Picking the perfect wedding dress is tremendously exciting and fun, but can also be tremendously costly and heartbreaking when you realise that you can’t afford that dream frock. Many designer wedding dresses cost $5,000 and upwards, which will take a big chunk out of any wedding budget.

That’s unless you know about two little, but well kept secrets! First, the pre-loved wedding dress marketplace is taking off. Second, StillWhite.com.au offers the latest designer wedding dresses at a fraction of the retail price.

We recently became obsessed with Still White, which is fast becoming Australia’s leading pre-loved wedding dress marketplace. We love that a creative husband and wife team started the company and that there’s so many affordable and drool-worthy wedding dresses on their marketplace. Plus, owner Ingrid Szajer explains, “Most of the wedding dresses on Still White have been worn once, are professionally dry-cleaned and in perfect condition. In fact, some are brand new, unworn dresses from girls who have simply changed their mind.”

We’re seriously smitten with the sheer amount of variety in the Still White marketplace, the simple process for selling pre-loved wedding dresses, and the incredible savings brides can make by purchasing their wedding dress on Still White. Take Jenny from Sydney, who recently bought her strapless Maggie Soterro dress on Still White for $950. She saved an incredible 50% off the original retail price!

What’s more, the Still White marketplace is packed with hundreds of wedding dresses, with loads more being added on a daily basis. There’s something in every style imaginable, for every size and for every budget. “We have dresses from all the major designers like Maggie Sottero, Henri Josef and Mariana Hardwick,” says Ingrid.

Ultimately, whether you’re looking for a designer wedding dress or a unique vintage frock, Still White has got you covered.

We suggest looking beyond pricey wedding dress boutiques and heading over to Still White for some serious savings and wedding inspiration.

If your not located in Australia, fear not, as Still White is also available in the following countries.

New Zealand – http://www.stillwhite.co.nz
United Kingdom – http://www.stillwhite.co.uk
United States – http://www.stillwhite.com
South Africa – http://www.stillwhite.co.za

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Born in Ireland and raised in South Africa, Catherine’s traveling lifestyle has created an inspired artisan who incorporates experiences and observations from her travels into her designs.

Catherine is well known for having created elegant runway looks for some of Hollywood’s most famous women, including Beyonce, Fergie, and Kim Kardashian.

Lucky for brides everywhere, she has brought her passion for design to the wedding world with her stunning bridal collection. Now Catherine is becoming an established talent in the wedding world and we’re not suprised. After all, her knack for defining femininity while maintaining sophistication is apparent in the way each of her wedding gowns creates a goddess-like silhouette.

Here are a few of our favourite Catherine Deane wedding dresses:

Lia wedding dress

Annamaria wedding dress

Caitlin wedding dress

Justine wedding dress

Elana wedding dress

Collette wedding dress

Catherine Dean Bridal is stocked worldwide and also sold online. For a list of retailers, click here.

{Images via Catherine Deane}

Effortless layers of ethereal silks make Australian designer Anna Campbell’s 2012 collection light and flowy. Plus, we think the mix of vintage and modern details is just gorgeous!

The trademark Greek goddess charm of Campbell’s wedding gowns are not lost on this collection, which contrasts her ultra feminine fabrics brilliantly with sophisticated crystals, delicate beading, exquisitely detailed lace and pretty embellishments at the bodice.

The 2012 collection pays special attention to the back with exquisite French lace, crafted to create an artistic detailing that enhances the natural beauty of the bride’s shoulders and back, without competing with other elements of the dress. The result is romantic and unforgettable, with unexpected details.

We love that each Anna Campbell wedding dress is custom tailored and detailed to reflect the bride’s individual taste and vision, making it a one-of-a-kind.

Campbell’s newest collection is her most anticipated to date among soon to be brides in Australia, Europe, the United States and the Middle East. The growing popularity of Campbell’s gowns can be attributed to their combination of effortless romantic femininity, and the inspired intricacy of the embellished details that allow them to work in any setting, from city to beachfront ceremonies.

We seriously love the fact that no bride can don an Anna Campbell gown and feel anything less than the feminine heroine of her own special day!

