Sabrina Muysken
Based in Sydney, Australia and headed by Lisa-Jane McKenna, Luxury Bridal Blogger is an internationally celebrated blogger in the luxury bridal and haute couture, weddings and special events industry. The online platform helps to inspire and connect bride-to-be’s to their perfect gown designers, wedding vendors and event stylists, ultimately helping them to create their ultimate dream wedding.
Since launching the Luxury Bridal Blogger Instagram platform in 2014, the page has amassed an impressive 190 000 followers – a figure which is steadily increasing. However, with a career background in the fashion industry and a passion for digital marketing, blogging about the glamorous world of luxury bridal seems a natural fit for Lisa-Jane.
“Since the age of sixteen I have always loved to work in the world of fashion, luxury and design, so it has been a very natural progression for me to fall into the glamorous world of bridal and haute couture,” she says.
The social media savvy fashionista is also currently in the process of creating a course for future brides. She says it will endeavor to enable future brides to harness social media in the lead up to their big day, making the overall process easier and more enjoyable.
Talking exclusively with Sydney Observer, Lisa-Jane has revealed insider knowledge on how to create your perfect wedding.
What advice would you share with brides in the planning process?
Research is the key to both really saving money on weddings and feeling organized well ahead of the day. The earlier the couple start on planning their special day the better.
Although modern brides and grooms may debate this, the best advice that I was given was to remember throughout the planning process that the wedding day has always traditionally been the bride’s day and not to be swayed by what others may think would be best. Brides should most definitely stay close to the vision of their own dream wedding.
Another very helpful piece of advise that I was given was to create a personal hashtag for Instagram if you are planning a Instagram Wedding and this usually includes the #BrideAndGroom.
Many brides are torn between the ‘Traditional vs Modern’ wedding styles. What’s your take?
Few garments are chosen with as much care as wedding gowns. The wedding gown is very much the expression of the bride-to-be’s identity and some women invest their dress with almost magical qualities, seeing the right gown as a symbol of their future life and happiness while also marking the beginning of a new phase in her life.
The process for brides choosing a wedding gown is as individual as there are brides in the world. The bride needs to be in love with her gown and feel a connection to it, whether that means it was previously worn by her mother, purchased from an image on the internet because it reminds her of a gown she saw previously in a runway show or meticulously custom designed by a bridal couture house, it is all about what gown or look that she has naturally been drawn to and the choice is entirely hers.
We are currently seeing many traditional Victorian era and vintage bridal gown designs flowing through the new 2017/18 bridal collections, which are allowing brides to wear those classic and timeless bridal gown designs with a modern twist.
Wedding dress shopping can be quite daunting. What are your tips on handling the process and finding ‘the one’?
As well as future brides purchasing lovely, keepsake, glossy bridal magazines and surfing Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for bridal gown inspirations, we are finding Australian brides-to be are attending more and more bridal expos, bridal fashion events and open house events that wedding venues are now offering, often with their mothers and bridesmaids.
We have many great bridal expos throughout the year in every city of Australia, these bridal expos always include a runway parade showcasing the latest of many both Australian and International bridal designers new and current collections.
There is usually a champagne or wine bar available at these events making it a very memorable and joyous day for the brides and her bridal party.
What items do you recommend splurging on? And how can you make savings on without anyone noticing?
Firstly I think that all weddings are stunning from intimate to grand and the focus should always be on celebrating the couple’s love for each other.
I recently attended the most stunning of weddings where the bride’s absolutely divine bridal gown had been hand sewn by her mother. She had done her own hair and makeup beautifully along with the flowers. I don’t believe that brides need to spend a fortune to look a million dollars and many brides have already proved that. I think that we all know someone that could offer us assistance in some way on our wedding day and save us some dollars, it is all about the bride and groom reaching out and asking.
What are some of 2017’s top wedding trends?
Hens and bucks evenings where men and women have traditionally spent these celebrations apart and now being spent more and more together almost with a pre-wedding party flavor.
Destination weddings are trending in a big way with Australian brides and grooms-to-be choosing beautiful locations for their weddings both here in Australia and abroad. This choice extends the wedding celebration time to a few days allowing both the bride and groom and their guests to enjoy the wedding celebrations for much longer than the average twelve hours and gives everyone the opportunity to really connect while also enjoying a holiday or break away from home. In the case of a bride and groom deciding on a destination wedding, guests would usually receive their invitation up to twelve months prior, allowing plenty of time to organize them selves.
#Instabrides and Instaweddings. We will be seeing even more of a focus in 2017 with brides and grooms using their social media following across various platforms that they have gained throughout the lead up period to their wedding, wedding day and honeymoon to either launch new businesses or spring board existing businesses to new levels.
I have also noticed an increase in brides-to-be hiring wedding planners and wedding stylists both here in Australia and abroad to help them plan their special day. These wedding and events industry specialists have fabulous industry discounts available to them allowing the bride not only the opportunity to have most of the stress taken away from the wedding planning process so she can enjoy her wedding day to the fullest, but also to have those classy luxury finishing touches at an affordable price.
