Designer : Helena Karkovic Helena Couture Designs With a Diploma of Applied Arts in Fashion Design, Helena is a couturier with a love of luxurious fabrics, exquisite laces and stunning Swarovski crystals, all of which she uses to capture the essence of her bride’s style and personality in her individually designed gowns.
My dresser Leonie and I arrived around 2pm at the South Bank Convention Centre, Brisbane. There was a flurry of excitement from the models, designers, dressers and organisers getting ready for the full dress rehearsal, which went off not only without a hitch, but brilliantly. The Tamblyn models that had been there since 9am were fantastic and on the night of the fashion parade did justice not only to our bridal label, but all the bridal labels, showcasing seventy bridal gowns, some of which were only going to be shown Friday night.
I quick selfie of Leonie and I before the parade started.
Leonie and I had some time to kill between the full dress rehearsal and the actual parade that started at 7pm, so we took a wonder around the QLD Brides Wedding and Honeymoon Expo and met some very creative exhibitors. One exhibitor in particular Vicki from Studio Rosa Floral Artistry and her husband were creating a divine mix of floral art and what started as a conversations between creative minds ended up with Vicki creating a boho styled bouquet for our “Age of Aquarius” bridal gown “Blossom”. Thank you Vicki for your generosity, your beautiful “Blossom” inspired bouquet now takes pride of place on our dining table.
Leonie and I also saw a wonderful cheese cake, which wasn’t baked or refrigerated, but made from cheese! Heidi, I thought of you straight away. I personally am a sweet tooth, but know many who are not and what a perfect way to end your meal with a cheesecake from The Cheese Bar!
But those of you who are sweet tooth like me, have a look at these delicious treats handmade by My Sweet Treats! I’m torn in two, as I want to eat them, as they look divine, but at the same I don’t want to eat them, as they look too good to eat. What a conundrum I’m in, but I’m sure my taste buds will win.
We saw many wonderful displays, but didn’t think to photograph them all, till we neared the end of our journey. One display caught my eye, due the realness of the faux plants used. I could not believe how real these faux ferns looked, used as back drop for Sandstone Point Hotel which matched perfectly with the living floral beauty Coconut Earth Flowers.
So the fashion parade was a hit. The audience loved our bridal gowns. They loved how uniquely individual each one was and I again was able to share it with some very special people in my life, two of them being my husband Tony and my daughter Tahana. We enjoyed the after party and before we left the people from In The Booth were kind enough to let Tahana and I captualise this moment, in some photos, before they closed up for the night.
As we neared the end of our journey, to get ready for the show, one thing both Leonie and I were impressed with was not just how great the models looked with their hair and makeup done, but the efficiency Stefan Squad took to transform eighteen models in only a few short hours. The models looked stunning, but the speed that was used and watching them work like a well oiled machine was amazing.
How real do these look!
Thank you to all involved in creating such a perfect night and a great way to show off Helena Couture Designs and start the expo.