Scroll through today’s Expert Interview and your breath will be taken away. Love You More gowns are absolutely to die for and “effortlessly beautiful”. Then read Kim’s answers and you’ll realise that oh-so much time, care and love goes into these dresses – there’s nothing effortless about the process in bringing these dream dresses to life. The Love You More team really go above and beyond when it comes to every little detail from sourcing fabric and tailoring, to customer service and approaching each bride and dress uniquely (whether you’re ordering from the online or physical boutique). Read on meet Kim Luong of Love You More Bridal and find out how she and her team create gowns that truly capture the heart.

Tell us about Love You More…
Love You More creates beautifully refined, simple and exceptionally tailored wedding gowns for modern brides around the globe.

Designed and made locally, in Melbourne, we make each dress to order using luxurious silks, lace and fabrics sourced from the finest collections around the world. Working with some of the most experienced pattern makers, tailors and seamstresses ensures each dress is conceived, drafted and finished using expert techniques. And our personalised approach means we’ll be here at every stage so you can feel confident you’ll receive a dress that reflects your personal style.

How did you come up with the great name?
Thank my big sister for this one. It’s a bit of a tongue in cheek statement about love – the common response to “I love you” is “love you more.” It’s a feel-good statement that people often giggle over and encapsulates the kind of brand experience I wanted for brides.

Run us through the process of ordering a dress from Love You More…

  1. As soon as you’ve found the one, pop it into the cart and place your order.
  2. We’ll check our availability of fabrics for your chosen style and send you an order confirmation. We have a very limited supply for each of our designs.
  3. From here you can sit back and relax while we get to work on your dress. Each dress is made to order and production typically takes four months.
  4. We’ll update you on the progress of your dress throughout the entire process and we’re always available to answer any questions.
  5. On completion of your dress, our design team do a strict quality review before carefully wrapping and sending your dress to you.
  6. We aim to send your dress six weeks before your wedding date and you’ll receive a tracking number so that you can follow it to your doorstep.

How long before her big day should a bride order her dress from you?
We recommend you order your dress at least six months before your wedding date.

Can you offer styling advice throughout the process?
Absolutely! We’re actually about to launch a social media channel dedicated to offering styling advice and ideas for each of our dresses. Watch this space!

What happens if the dress needs alterations once the bride receives, or something isn’t quite right?
If something isn’t quite right, definitely reach out to us. Take some photos of the problem and email them across. We can work out the best next steps together. For us the problem isn’t resolved until your happy.

What’s the best way to avoid this happening?
Take the time to read through our process and guidelines. Ask us as many questions as you feel comfortable. This reduces expectation gaps and elevates your overall experience with us.

You also have a boutique. Do you offer one-on-one consultations?
Yes, and I personally take all in-boutique consultations. This is my favourite way of getting to know my customers – finding out what they like, their expectations, and seeing how my dresses fit and move on real bodies – all this helps me to improve my designs and services.

What’s it like managing an online store and physical boutique?
I think it gives me the best of both worlds. An online store gives me the opportunity to offer my dresses to brides around the globe while a physical boutique gives me the chance to personally meet and see brides in my dresses.

Where do you source your fabrics?
All our fabrics are sourced through local fabric agents who shop the globe for the most incredible designs, textures and quality.

How do you stay up to date with trends?
A combination of what’s on the runway overseas, to online publications, fabric agents who source fabrics based on the latest trends and social media.

What are the biggest trends for wedding dresses you’ve noticed in 2019?
This season, I’m seeing a more minimalist style. Brides are frequently asking for dresses with shorter or no trains in simple satins or subdued laces.

Most memorable or favourite dress Love You More has created?
The most memorable would have to be our Sweet Romance dress. This style almost didn’t make it into the collection. It took quite a few goes to find a fabric I was happy with. It’s now the most popular among industry peers and brides alike.

Can you share any lovely stories or testimonials from brides you’ve helped?
I had a bride recently describe her experience at our boutique as “…something from the movies.” I believe people should expect great service and it’s lovely to hear we’re delivering on that.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learnt working in the wedding industry?
Take a chance on yourself and believe that you can do it.

What’s a typical day at work look like for you?
It usually starts at 6am and ends around midnight. Everything in between is different depending on the priorities for that day – designing a new collection, organising a shoot, having consultations with brides at the boutique, attending webinars etc. It’s crazy, hectic and everything you’d expect as a small business owner.

What are the three best things about your job?

  1. As cliched as it sounds, it’s working with brides who’ve chosen one of my designs for her big day – it’s the most genuine compliment anyone can give and one I hugely appreciate.
  2. I’m never bored – I’m a workaholic and there’s always so much to do.
  3. Collaborating with other creatives – you’re never short of ideas

When you’re not working, we’d find you…
Having dance parties with my boys!

Thank you Kim for sharing your wisdom and beautiful gowns with us today! Your experience and passion for creating incredible dresses, and giving your customers an unforgettable and seamless experience, really shines through. (I am also swooning over your Sweet Romance dress as I type this! Ahh!) To find out more about Love You More Bridal and to see more of their gorgeous work, head on over to the Love You More Bridal website.

Images: Nicole Corbett