Table of contents→✕There’s a lot more to getting a dress for your special day than meets the eye and naturally brides have a lot of questions to ask about the process, the timing and the finer details of finding the perfect gown. We’ve assembled some of the questions we hear most often to hopefully help make this part of planning your wedding that much easier.
Not at all. We are designers and a big part of what we do is about knowing what styles and fabrics to use to help accentuate and flatter a bride’s figure and personality so that she looks and feels flawless on the day. We have an extensive in-house collection of gowns and fabrics to work with for inspiration and are more than happy to work alongside you to bring your dream gown to life – even if you aren’t quite sure what that looks like just yet.
The best time to start the search is when you have a good idea of when your wedding is going to be and what sort of venue you’re going for, whether it be a church, a beach etc. This lets us know how much time we have to work with and helps us find an appropriate style of gown for the occasion. It’s never too early to get started and making plans sooner often makes things easier as it gives you a better idea of what to expect and how much to budget for.
Most of our gowns are between $4,000.00-$9,000.00 depending on the fabrics used and the amount of work involved in crafting the gown. Custom-made gowns are generally more expensive than those that have already been made but it does depend on the dress.
Usually we start making the dress 2 ½ – 3 months before the wedding date to ensure a perfect fit, with brides usually being able to pick up the gown the week before or week of the wedding depending on what they prefer.
We generally like to have three to four fittings across the process, along with one appointment to take measurements beforehand. The first two fittings are about ensuring that the base gown fits perfectly, focusing on the neckline and the bodice. This requires the bra that the measurements were taken in. The second or third fitting will ensure that the hemline is the right length so having the shoes you want to wear at this point is vital.
Accessories are an important part of the bride’s look and making sure that they flatter both her and the gown is essential. For us, advising a bride on how to accessorise for the big day is an integral part of the process and we have a broad range of accessories, veils and headpieces available at the atelier to help inspire and bring your bridal look to life.
Unfortunately, we do not – however, we are more than happy to advise, design or provide fabrics for the occasion.
Our in-house collection is always growing, and while a large portion of our gowns are featured on our website we have many that are only available in our atelier, as well as an exclusive range of laces sourced from around the world that we are constantly adding to with unique, made-to-order pieces. To view our latest collections, you can find us at Level 1, 242 Queen Street, Auckland, New Zealand. Our bridal atelier is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 5.30pm and Saturday’s by appointment only.
We can accommodate this simply by working closer to the date of the wedding so that you are as close to the size you will be for the day as possible – no extra costs are involved.
This isn’t a problem for us, although we do have to do things a bit differently to minimise the amount of times you need to travel to us. We like to take measurements in the same visit as the initial consult and then ideally handle the first and second fittings together in the next visit, which we often do over the course of a day. The third visit is generally overnight and involves the third and final fittings. Depending on the complexity of the gown it will be complete and ready to be picked up by the end of the third visit. This is merely a general idea of how we like to handle the process – ultimately the approach we take will vary between brides so that we can tailor our process to best suit your circumstances and the intricacies of your gown.
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Our promise to you:
We will make you a handcrafted, bespoke wedding gown using the materials that we have both agreed.
We will suggest and agree a design with you. We will give you a sketch to keep.
If you notify us of any concerns during the design and manufacturing phases, we will listen and do our best to resolve any issues promptly.
We will quote you a price in writing. If you subsequently ask us to make changes that will cause the cost to increase, we will give you a revised price in writing before we do the additional work.
We will agree a delivery date with you and we will make sure that your gown is ready for you to collect from our studio on or before the agreed delivery date as long as you have made all of the payments that we have agreed.
Your undertaking to us:
To confirm your order, you will promptly pay us a deposit equal to 30% of the GST inclusive price that we have quoted and agreed with you.
You will make timely payment of the amounts that we have agreed with you in writing.
You will come to our design studio for fittings and to review progress at the times we both agree. You will tell us promptly if there is anything that you are concerned about or require us to address.
If you tell us in writing to stop working on your gown before it is finished, you will fully reimburse us within 7 days for the work that we have done and costs that we have incurred, net of the deposit and any other amounts that you have already paid.
You acknowledge that your gown is handmade from delicate couture materials and must be cared for accordingly. Vinka Design is not responsible for any damage to the gown after it has been collected from our studio.
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