Want to take a peek behind the glamorous world of a wedding dress designer? Well….. delve into the pages of the brand new title “Secrets & Confessions Of A Wedding Dress Designer” by Australian bridal designer Rhonda Hemmingway and you can see that it’s not all lace and tulle and daydreaming of the next fabulous design!

Rhonda Hemmingway has been a Sydney based designer for over 21 years, designing couture wedding dresses for the rich and famous, including Rebecca Gibney and Sandra Sully. The book tells the tale of life as an Australian wedding professional. Meeting Rhonda, we gain an insight into her history, her background and where it all began.

The book delves into what life is really like as a bridal gown designer. From brides who had Rhonda and her team working until their fingers literally bled, to freak storms that led to unusual ways of keeping the bride and bridesmaids dry! They are sometimes ridiculous, leading you to really go back and read the story again just to make sure you read that insanity correctly! But there are also the touching stories – one of a grandmother who put a little money away each week for 28 years to pay for her grand daughter’s wedding dress and then tragically passed away just before her grand daughter’s wedding day, is particularly poignant.

With a background in wedding photography, Rhonda’s conversational writing style feels like you’re catching up for a night of stories and tales over a very tall cocktail. Her (at times) disbelief, relief and utter exhaustion after the bride walks down the aisle is evident with every word.

The book reads full of short stories, but always is filled with Rhonda’s expert wisdom, lessons she has learned over the years. From which gown suits a body shape to chapters on music, rings and a comprehensive “bridal tips” section which includes basic knowledge that is often overlooked – bridal shoes, makeup and even down to mental therapy!

Again as with other Australian wedding titles, it was refreshing to read the book from an Australian point of view. Being familiar with Rhonda’s work, the book felt like I was being let into a secret little world. Knowing the venues and being familiar with the wedding styles she talked about made the book that much more enjoyable to pour over.

The book is littered throughout with hand drawn sketches and funny drawings, all done by Rhonda herself. Accompanying them are full page colour photographs of many of Rhonda’s past clients, dating back over the years with photographs of wedding gowns, dazzling bridesmaids and handsome grooms. Maybe there are lots of happy endings after all!

‘Secrets & Confessions Of A Wedding Dress Designer was sent to Polka Dot Bride for editorial consideration in accordance with our disclosure policy.