Melbourne’s The Glen shopping centre last week held a wedding bloggers challenge in which three Australian wedding blogs were asked to style a Mariana Hardwick gown using only accessories from The Glen shopping centre.
As Australia’s No.1 wedding website, we were asked to style Amber, a tall, thin bride wearing Mariana Hardwick’s delicate, ivory silk satin gown, ‘Harlow’.
The gown features a large, very feminine ruffle that frames the neckline and shoulders before cascading down into the small of the back, so we didn’t need to worry too much about drawing attention to the neckline.
The result is below. What do you think?
The gown was styled by Rebecca, our Real Weddings editor.
Rebecca says, “The style I’ve created is a soft, feminine and slightly sexy vintage look using Mariana Hardwick’s Harlow gown from her Luxe collection.
“The colour theme of this look is very elegant in ivory and silver and, to enhance the look, I’ve incorporated this colour scheme into the accessories I’ve chosen from vendors at The Glen.”
The bag:
The first item I chose is a silver, poly mesh evening tote from Oroton valued at $295. It’s girly with a little bling but still understated and practical as well. Brides can carry all their bits and pieces in it during their big day, everything from lipstick and tissues to an emergency sewing kit and perfume.
The hair:
I have accessorised with a Mariana Hardwick birdcage veil that contains a beautiful, embellished comb with deco detailing. It’s very affordable at $50. I’ve countered it with a diamante and pearl hair comb from Equip, which is even more cost-effective at just $13.00.
When it came to hair accessories, I opted for more affordable options since they are less likely to be worn again.
The earrings:
I decided to leave the neckline bare to really show off the gown’s feminine ruffle and ornate back beading. That meant I could afford to choose a set of ornate and very beautiful earrings since they weren’t likely to detract from the gorgeous ruffled area around the neckline. I chose a set of refined-looking crystalised pearl drop earrings from Le Cadeau Jewellers. They’re rhodium plated and set with Swarovski crystals and cost $245.
The bling:
Our model Amber is wearing a 1.45 carat diamond and white gold, art deco-style engagement ring from Michael Hill Jewellers. I costs $7000. Michael Hill also supplied Amber’s dainty bezel set 2-carat diamond tennis bracelet, which is an investment piece valued at $5099.
The shoes:
I found these cute little peep-toe sling backs from Nine West. The grey satin shoe features rhinestones that accent at the toe and, though it is not a traditional white bridal shoe, this shoe’s stand-out colouring really complements the other accessories Amber is wearing, as well as the silver detail on the back of the gown.
They cost $139 and, the best bit is that they can definitely be worn again.
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