What is a couture wedding dress?
Whether you grew up drawing your visions of the gown you’d wear or sat around sticking cut-out pictures of your face onto the heads of models in bridal magazines, choosing a wedding dress is one of the most exciting parts of getting married.
You’ve heard the terms ‘couture’ and ‘off-the rack’, but what do they actually mean? And can anyone wear a couture wedding gown or do you have to be having a huge wedding? Here’s what you need to know about the different types of wedding dresses.
What is an off-the-rack wedding dress?
To put it simply, off-the-rack dresses are those bought exactly as you see them in the store. If you visit a bridal boutique with wedding gowns off-the-rack, you will try on a dress exactly as you buy it. It comes as it is and how it appears in the store. You could liken it to when you go shopping for regular clothes.
Off-the-rack dresses are great for brides who are doing last-minute wedding dress shopping. However, it is risky as many stores have limited off-the-rack wedding dress sizes. If you want a specific type of dress and have the time, we would avoid this type of wedding gown.
What are ready-to-wear wedding dresses?
This way of wedding dress shopping is similar to off-the-rack and are two phrases that are often interchangeable. Although they are similar, they differ slightly in the sense that although they are already pre-made gowns, they still have to be ordered most of the time. This means that you would try on a dress in-store, and if you were to purchase it, they would most likely have to order it for you, with your correct measurements, to pick up later. This is still a good option if you need a tighter time frame as it won’t take long, but it is not as quick as off-the-rack as you will not take it home that day.
What are made-to-order wedding dresses?
Made-to-order wedding dresses are the most common kind and most typically chosen type of gown. This is similar to a ready-to-wear wedding gown in the sense that you would try on a sample dress in the store but would then have one ordered in with your correct measurements. The difference, however, is that where a ready-to-wear dress is ordering a pre-made gown in the correct size, much like if you went to a store and had to order the outfit you want from another one because they didn’t have your size, a made-to-order dress is a completely new dress. It would be a replica of the sample but made new for you rather than ordering one from a larger pre-made stock.
What are bespoke wedding dresses?
If you’d prefer more creative control over your wedding dress, you may want to consider a more personal, original approach, like purchasing a bespoke wedding dress. A bespoke wedding dress is similar to couture and essentially refers to a dress that has been made specifically for a bride by a designer intending to bring her vision to life. They are personal and unique.
However, with a bespoke dress, you do not need to be a trained fashionista. It’s the perfect combination of personal and professional as it is a much more guided option than couture dresses. This is because, with a bespoke dress, the designer uses a sample dress as a base. This provides a starting point where the bride can creatively develop from there.
What are couture wedding dresses?
A Bernadette Pimenta Couture wedding gown
Couture wedding dresses are arguably the most luxurious route to go down when searching for a wedding dress and are the most time-consuming for a designer to create. A couture dress gives the bride and the designer creative control and freedom in every detail, which means it is also more expensive than other wedding dresses.
A couture dress is ideal for brides who want to know and decide every last detail, from the shape of lace to the shade of rhinestones. It is the perfect way to create a memorable day in a dress made out of your dreams and love.
If you’re looking for a couture or custom wedding gown in Melbourne, book an appointment to discuss what type of wedding gown you want for your dream day.
