Choose a wedding dress designer by looking at gowns they have actually made, asking clear questions about process, price and timing, and checking where the gown will be sewn. The right designer listens before sketching, quotes in writing and is open about what is included. Use the twelve questions below with every designer you meet, including us.
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What should you check before booking a designer?
- Real gowns on real brides. Look for wedding photos and named bride stories, not only runway or styled shoots. Our bride stories are one example.
- Reviews over time. Read reviews across several years and look for detail about fittings and the morning of the wedding, not just the dress.
- Their style. A designer whose work you already love is easier to trust with a sketch.
- Price fit. Check a starting price before you go, so the conversation is realistic.
What questions should you ask a wedding dress designer?
- Is the gown designed for me from scratch, or adapted from an existing design?
- Who will I work with at each appointment?
- Where is the gown cut and sewn, and by whom?
- Will there be a toile, and when?
- How many fittings should I expect, and are they included?
- Where do the fabrics come from, and can I see and touch them before choosing?
- How long will my gown take, and when will it be finished before the wedding?
- What is the starting price, and what do most gowns like mine cost?
- What does the quote include, and what could change it?
- What is the deposit, and when is the balance due?
- What happens if my body changes or I fall pregnant?
- Do you help on the wedding morning?
For our own answers: everything is designed, cut and sewn in our Dulwich Hill atelier; there is a toile and three to five fittings; bespoke bridal gowns start from $3,500; a 50% deposit begins the design; and Catherine offers a wedding morning dressing service. Our frequently asked questions cover the rest.
What are the red flags?
- Pressure to pay a deposit on the day, before you have a quote in writing.
- Vague answers about where the gown is made.
- No toile or a single fitting for a complex, structured design.
- A quote that leaves out fabric, fittings or finishing.
- Only styled or runway images, with no gowns on real brides.
- A designer who talks more than they listen at your first meeting.
- A timeline that sounds too good for the amount of hand-work in your design.
None of these alone proves a problem, but each deserves a straight answer.
How can you check a gown is made locally?
- Ask to see the workroom or work in progress when you visit.
- Ask who sews. A designer who makes locally can tell you where the cutting table is.
- Notice the toile. A toile fitted on you, then altered and refitted, is hard to do with a factory overseas.
- Watch the fittings. Changes between fittings that happen within days, on the same gown, point to local making.
- Ask about the fabric. Fabric may come from around the world, which is normal. The question is where it is made up.
What can’t a checklist tell you?
You will spend months with your designer, so how you feel in the room matters. Gloria put it this way: “It takes a true couturier to take a side sketch of a dress and turn it into a real dress.” You should leave a first meeting feeling heard. Our guide to your first consultation explains what to prepare.
If you would like to see how we work, read about Catherine as a wedding dress designer in Sydney or book a consultation.