You’ll be happy to know that Campbell has also introduced accessories in her signature style this season, with delicately embellished veils, hairpieces, bracelets and cuffs that compliment the gown and create a refined cohesive style for the bride.

Each hand made veil and headpiece is an organic extension of the gown for which it is designed, with stunning accents of beading and lace.

Anna Campbell’s 2012 collection also includes lines for flower girls and bridesmaids, in classic ivories and loads of amazing colours.

For more wedding inspiration, head over to the Anna Campbell website.

{Images via Anna Campbell}

- Gabriel D’Annunzio on Marchesa Luisa Casati

The naming of a fashion brand after Europe’s early twentieth century fashion legend Marchesa Luisa Casati, is sheer brilliance.

Dramatic, flamboyant, and highly elegant, Marchesa pushes the envelope of fashion further with wedding dresses from their Fall 2012 Bridal Collection. British-born Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, founders of Marchesa, wanted this particular collection to be an ethereal underwater fantasy. If you ask us, the pair definitely succeeded.

Marchesa’s exotically decadent lines of gazar, layers of gigantic tulle flowers, silk crepe draped softly around female curves, illusion fabric with luxurious embroidery and beading—some of the dresses were simply outrageous and yet all were bewitchingly beautiful.  Georgina’s expertise on design along with Keren’s bespoke fabrics result in creations that are one-of-a-kind: a fusion of high fashion and eccentric aesthetic.

Here are some of the wedding dresses from the Marchesa Fall 2012 Bridal Collection:

Opulent? Oh, yes. Over-the-top? Maybe. But that’s the whole point. Marchesa, like its namesake and muse, is not just there to follow, but to be so different as to stand out from the crowd.

The Marchesa flagship store is based in New York. They are also carried by stockists worldwide—in London, Canada, Russia, Kuwait, Dubai, and Hong Kong. In Australia, Marchesa is exclusively sold at the Helen Rodrigues store in NSW. To view the whole collection and for more wedding inspiration, visit Marchesa online.

{Images via Marchesa}

Mandy of Savvy Brides sent over a shoot of pretty designer wedding dresses. For those of you that don’t know, Mandy is the brainchild behind Savvy Brides, which is a fabulous Sydney boutique bridal service that specializes in buying and selling pre-loved second-hand designer wedding dresses.

Mandy explained the concept behind the shoot, “We wanted a lux feel to the shoot but for everything to be very simple so that the focus would just be on the beautiful dresses!”

Nadean of Photography by Nadean captured the shoot, while Agents of Beauty did the lovely hair and makeup.

Here’s our favourite wedding dresses from the shoot.

Savvy Brides Shoot

Wedding Dresses: Savvy Brides / Photographer: Photography by Nadean / Hair & Makeup: Agents of Beauty

The dresses are all made of pure silk, some detailed with fine lace, others with little thoughtful accents like flowers and sashes. Founder, president, and creative director Tak Hau established Aria 10 years ago after he had been designing cocktail dresses since the late 1980s. His creations sold at Barney’s, Nordstrom, and Cache, and many other exclusive retailers.

Tak graduated from Brooks College in California with a Fashion Design degree and was named Rising Star by the California Apparel News. Friends had started asking him to make dresses for them, and then eventually everything just grew into a booming business. In 2001, he opened his showroom in Los Angeles and the Aria online shop. Today, his dresses have been worn in over 10,000 weddings and have also appeared in movies and TV shows.

Aria offers a “try-on program” where you can request for your favorite wedding dress to be sent directly to you so that you can have an up close sticky beak. They can also send you swatches of fabrics and colors at no extra charge for you to be able to pick exactly what you want. It’s those little touches of care that make Aria so popular among brides in the States and all over the world. Not to mention that their wedding dresses and bridesmaids’ dresses are really all about style, quality, fit, and affordability.

Aria is carried by fine stores all over the US and has stockists in Canada and the Netherlands. They also ship to other countries. For more wedding inspiration, visit them online.

