memphishire.com.au

Last year in October & November, my husband & I both reached a milestone birthday. Yep the big 40.

Now I like to throw a party - who doesn't?!

We went all out - hired a caterer, bar staff, dessert makers extraordinaire & a photographer - like a wedding really!

Hopefully you can get some styling & event ideas that will help you plan your big day.

Part 2 will follow shortly.

Credits -

Photography - www.louisajones.com.au

Hair & Makeup - www.monicahenry.com.au

Catering - Ginger & Zest www.gingerandzest.com.au

Cakes - www.meaghancook.com

Biscuits - www.sweetthingsbycaroline.com.au

Cakepops & Cupcakes - Cara Mia Cakes

Macarons - Andre's , Torquay

Signage - Indie Lime www.indielime.com.au

Lighting/Bar hire - www.memphishire.com.au

I'm lucky enough to have worked with Louisa Jones on a number of occasions & in this shoot we teamed up with Monica Henry Hair & Makeup Artist, King Parrot Cottages & Moss Industry Weddings to create a beautiful forest inspired styled bridal shoot.

The Otways Ranges is absolutely stunning & it was hard to narrow down just a few shots to share!

I had some wonderful models who were happy to walk into the freezing water for us to get the perfect shot.

My daughters excitedly volunteered as models as well.

One of my favourite shots showing the beautiful beaded lace details.

Black white always makes a stunning image

A styled shoot is always a lot of work & a long day but the results are totally worth it.

Credits -

Photography - www.louisajones.com.au

Hair & Makeup - www.monicahenry.com.au

Location - www.kingparrot.com.au

Flowers - www.mossindustryflorist.com.au

Imagine one of the most beautiful locations in Australia.

A place I'd never heard of before, but now a place that's on my to see list.

Paronella Park in Mena Creek, Queensland, 120km south of Cairns.

Well that's where my beautiful bride Kristina married Roberto in October 2015.

Kristina had a good idea of her gown when she first came to see me, but there were lots of details to be sorted out & lots of fabrics to find.

Kristina's bridal gown certainly evolved as the fittings went on. We played around with different lace variations & different placings. It took a while but in the end a stunning bridal gown was created along with a pretty veil to suit.

Kristina's bridal gown was made from two different laces, one was beaded & one was plain. The underneath gown was made from silk satin & featured a beaded embellishment under the bust. The final result ended up looking quite art deco.

Kristina's bridal gown was a labour of love & I was thrilled with the end result.

Credits -

Paronella Park - www.paronellapark.com.au

Photography - Matthew Evans Photography www.matthewevansphotography.com.au

Dress www.lbcouturedressmaker.com.au

Bea & Dean got married in March 2016 at The Batesford Hotel

Bea knew what she wanted in her bridal gown & knew she wanted a lace bodice & long sleeves

I found a beautiful beaded lace which worked perfectly.

Dresses often evolve as they're being made.

Bea knew she wanted a free flowing skirt & the first one I made was of satin with layers of chiffon over the top to create a flowy look.

The only issue was that it was quite hot to wear.

I always tell my clients they have to be happy with the final result, so we changed the satin underskirt layer to a cotton layer & made it shorter.

The result was a cooler dress to wear, with still the flow of the layered silk chiffon

Congratulations Bea & Dean!

Credits -

Photography - www.splashoflife.com.au

Venue - Batesford Hotel www.batesfordhotel.com.au

Dress - www.lbcouturedressmaker.com.au

Lace, lace, lace

We all love lace on a bridal gown, bridesmaids dress or flowergirls dress.

What many people don't realise is the costs. Lace can be very expensive!

On average the laces I use are between $250 - $400 per metre.

If you need 4 metres on your dress, you're up for $1600 before you get started!

The most expensive lace I've used to date was a beautiful French lace at $650 per metre - luckily the bride only needed one metre!

Some stunning French & Italian laces can cost up to $1000 per metre - yes you're reading that corectly.

Your dressmaker will help you find a lace within your budget & one that suits your style & wedding theme.

Dont skimp on lace though as its the hero of your dress, however don't mortgage your house for your dress either!

Your best friend has asked you to be bridesmaid at her wedding. Yah! Exciting!

So much to organise & help her plan. Then the expenses kick in...the dress, hair appointments, lash appointments, the makeup, jewellery, shoes, tan, undergarments & so it goes on. Don't forget there will be a hens party & kitchen tea to organise! So who pays for what? Different brides have different budgets & ideas on this. In the last 10 years I've probably had 5% of brides pay for everything. A large percentage tend to split the cost & a small percentage expect you to pay for absolutely everything. Establish who's paying for what before you fully commit to the role and make sure you can have a honest & open discussion about costs with the bride to be. Most of my past brides have made a contribution to the bridesmaid dresses.

Usually they pay a $100 deposit, then you pay the remaining balance which is around $350.

Being a bridesmaid can be the most fun ever & it's a privilege to be involved so make sure you're not worried about the costs so you can relax & enjoy it!!

A website has been a long time coming for LB Couture Dressmaker but time has always been scarce. Finally now i've taken the time to sit down and gather together all of my images of my fabulous clients and their garments. A big thank you to all the photographers who have provided such beautiful images. We hope the new website helps you find out more about what i do and how i work. Tell your friends!