Now, whatever kind of a day you’re having, this feature is just going to make it so much better. Sounds like a big promise doesn’t it?
Well, I have absolutely no doubt of delivering because we’re about to take a super indulgent look at the real bride style of one of our favourite modern, contemporary bridalwear designers, the wonderful Karen Willis Holmes. So stop what you’re doing and just indulge yourself a little, will you?
Before we leap right into the weddings themselves, let me just tell you a little bit about Karen Willis Holmes. She’s one of the cool group of Australian bridal designers who are making waves in the wedding world right now. The label focuses on designing and producing beautiful, high quality, handcrafted wedding dresses that have the most amazing fit. And, as you’re about to see, brides love them.
Photography by Alex Wysocki Photography
Back in August we featured this gorgeous wedding where bride Olivia wore Karen Willis Holmes. Olivia says that she knew she wanted ‘classic with a modern twist’ and she found just what she wanted at Rachel Ash Bridalwear in Warwickshire, a Karen Willis Holmes stockist. Olivia chose the ‘Frankie’ skirt and ‘Mabel’ top (oooh, separates!) as her perfect combination.
I absolutely love this look and check out the waistband of the skirt – you’ll see the happy couple’s initials and wedding date embroidered onto it!
Images by AE Wedding Photography
Another Karen Willis Holmes bride was on these pages in August and this gown starred at a romantic wedding in Rome. Bride Melissa found her gorgeous dress at the Bridal Boutique at the Sydney city branch of Australian department store, David Jones and just check those sequins!
“I love sequins,” says Melissa. “And the fit and the shape of the dress was so flattering. Being a Catholic Church wedding, it was also important that my dress was appropriate.”
Photography by Sandra Luoni
It’s great to see that these two brides found just what they wanted within the Karen Willis Holmes collection. And, they weren’t the only ones…
Back in England, another KWH gown ‘Anya’, made an appearance at this modern summer barn wedding. Bride Clare was one of our ‘Lovettes’ who was planning a day full of old Hollywood glamour and modern twists. She also happened to meet Karen herself when she visited Angelica Bridal, which made the whole experience even more special.
“There was just something about my Anya dress,” says Clare. “The all-over mother of pearl sequins made it feel a bit edgy with a little bit of the old Hollywood wow factor and the train made it feel really special – the way it caught the different lights throughout the day made it feel like it was constantly evolving and the noise I made walking around felt very swish.”
Photography by McKinley Rodgers
When Sarah married Tom at The Secret Garden at Dalton Hall, she also chose a beautiful sequin KWH gown after selling her original dress! The dress Sarah had chosen was a much simpler design but having decided it didn’t suit her tiny frame, Sarah found just what she was looking for:
“I loved the intricate lacework on the back and the loose flowing skirt. I knew I didn’t want anything with a boned bodice, or something that was strapless or had a big fluffy skirt. My Karen Willis Holmes dress was silk georgette and was so light to wear. Also, the sequins helped!”
Photography by Emma Sekhon
Now I just love this literary themed wedding, especially because bride Lily chose the ‘Anya’ gown, which she then customised, adapting the neckline and sleeves.
“My dress was ridiculously glamorous and covered entirely in sequins. As our wedding started at 5pm, I wanted something romantic and chic and a little bit sexy. Wearing the dress made me feel incredibly sexy and made the most of my voluptuous figure.”
Photography by Joanna Nicole Photography
Another bride fell in love with the KWH sequins and wore ‘Amalie’ for her Art Deco inspired wedding at The Connaught Club in London. Jenny knew that she didn’t want a really wedding-ey wedding dress (her words!) and fell for Amalie as soon as she saw it at Angelica Bridal:
“I just didn’t feel comfortable at the thought of parading around in a big puffy dress as it felt unnecessary and lace just didn’t feel very like me. When I first tried on ‘Amalie’, it felt sexy and glamorous and like a really special evening dress with beautiful detailing.”
Photography by Alex Wysocki Photography
And beautiful really is the word for all of the Karen Willis Holmes dress we’ve featured today. I adore the fact that all the weddings are so different, all the brides’ styles are so different and yet they all fell for Karen Willis Holmes. Will you?
If you’d like to find out more about Karen Willis Holmes and to view the current collection, do take a look at Karen’s website.
Love,
Tamryn x
