Vendor Spotlight | Sonny, Elope Bridal

Welcome to our new Vendor Spotlight series - exactly what the title suggests! We’ll be bringing you Q+A’s with the most amazing and beautiful vendors that operate right here in Perth and Western Australia.

Today, we’re chatting with Sonny from Elope Bridal.

What is Elope Bridal?

Elope Bridal is a Perth based fashion label exclusively making short wedding dresses for the low key bride.

Elope Bridal is just a baby, having just released a mini collection in January 2022. I offer ready-to-wear short wedding dresses that can be shipped worldwide. 

Even though they are short they still have bridal elements - such as gorgeous bows, bridal satin covered buttons and petticoats. 

How long have you been designing dresses for? Did you always want to be a designer?

I was always interested in design and sewing but my heart was in hospitality and I could always be found behind a bar making cocktails and serving amazing food.

I owned a tiny French restaurant and would host so many micro weddings. I was amazed and annoyed by all the brides wearing dresses they couldn’t eat in or even sit in, as we spent days preparing the food and months preparing the wedding. It didn’t make much sense to me.

So I started to think about what was more appropriate for a small wedding or restaurant style wedding. Number one thing is to be able to eat all the food! 

Why short dresses?

When I was planning our picnic wedding years ago, I was after a simple short dress as we would be sitting on rugs and celebrating in a beautiful garden. I didn’t want the dress getting dirty on the ground all afternoon. I wasn’t interested in going to bridal salons as I wasn’t that kind of bride. I wanted to be able to wear my dress again and I wanted to show off my fancy new Louboutins I had bought for the wedding.

In the end I couldn’t find anything, so I went to a bridal salon near my work. I tried on the only short dress they had (a one shoulder taffeta number!) and ended up in a very beautiful long dress. It was out of my budget but hand made in Australia, which was important to me.

The night of our summer wedding we had a torrential storm and all ended up dancing in the rain. I ruined the dress and the shoes but had a blast! 

After this, I sat down and sketched out short dresses that could be worn again, show off shoes and could be priced around the $1000 mark. Short dresses are so versatile and fun to wear!

How far in advance do you prefer brides to purchase from you? Do you have stock ready to go or is it made to order?

Stock is ready to go and can be posted off the next day after purchasing from the website. Custom orders take anywhere from 6 weeks to a few months to make. 

Do you have a shop for brides to come and try on dresses with you?

Not yet but if brides are in Perth they are welcome to get in touch and come over to try on dresses. The dresses are also shipped worldwide and can be returned for a full refund so there’s no real risk. 

What is your favourite part of a wedding day?

When the bride walks in ❤️

What’s the number one piece of advice you give to a couple when planning their wedding?

Try to take a short break from everything for a few minutes after the ceremony and just be together away from the excitement and madness to acknowledge what has just occurred. 

You definitely need to check out their range if you’re not a long, traditional dress kinda gal!  To check out more of Elope Bridal’s collection, visit their website or Instagram. Or you can contact Sonny on hello@elopebridal.com.au