couture recipes

Grace and Style

Recently the Real Weddings team attended Angela Marcuccio’s live viewing of her gorgeous new bridal collection.

Inspired by the worlds most renowned stylish fashion icons, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, the dresses reflected the sheer beauty and elegance of these brilliant icons.

It was a wonderful night as guests (bubbly in hand) stood surrounded by Angela’s outstanding couture creations. Showcasing her renowned use of delicate lace and fine silk, her gowns are synonymous with elegant opulence. Guests oohed and ahhed as the impressive Grace and Audrey look-alikes sat poised in the fabulously styled shop window.

Angela herself was a true a gem, as she made her way around the room passionately talking her guests through her stunning collection.

LMFF Bridal Show

The 2011 L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival is almost here! And this year the City of Stonnington is presenting the LMFF Trunk Show series – intimate, salon style presentations of Australian designers which will include a bridal show. The show will be held on Saturday March 19, 2.00pm at Malvern Town Hall (Corner High Street and Glenferrie Road, Malvern) with premium bridal designers and boutiques from High Street Armadale showing their gorgeous collections. Designers include Baccini & Hill, Charlie Brown, Judith Valente, Luci DiBella and Lisa Ho. Tickets are $49 per show and are available now through ticketmaster.

Oscar Oscar! What are you wearing..?

A little like a princess getting ready for her ball – we all imagine in the Real weddings office if we were ever so lucky to be strutting down that red carpet on Oscar Night what we would wear. We wanted to share some of our favourites from this year that we would certainly draw inspiration from.

Cate Blanchett in Givenchy Haute Couture

Amy Adams in her royal L’Wren Scott accessorised with Cartier emeralds worth $1.35m

Michelle Williams in Chanel Haute Couture

Hailee Steinfeld in a one-of-a-kind Marchesa

In admiring the beauty of these gowns and the women who wear them along with the perfectly styled men – we were so excited to see  gorgeous gowns from our own Australian designer Johanna Johnson, we mentioned in our newsletter there may be appearance of Johanna’s designs on the red carpet.  You can get some Oscar styling advice from Johanna herself as she appeared on the Today Show this morning.

Johanna had the pleasure of dressing Maria Menounos’ and Cheryl Hines – both looking divine in their black beauties.


Happy Oscars xx

Spring/Summer Bridesmaids

At the recent opening of her new boutique store at 104 Queen Street Woollahra, Collette Dinnigan made a last minute decision to throw together a show as a preview to her spring/summer 2011 collection. And we’re glad she did, as we’ve spotted some gorgeous bridesmaids dresses! The colour yellow was featured throughout, as was cream, different shades of lace and even a few sparkles!





















































































































Monique Lhuillier comes to Australia!

Great news! Starting this month, Australian brides will have a rare opportunity to see a selection of stunning Monique Lhuillier wedding gowns up close – what perfect wedding and gown inspiration!

Monique’s wedding dresses have been chosen by celebrities including Ashlee Simpson, Britney Spears, Jewel and Pink, whilst her ready-to-wear collections have been worn on the red carpet by Katie Holmes, Drew Barrymore, Hilary Swank, Christina Aguilera and Kristen Stewart.

Monique has also created a range of beautiful dinnerware, cutlery and crystalware for Royal Doulton, which feature the same elegance and timeless sophistication seen in all her gowns – including the four that will be on display in the Royal Doulton department of Myer stores in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth from May 16 to June 27.

To celebrate this exclusive display, Royal Doulton have a very special offer for brides: if you purchase or list on your bridal registry $500 or more of product from the Monique Lhuillier collection, you will receive a pair of Atelier Champagne flutes – valued at $149 – as a gift!

The Real Weddings team just love the Atelier range at the moment – and you’ll see why when our Winter 2010 issue hits the stands in June! But until then, you can see Monique’s Spring 2011 collection, “Field of Dreams” in the fashion section of our website.

For more information about the Monique Lhuillier bridal gown display, call 1300 852 022.

