Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival Bridal Show Wows

I admit that I had an inner squeal of excitement as I received the invitation to attend the Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival Bridal Show… actually, I think it may have been more of an audible squeal, but nonetheless, I was excited!

Brisbane’s newly restored City Hall played backdrop to the Bridal Show and I was lead to an enviable front row seat to wait with others for the show to begin. After sponsor messages, the lights were dimmed and cameras readied to capture what we had all been waiting for – an exquisite line up of bridal gown glory.

With close to 100 bridal gowns on display, here are my dreamy dozen for your viewing pleasure (in order of appearance), along with insights from some of the designers themselves.

1. Brides Desire by Wendy Sullivan:

I am loving the “Aphrodesia” strapless gown with hand-crafted lace complete with embellished head scarf.

2. George Wu

“The collection is all about research into ‘over consumption’ which lead to research on ‘where will our future go’ and has resulted in a design rationale of ‘Garden of Eden’. With this as inspiration, the collection is all about foliage and flowers covering the body and the design direction had to be light, airy, and effortless. Media has responded really well and the number of congratulations has been overwhelming… I am still in a state of ‘is this real?'” – George Wu

3. Regalia Bridal Designs

“Elissa” (pictured below) has a light gold Guipure lace embellished by Swarovski crystals overlaying ivory wedding satin. I love the vintage slim cut merging into mermaid style – very sophisticated.

“Tia” (pictured second below) may be your typical A-line white wedding gown, but the ruched bodice with layers of latte organza and white satin makes this one shoulder number simply gorgeous!

4. Bertossi Brides at Paddington Weddings

“Grace” (pictured below) exudes elegance – everything from the cut, the rich English silk and Italian Chantilly lace speaks of perfection.

“Juliette” (pictured second below) is a crowd favourite gracing the cover of bridal magazines and bringing a palette of pastel florals to life through its hand painted Italian silk organza.

5. Darb Bridal Couture

Fun fact: this “Nicky” gown was named after our very own patterned person, Ms Lace!

“It was wonderful to be involved with this years MBFF, its a lot of work but always enjoyable and a credible platform to launch the new seasons’ collection. My Tuesday night parade was about fine detailing and lace… my Wednesday night collection was about a contemporary interpretation of a very traditional image, along with the introduction of some more relaxed cuts making it a very diverse collection with lots of looks to appeal to all brides tastes.” – Brad Webb

6. Paul Hunt

This sweet little number was the first knee-length cocktail gown to appear earning its place in my dreamy dozen. I love the softness of this look!

7. Jack Sullivan Bridal

“The Catwalk show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival was an adrenaline rush, and was a very rewarding experience. Launching a new collection is always a stressful experience, in addition to the pressure of doing my first MBFF, but was definitely worth it in the long run. The Collection was based around a couple of laces I have had custom made, and the whole concept of blending multiple colours and features to create one look. These laces were a combination of platinum and ivory, which I then layered over either (or sometimes both) an ivory or platinum satin. I then used a combination of silver back Swarovski crystals and “AB” crystals to help create the overall look. I was really honoured to be showcasing on the same night with designers that I have always looked up to and respected.” – Jack Sullivan

8. Elizabeth de Varga Exclusive Fashions

“Ophelia” (pictured below) speaks of an ethereal goddess – everything from the headpiece to jewelled belt, not to mention the silk charmeuse with shimmer veiling tulle makes this gown my pick of the night!

“Lavinia” (pictured second below) also has shimmer veiling tulle to the one shoulder with hand-applied lace motifs, Swarovski crystals, and pearls.