[betty_rocker]

I'm looking for a place to have a good quality wedding dress made. I read on trip advisor about some giant wedding/bridal place in Mong Kok near the PE MTR stop, but the locals here say that the quality isn't good. I want a really simple dress, a copy of a vera wang in raw silk (image attached). Does anyone have any advice for me? I need to figure this out soon as I'm only here until June 3. Any advice appreciated in advance.

[Anne Yrjana]

Hi Betty,
I joined in today just because of the giant shopping plaza, Golden Plaza. I happened to bump into it on a holiday few years ago. There are so many shops there, you shoud go.
I made connections w some wedding photographers there to have albums made for me their way. Unfortunately the language barrier is making it a little difficult to have a profitable relationship.
It would be fun hearing what happened to you? I'm also a freelance journalist.
anne from finland

[CheeryMum]

Try Lusan Mandongus (budget $15K)
www.lusanmandongus.com

[betty_rocker]

Update for anyone who is interested in buying a dress in HK: I have chosen a dress from Bride and Gown, a shop at 8 Wyndham St. on the 8th floor in Central. They are very nice to work with, and they came recommended by a few of my fiance's coworkers. It's a little pricier than what I hoped, but they are making a completely custom dress, and the quality of the samples is very good. I am saving some dough by purchasing Thai silk fabric from Siriporn on the escalators. She actually has very good fabric for a good price, but she did try to sell me some acrylic and acrylic blend fabrics for the same price as the silk, so be careful. Also, if you opt to buy fabric somewhere else other than the shop where you are having your dress made, be sure to bring a small sample to the dress maker so she can verify that it will work for your dress, and find out the length AND the width of the fabric you need. I came close to getting nailed a few times with the whole fabric thing.

This is the dress I chose:

[romansan]

not that i'm a pro when it comes to wedding dresses but there's many many shops on kimberley road in tst

[nesearslan]

Hi Betty,
How much does it cost roughly for a dress including fabric. Do I need to take appointment for visiting their store?
By the way, the dress you chose is very nice.
Nese

[betty_rocker]

Hi nesearslan,

The cost for the dress to be made was about $15K. I paid about $2K for fabric, although now that I've been to the fabric shops on 1F Western Market in Sheung Wan, I realize I could have paid a lot less. The dress I chose has some tricky ruching, but not a lot of other embellishment, so I'm not sure what they would charge for something more complicated.

Fortunately, the investment in the making of the dress is really paying off. The more fittings I have, the happier I am with having my dress made at Brides and Gowns. I went for my final fitting before the last set of alterations yesterday, and my dress looks beautiful, and the women who made my dress were there at the fitting so they could see how it looked and they're approaching the minor corrections and embellishments that are needed with total perfectionism. The owner was there as well, and everyone in the shop takes a very personal interest in making the dress flattering and beautifully made. I am not of the statuesque or bean-pole-like persuasion, but in my wedding dress I'm almost convincing as such.

Oh, and yes, you do need an appointment.

Good luck!