{Images via Aria}

Stop looking at plus-size wedding dresses, because they’re not really made for your growing belly. We’re happy to introduce to you Tina Mak—a fashion designer who specialises in elegant maternity wedding dresses. After seven years of designing bespoke wedding dresses for the Partina brand, she and her husband launched a maternity bridal collection that’s sure to delight all the brides-and-mums-to-be out there.

All the pieces in her collection drape beautifully. Nothing is made of heavy fabric or has bulky lines; everything is soft and flowy and has ample space in the tummy area, designed for the utmost comfort and style of the expectant bride.

Tina talks about wanting to be a wedding dress designer so badly, she couldn’t imagine doing anything else: “I didn’t stop dreaming until it became a reality. Every achievement and mistake I’ve made has allowed me to realize my dream.”

The Tina Mak boutique is located at Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. They also ship internationally. For more wedding inspiration, visit them online.

{Images via Tina Mak}

Don’t fret, busy brides! Ready-to-wear doesn’t have to mean second-rate. Just look at these fine wedding dresses from Max Mara. Straight from one of the leading women’s wear manufacturers in Italy, the Max Mara 2011 Bridal Collection is dedicated to the modern and dynamic woman, and is a contemporary take on the much sought-after vintage wedding dress styles. The colors are soft and lovely, from milk-white to ivory, to ecru and powder blue.

Here are just some of our favorites…

Did you know that the Max Mara brand was established in 1951? It started with humble beginnings with a single coat and suit collection; today, it employs the best Italian designers that capture the Max Mara essence—clean cuts, decisive lines, and radical yet feminine designs.

Now who’s going to know you didn’t spend a lifetime picking out the perfect wedding dress? No one, if you’re getting a Max Mara!

Max Mara also offers wedding accessories, from shoes to veils, to gloves and bijoux flowers. The brand is carried by exclusive stores all over the world, and has several stockists that carry it in Australia. Check their website for more wedding inspiration and to locate a store near you.

{Images via Sewmanstore}

These wedding dresses are just the perfect mix of vintage and contemporary, and while the designer has clearly gotten inspiration from several decades of fashion, this works wonderfully for the collection. Delphine is already a popular designer in her homeland in France and is quickly making a name for herself in the UK, and slowly but steadily all over the world.

“The search for my own wedding dress made me want to share with other women my vision of the modern bride, that of a woman who doesn’t necessarily get married at 20, who doesn’t want to look like a meringue, but who wants the dress she imagined in her little girl’s dreams…”

Here are our picks from the Delphine Mavinet 2012 Spring/Summer Collection…

Delphine’s wedding dresses are either floor-length or really short – as in thigh-grazing, bohemian short – and this kind of contrast is actually a refreshing change from the traditional tea-length wedding dresses. There is one ankle-length 1950s tweed dress, though, which has that quiet, graceful look about it. The long gowns remind us of the 1930s elegance, with their high collars, dropped waists, and lace sleeves.

The Delphine Manivet flagship store is located in Paris, France, and although her collections are not stocked in Australia, they are carried by select international retailers. For more wedding inspiration, visit their online store.

{Images via Delphine Manivet}

Then take a look at the Ready-to-Wear Spring 2012 Collection from Luisa Beccaria. Aren’t the pieces just a breath of fresh air? These are perfect for destination brides or those who want a wedding dress in a natural fabric like cotton that’s easy to move around in. These dresses look so comfy, they could easily do double duty as beach dresses! The whole collection is like a dreamy Mediterranean travel wardrobe that’s full of style, ease, and comfort.

Luisa Beccaria, the Milanese designer behind these wonderful creations, is a self-confessed modern hopeless romantic. She draws inspiration from her vast multi-cultural experiences, and uses her vivid imagination to weave everything together. You get a style that’s feminine, yet glamorous and elegant all at once.

Designing since the age of 20, Luisa has grown her fashion business into a successful empire, with her brand being carried by exclusive retailers in the US, UK, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Her dresses have been worn by such Hollywood celebrities as Halle Berry, Uma Thurman, Charlize Theron, and Lucy Liu.

Here’s a sneak peek of the Luisa Beccaria Ready-to-Wear Spring 2012 Collection…

For more wedding ideas and to find a shop that stocks her label near you, visit Luisa Beccaria online.

{Images via Style.com}