Vera Wang Bridal Spring 2011

Wow, oh wow, oh wow.

We just received pics of Vera Wang’s Spring 2011 collection and we are in awe.

Completely in love with the soft peach and cream tones, the lovely layers, and the beautiful bow details!

Take a look…

To see more of the gorgeous collection, visit www.verawang.com

Johanna Johnson: Online store now open!

We are so thrilled to announce that one of our favourite designers, the very talented Johanna Johnson, has just opened Trousseau: her new online accessories store! You can now purchase her stunning range of vintage glamour-inspired headpieces, veils, belts, cuffs, and capes from the comfort of your own home – these stunning pieces are must-haves for the bride with a vintage theme!

Our favourites include the Harlow headpiece (above), the Cosmo Emblem (below, top), the Harlow cuffs (below, middle), and the Cosmo Cap (bottom). The pieces feature Swarovski crystals in vintage claw settings, with beautiful ivory tulle. To see the full collection, visit http://store.johannajohnson.com

Dream deal!

Ooh, ahh, have we found a decadent offer for you!

The Levin Hotel (above, and reviewed in the London Calling feature in our current issue), a chic boutique hotel in London’s Knightsbridge district, is offering brides-to-be a truly lavish experience to make you feel like a princess as you create your dream dress! They have partnered with couture house Saint-Hill & Von Basedow, to allow you to create your dream wedding gown from the comfort of your very own suite at The Levin – yes, the couturiers will come to you for personal private fittings!

You will have exclusive use of the Levin’s top floor (which consists of a Junior Suite and an Executive Double room) on four separate occasions with a stay of one night per visit. Continental breakfast is included for up to 4 people as well as complimentary use of the in-room champagne bar. Imagine sipping Champagne as the couturiers from Saint Hill and Von Basedow create an Italian duchess satin embellished with hundreds of hand beaded Swarovski crystals, or a precious French Lace on ivory silk with an ‘endless’ train just for you!

Appointments with makeup artists, hair stylists and beauty therapists can be organised upon request, and after each day of pampering, you can enjoy a relaxing dinner at the 2 Star Michelin Capital Restaurant at the next door Capital Hotel.

To reserve your place at The Levin for this dream offer, contact reservations@thelevinhotel.co.uk or visit www.thelevinhotel.co.uk

And the bride wore white…

Everyone knows it’s traditional for the bride to wear white. A symbol of purity, innocence and beauty, white is also elegant and timeless.

As we put together each issue of Real Weddings, we see so many breathtaking brides. Even though they may all be wearing the same (or a very similar) colour, beautiful gowns, elegant hairstyles and lovely jewellery, they all look so unique. Seeing these beautiful individuals and they way they include their personal style in the touches of their day is what makes our job so much fun!

So today we wanted to share two of the beautiful brides from our summer 2009 issue with you – Cecilia and Natalie. Two very different styles – both equally beautiful. We hope they inspire you to follow your own sense of style on your wedding day!


photo by Jonas Peterson, gown from Lisa Ho


photo by Envy Photography, gown from Pallas Couture

You’ll be able to see more beautiful weddings and white inspiration in our summer 2009 issue – The White Issue – coming soon! In the meantime, head over to our facebook page and post your favourite gowns on the fan wall – we’d love to see what styles inspire you!

Couture Inspiration – Givenchy

Just caught a glimpse of the Givenchy Autumn/Winter 2009/2010 Haute Couture collection, and found a few pieces you might like:

If you’ve ever dreamed of wearing chic tailored trousers to your wedding instead of a gown, the pictures above are sure to provide inspiration!

But for those of you set on wearing a gown that’s a little edgier and more modern than the norm, the gown below might be more suited to your taste:


All pics courtesty Vogue, photographed by Monica Feudi/Gorunway.com

Isn’t the detail on both bodices just amazing? And the crown under the full length veil is reminiscent of a fairytale princess – think Princess Aurora!