Christchurch Wedding Dresses - The Complete Guide
By Gabrielle Maloy

10 September 2020

Picking your wedding dress is a moment to remember for a lifetime. From the first consultation to the first look, your dress is a vital and cherished part of your wedding day.

Postmodern pantsuits, glistening sequin styles, and timeless elegance are all on offer when it comes to Christchurch wedding dresses. Whether you want to shop around and try on hundreds or collaborate with just one designer and sewist, it’s important to let your personality and confidence shine through. Peruse through our guide of Christchurch’s finest boutiques, sewists, and designers that devote their talent and craft to ensure you’re left with your perfect wedding dress (or, anti-dress).

 

Mille Feuille


Image by Sarah Clements

Established in 2006, Mille Feuille Bridal has become known for its offering of elegant and fashion-focused wedding dresses. Mille Feuille’s founder Robyn has been creating custom bridalwear for over two decades, and now offers a beautiful villa boutique for brides wanting to experience her fashion-forward designs and divine fabrics for their very own wedding dress, by appointment only. Mille Feuille has now come to offer additional luxurious designers including Gwendolynne, Sally Eagle, and Victor Bridesmaids, to make for a stellar lineup of Christchurch wedding dress options. Rest assured you are in great hands with Robyn, thanks to her unwavering passion, attention to detail, and exclusive service.

 

To Cherish


Image by To Cherish

Boasting over 220 styles to try on in their conveniently-located Christchurch wedding dress boutique, you are bound to watch your dreams become a reality at To Cherish. Devoted to making sure you feel beyond beautiful in authentic designer gowns is just the start of their mission. Book in for their generous consultation options to test run ready to wear dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and their endless accessories to set the stage for the attire of your entire bridal party. Choose from globally renowned designs by Aria Brides, Cizzy Bridal Australia, Fox Bridal, Herve Paris, Modeca Bridal and more.

 

Paperswan Bride


Image by David Le Photographer

Paperswan Bride has swiftly established itself as the place to buy your wedding dress since its launch in 2012. With boutiques in both Wellington and Christchurch to show for it, Paperswan Bride stocks local and international wedding dress labels offering something a bit different. Hera Couture, Daisy, Lovers Society, Rue de Seine, and Alyssa Kristin are just a tasting of the outstanding designers lining their racks. Whether you want to commit to modern lines, vintage goddess silhouettes, or bohemian textiles, Paperswan Bride has a beautiful wedding dress to channel your true self. Add in Paperswan’s trunk shows and sample sales, and you’re bound to be walking down your Christchurch wedding aisle looking your best.

 

IB Bridal


Image by IB Bridal

Specialists in romantic and feminine wedding dresses, IB Bridal provides a unique offering to our Christchurch wedding dress boutique lineup. Stocking Canterbury’s own Ingrid Brook Couture, Pollardi of Milan, and USA’s Helen Fontaine, as well as providing custom design services, you are spoilt for choice. Follow up their empowering wedding dresses with a selection of accessories. Situated in the wonderful heritage grounds of The Tannery, IB Bridal is passionate about bringing the essence of the region into your special day, while making you feel your most beautiful, ready to celebrate the beginning of a life spent with your partner.

 

Pretty Things


Image by Pretty Things

Pretty Things create bespoke, tailor-made wedding dresses and bridesmaid dresses. With a talented team of dressmakers, tailors, and sewists to work with you on creating your perfect wedding dress, all are made-to-measure, ensuring a seamless fit and the beautiful feeling we all aspire for. If you’re on a tight timeframe, their custom-made approach to wedding dresses usually offers a quicker turnaround of 3 months, or even less if you’re really in a pickle. If that’s not enough, Pretty Things endeavours to ease the financial demands of your Christchurch wedding by offering affordable prices and complimentary consultations, so if you thought made-to-measure wasn’t achievable, then it may be time to reconsider.

 

Christine Reeves


Image by Christine Reeves

Standing for quality, elegance, and sophistication, Christine Reeves Bespoke Garments believes in crafting a flawless wedding dress unique to any bride. Over 40 years with a needle and thread and an eye for detail has rendered Christine’s dresses a standout. She believes in a collaborative design process, wanting to involve you in every step of the way, no matter whether that means a thousand magazine and material clippings, or a dozen Pinterest boards for all the more delicate features. Christine Reeves combines her radiating passion for bridalwear, sumptuous fabrics from across the globe, and experience creating over 1000 bespoke wedding dresses to make sure you’re feeling in safe and capable hands.

 

Louise Anderson


Image by Grey Area Productions

Beginning her fashion career in the 1990s, Louise has forged a name among the wedding dress offerings of Canterbury. From her humble beginnings, she has leapt to offer award-winning bridalwear recognised in New Zealand and beyond. Louise combines exquisitely unique fabrics and her own crafted design detailings to harness every woman’s inner beauty and discernment, and her wedding dresses are a testament to this. Just look at Louise’s designs, and you see the pure happiness and confidence that comes along with every piece she creates.

 

Roza Yunusova Design


Image by Roza Yunusova Design

Roza Yunusova is proud to capture the essence and personality of every bride in her exceptional wedding dress designs, including bottling up all the ideas and visions you may want to bring to the table. Her countless glowing testaments and 37 years of experience, split between Europe and New Zealand, speak to the quality of her craft. In her words, anything is possible. Roza now offers her services nationwide and for bridesmaids, wedding guests, mother of the bride, flower girls and more.

 

Jenny Lea Designs


Image by Jenny Lea Designs

Jenny Lea Designs is all about made-to-measure wedding dresses and skilful alterations of existing wedding dresses you may not be totally sold on. With years of experience in bespoke dressmaking (including years of tinkering with old sheets as a kid), Jenny confidently combines elements of existing wedding dress designs or can collaborate with you to land on that special gown unique to you. Bring in your muse and inspirations to stir up your individual style and personality, and let it bleed into your very own custom wedding dress. If you’ve just had an arrival at your door that’s resulted in heartbreak, then Jenny is on hand to alter, making sure you end up with the wedding dress you fell in love with online.

 

Brides of Merivale


Image by Brides of Merivale

With its roots in 1990s made-to-measure bridalwear, Lisa Dermott decided to bring a fresh offering of designer ready-made wedding dresses to New Zealand. This pioneering nature still rings true of Brides of Merivale today, having staked their claim as a ‘go-to’ destination hosting leading international designers such as BellaDonna, Watters, Wendy Makin and Peter Trends. Believing that brides should feel their very best in their wedding dress, and during the experience undertaken to get there, their team of stylists offer exceptional service and the latest accessories to complement your look, including veils, jewellery, and headpieces.

 

Wilkins Bridal


Image by Wilkins Bridal

Wilkins Bridal is a prominent central city boutique with the broadest selection of wedding dresses in Christchurch and the South Island. Showcasing an internationally designed collection, their showroom stocks Essence, Mancini, Stella York, Martina Liana, and more. Offering relaxed and private one-on-one consultations with their experienced team, Wilkins encourages you to take your time with this ultimate decision for your Christchurch wedding day. Priding themselves on their particular focus on getting a perfect fit, Wilkins Bridal also offers high-quality adjustments for their wedding dresses, undertaken at the last possible moment, for extra peace of mind and attention to detail.