Wedding Dress Shopping in Armadale and Malvern – A Go To Guide
If you’re looking for a wedding dress in Melbourne, Armadale is one of the city’s best-known destinations for bridal shopping. With its boutique-lined streets, beautiful architecture and close proximity to some of Melbourne’s most popular wedding suburbs, it’s a natural place to begin your search for the perfect gown. We were in Armadale for over 24 years! Now that we’ve moved to Malvern, we are in a more intimate space and adore our new location.
Finding your wedding dress isn’t simply about visiting as many bridal boutiques as possible. The experience, the level of customisation available and the way a boutique works with you can make just as much difference as the dress itself.
If you’re considering wedding dress shopping in Armadale, here’s what Melbourne brides should know before booking their appointments.
Why Wedding Dress Shopping in Armadale?
Armadale has long been associated with fashion, design and independent boutiques, making it a popular destination for brides who want something a little more personal than a traditional off-the-rack shopping experience.
The area is also conveniently located for brides coming from suburbs including Toorak, Malvern, Glen Iris, Prahran, South Yarra, Caulfield and surrounding Melbourne suburbs.
Armadale feels more personal rather than mass-produced, boutique shopping can offer a very different experience from visiting a large bridal retailer.
Custom vs Off-the-Rack Wedding Dresses
One of the first decisions that is good to make is if you’re looking for an off-the-rack gown or something made specifically for you.
Off-the-rack dresses can be a great option when you’re working with a shorter timeframe or have found a gown you love with minimal changes required.
Custom or made-to-measure wedding dresses offer more flexibility. Rather than choosing a finished gown and adapting yourself to it, you can work with a designer to create a dress around your preferences, proportions and wedding vision.
For brides who have looked at hundreds of dresses online and still can’t quite find “the one”, a custom design can be an entirely different way of approaching wedding dress shopping.
What to Expect When Shopping for Wedding Gowns
Your first bridal appointment shouldn’t feel like an exam where you need to know exactly what you want. So if it does, use this appointment to focus on the things you did like so you can keep them in mind and consider the details. It can be overwhelming when you first begin, it is a journey, not a quick “okay this will do” situation.
Some brides arrive with a general idea of what they like, but most discover that the styles they imagined themselves wearing aren’t necessarily the ones they feel best in.
A good appointment should give you the opportunity to explore different silhouettes, fabrics and design details while having an experienced designer or stylist help you understand what works for you.
Also, think about it. Do you want to simply try on existing gowns? Would you like to make changes to a gown you’ve found? Or do you want to start completely from scratch?
Having an idea of these answers you’re looking for can help you choose the right bridal boutique.
How Early Should You Start Wedding Dress Shopping?
Don’t leave wedding dress shopping until the last minute, but also, don’t panic. Leave enough time.
If you’re considering a custom wedding gown, you’ll generally need considerably more time than you would for an off-the-rack dress. The design process, fabric selection, production and fittings all need to be considered before your wedding day.
At Brides of Armadale, we recommend allowing plenty of time for a custom gown, particularly if you have a specific design in mind or want significant changes to the gown. We prefer outside of ten months to the wedding to make your choice.
Many stores may ask for longer but if you’re feeling pressure to buy simply because they told you, you have to, listen to your gut not to the sales techniques. If you go have a coffee with your team and come back a few hours later, or even a few days, the odds are the gown will still be available to be bought. People buy on emotion – and often the bridal industry can be pushy and sales techniques are often used to evoke one or two emotions, fear of missing out, or love.
We prefer to evoke the feeling of calm, safe and reassured. We never want our clients to feel harassed, pushed or manipulated with random discounts and techniques to make them buy with us. Some could say this in itself is a sales technique, and sure, if that’s the case we wear that. We are proud to allow the bride space, room and comfort to know that they aren’t being forced, bullied or pushed into a fast decision.
What Should You Bring to Your Armadale Bridal Appointment?
An open mind and curiosity. Sometimes brides will bring pictures of gowns they like on a Pinterest board or some saved Instagram links, focusing on details like lace or sleeves, your venue or general wedding style.
Ask questions, be inquisitive, learn as much as you can, your choice on gown, fabric, details, size, alterations, cost, store, process is all as clear as possible. This isn’t a small and menial purchase.
Prepare yourself that your designer may suggest something you hadn’t considered, and that’s often when the good stuff happens. Allow people to do their job, but also don’t be shy to stay true to yourself and ask for clarification.
Why Brides Choose Brides of Armadale
At Brides of Armadale, we have been creating wedding dresses in Melbourne for more than 24 years, with a focus on personalised design and made-to-measure bridal gowns.
Our designers work with brides to create dresses that reflect their individual style, body and wedding.
You might come to us looking for a particular gown you’ve already seen, with a few changes you’d like to make. Or you might have no idea what you want and simply know that you haven’t found it yet. Both are completely fine.
Our bridal appointments are designed to help you explore your options, whether that means selecting a gown, changing design elements or creating something completely custom.
And because your gown is made to your measurements, the process doesn’t end when you find the design. Fittings and alterations are an important part of ensuring the finished gown feels right on you.
Ready to Start Wedding Dress Shopping in Armadale?
If you’re searching for a wedding dress in Armadale or Melbourne’s inner east, we’d love to help you find a gown that feels completely your own.
Whether you’re looking for a classic wedding dress, a modern minimalist gown, a lace design or something completely custom, the best place to start is with a conversation about what you want.
You don’t need to have everything figured out before your first appointment. You just need to start somewhere.
Request a consultation with your BOA team and start your journey into self discovery and excitement.