Our Custom Wedding Dress Process
From your first inspiration photos to seeing your finished gown for the first time, our custom process makes creating your wedding dress clear, collaborative, and personal.
The Process At A Glance
Custom can sound complicated when you've never done it before.
But you don't need to arrive with a finished sketch, know bridal terminology, or have every detail figured out.
Most brides start with ideas—saved wedding dresses, screenshots, Pinterest boards, particular details they love, or even a combination of several different gowns.
From there, we help turn those ideas into a wedding dress that can actually be created.
How Long Does A Custom Wedding Dress Take?
A custom wedding dress takes time because your gown is being created specifically for you — rather than selected from an existing bridal collection.
Common Questions Before Getting Started
We generally recommend allowing 6–8 months for the full custom process. Shorter timelines may be possible depending on our schedule and the complexity of your gown.
1. Do I need to know exactly what I want before getting in touch?
Not at all. Some brides come to us with a very clear vision, while others simply have a collection of inspiration images and an idea of what they do — and don’t — like.
Send us what you have. We can help you bring those different ideas together and determine what may work cohesively as one custom wedding dress.
2. Can I combine details from several different wedding dresses?
Yes. In fact, this is one of the most common reasons brides consider custom.
You might love the neckline of one gown, the silhouette of another, and the sleeves, lace or back detail from something completely different. We can use these elements as inspiration and work with you to develop them into one unique design, rather than simply copying an existing dress.
3. How much does a custom wedding dress cost?
The price of a custom wedding dress depends on the design, fabrics, construction, embellishments, and level of detail involved.
Custom starts from $2,500, with most custom designs typically ranging from $3,000 - $7,000.
Once you send us your inspiration and ideas, we can review the design and provide a personalised quotation before you decide whether you'd like to proceed.
4. How far in advance should I start my custom wedding dress?
We generally recommend beginning approximately 6–8 months before your wedding. This allows time for the design process, fabric and detail selection, production, gown completion, fitting, and any alterations that may be required.
Getting married sooner? It may still be possible depending on your design and our production availability, so it’s worth getting in touch.
5. What happens after I submit my ideas?
We’ll review your inspiration, wedding details and the gown you’d like to create, then provide you with a personalised quotation.
If you’re happy with the quotation and would like to move forward, the next step is a consultation at our Subiaco bridal studio, where we can explore the design in more detail and take your measurements.
6. What if I'm worried the different ideas I like won't work together?
You don’t need to figure that out on your own.
Part of the custom design process is working through your ideas with you — considering silhouette, proportions, fabrics, lace, structure and individual design details — to determine how they can work together as a complete gown.
Sometimes that means refining an idea or recommending a slightly different approach so the finished dress feels intentional rather than like several different dresses combined.