Brides dress

Shopfronts burst with enticing wares and girls scour the shelves for the most beautiful dress, it’s that time of year again the wedding season.
he focal point of any wedding is the bride. Naturally, every woman wants to be the most beautiful ever on their special day and the principle tool - a stunning gown. But getting your hands on the dress is no simple task, 23-year-old bride-to-be Thanh Nga says.
“I want something that’s trendy but exclusive. It has to be beautiful but affordable because I have to balance my budget.”
No mean feat. But with the endless choice on the high street there is hope.
A world apart from Hanoi brides in the 1980s who could only hire a gown for a few hours, any style and price from VND2mil is possible.
Something that all modern-day brides can indulge in is fashion. But for such a personal day, wedding gown trends are not as transient as catwalk styles.
The running theme is interest in foreign designs, wedding gown designer Thu Huong says.
“Every year, I upgrade my collection by looking at Western fashion magazines and I modify them to suit Vietnamese brides in term of taste and size.
In my 20 years of experience, I’ve usually used taffeta, silk and satin as my main materials.”
But different areas of society do have different tastes, she says.
“Women who work in offices usually go for something simple, elegant and expertly made. Blue-collar workers often choose intricate details or glitzy materials. So, I make gowns to suit everyone,” she says.
Huong’s dresses range from VND2-6mil.
On the more flashy end of the market are shops like Altamoza, Moza, Paloma and Quynh Anh who hone in directly on young fashionistas. The imported or locally made gowns often come as part of a package including bridal make-up, photo albums, flowers and cars, with prices ranging from VND3.5-12mil.
To battle the competition, many stores offer special deals. Jessica Thanh Hang targets bigger budgets, with expensive imported gowns while Juliet offers brand new gowns for rent. There’s no extra charge for being the first to wear it because the shop has outlets in outlying provinces that rent second-hand gowns.
Spiralling up to the extreme end of the market with tailor-made designs in silk, satin and velvet are shops like David Minh Duc.
The newest trend this season is tradition, David Minh Duc’s manager says.
“We give ao dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) a touch of haute couture with layers, glass-bead accessories and sequins,” she says.
You certainly pay for the labour as a full package can range from VND5mil to 42mil.
But if a personal designer isn’t enough to ensure your dress is going to make a sensation, there is another, perhaps more extreme option.
“I’m studying for a masters degree in finance in Australia and I bought my dress during a trip to Melbourne,” a 28-year-old newly-wed, Lan Hoang said.
“There are many bridal shops in Australia which provide gowns for Asian women. I did my research and found an affordable gown.
“I know not many people in Vietnam are going to have an Australian-made dress so I’m really happy,” she said.
Be it on the local high-street, via a personal tailor or during a trip abroad, all the choice certainly makes the run-up to the big day a little more stressful. But for the first glance in the mirror with that special dress, it’s sure to be worth it.