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NEW COLLECTION ALERT: Shop our Parsley Bay BESPOKE Collection now!

About Us

Australian wedding dress designer KAREN WILLIS HOLMES has been at the forefront of bridal fashion since being established in 2000, providing beautifully designed and handcrafted wedding gowns for the elegant, modern and timeless bride. Our team is in Australia and every one of our staff is dedicated to our company’s mission and the brides we have the pleasure of working with. Our goal is to always create a one-of-a-kind, personal and genuine experience for brides when finding their perfect wedding dress. 

Since 2000, Karen has established herself as a top Australian wedding dress designer. Since starting KAREN WILLIS HOLMES bridal, Karen has received awards in the industry, been part of several prestigious projects and dressed notable people who have become friends of the brand. 

  • Karen’s been a part of One Fine day Bridal Fashion Week and One Fine Day Bridal Market since the very beginning, showcasing her uniquely beautiful designs for wholesalers and media across the globe. 
  • Karen has dressed many notable people such as the wife of Oren Katzeff (Entertainment Chief of Conde Nast) for the Oscars, and WAGs for the Brownlow Awards. Anna Torv, star of The Daughter alongside Geoffrey Rush, also wore a KWH gown. 
  • KWH has collaborated with Romance Was Born at the May 2011 Sydney fashion week
  • In April of 2011, Karen was invited to make a replica of Kate Middleton’s wedding gown with a two-day turnaround time! This gorgeous one-of-a-kind replica gown was then featured on live TV and radio, adding to her list of features on ABC, Chanel 7, Chanel 9, Chanel 10 and 2GB radio.
  • Karen’s gowns have been featured in an editorial shoot for Vogue in the November 2019 print issue and on The Lane when our ELOPE collection was released.
  • Real brides wearing a KWH gown have been featured in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar as well as The Lane and Hello May. 
  • KWH has received the award for “Best of Weddings” for 2018 and 2019 from The Knot.
  • Karen was named one of Marie Claire’s top 13 Australian Wedding Dress Designers.
  • Karen was also featured on ABC, speaking about the changing climate of weddings during the time of COVID-19. 
  • Hello May featured KAREN WILLIS HOLMES as one of their Top 30 Bridal Boutiques & Designers to Follow on Instagram in 2020.

So many of our brides find themselves seeking out the signature modern elegance of Australian wedding dress designers, and Karen’s gowns are made to the highest quality, upholding our reputation as a leading bridal fashion house in Australia for over 20 years. A wedding dress by Karen Willis Holmes is sophisticated, contemporary, flattering and made so you can dance all night without a worry in the world. The incredible team in our Sydney, Australia workroom hand makes our wedding dresses with the utmost care and attention to detail to ensure every gown we produce is perfectly unique and up to the highest quality of standard. 

 

Our brand’s philosophy focuses on artistry – the combination of handcrafted details, exquisite fabrics and laces so that every KAREN WILLIS HOLMES bride walks down the aisle in her dream gown. We strive to exceed expectations by offering unique pieces whilst delivering impeccable customer service to ensure that every bride feels valued, respected and cared for every step of the way.

KWH bride is not afraid to express her individuality; she appreciates detailing, values the skills of our seamstresses and shows her style with confidence and poise.

Brides are given the luxury of three unique collections that cater to every aesthetic, style and personality.

Our ELOPE collection was created for the daring bride who’s not afraid to be herself. The gowns, separate suit pieces and jumpsuit in this line allow you to have your bridal moment without losing the true essence of who you are.

The LUXE collection exudes embellished luxury – a range of intricately hand-beaded sequin gowns that are ready-to-wear, perfect for spontaneous brides. This collection radiates glamour, sophistication and an exceptional fit that complements every figure.

Our BESPOKE collection caters to brides looking to add a personal touch, creating a gown that is as individual as they are. Exquisitely designed pieces can be combined in a myriad of ways – perfect for brides who envision a gown with couture-like quality but with the ease and price of a ready-to-wear wedding dress.

Over the years, we’ve had so many beloved styles that our gorgeous brides have worn. Although they are no longer available, our archive gowns truly display the intricate work that Karen does when she creates such beautiful dresses.

Explore our accessories and find the perfect finishing touch to your wedding day look with our range of delicate tulle veils and detachable trains and skirts.

With boutiques around Australia, in Sydney, MelbourneBrisbane, & Perth, as well as available in stockists globally, we are proud to provide the perfect wedding gown for every bride, wherever she may be.

Contact us or book an appointment at one of our boutiques today, we cannot wait to help you find your dream wedding gown!

A Timeline Of KWH

September 2001
Karen arrived in Sydney to open up her bridal couture business which she’d eventually grow into being one of the leading bridal fashion houses in Australia. At the time, Karen had no idea just how much her company would expand and grow and that she’d be known in years to come as one of the best Australian wedding dress designers.

February 2004
Our first standalone store in Paddington, Sydney opened selling our BESPOKE collection. As a bridal designer, seeing her gowns in-store in a new location and be accessible to so many more brides was a huge achievement for Karen.

February 2006
Our beloved Melbourne store opened its doors. Expanding the company beyond Sydney allowed us to work with so many more incredible brides and help them to find their perfect wedding dress.

January 2009
Our first wholesale order in Australia. Wholesale has been a huge component for KAREN WILLIS HOLMES as it helps get our gowns in the hands of brides from all over. For brides that are on the hunt for Australian wedding dress designers but might not have access in their area, this was the beginning of them being able to find their dream gown. Since then, our wholesale market has expanded around the world.

November 2009
We moved into our head office based in Sydney. As we’re still based in Sydney to this day we can truly say we love our location and being known for being one of the best Australian wedding dress designers. Our team at HQ is dedicated to ensuring all of our brides have an incredible experience at our boutiques, online, and with our wholesalers.

May 2011
Our next grand opening; our Brisbane boutique. By this time Karen was building her name and reputation as one of the most known and best Australian wedding dress designers. Continuing to expand to new locations in Australia helped our company to become even more well know and allowed us to assist even more brides in finding their perfect wedding dress.

March 2012
Our LUXE collection is one of the things Karen is known for. In March 2012 the very first of our hand-beaded LUXE dresses came to life and were able to be sold to our brides searching for not only an incredible Australian wedding dress but also something unique and never seen before.

April 2013
Our very first tradeshow in New York which allowed us to become a part of a thriving US wholesale market. So many American brides are on the hunt for that perfect Australian wedding dress and having our wholesale expand into the US market allowed them to get their hands on gowns by one of the best wedding dress designers in all of Australia.

April 2014
Started wholesaling across the UK

August 2016
Our new Sydney flagship boutique opened. Being a Sydney-based company, our flagship store in Sydney is so near-and-dear to Karen’s heart; it’s where she started her journey as a wedding dress designer so many years ago. Opening our beautiful new space to our brides was truly a joy.

June 2017
We expanded our Melbourne location and held a grand opening with our favourite vendors & VIP guests.

July 2019 
Our E-Boutique launched! Karen has always had a presence online, but being a wedding dress designer in modern times means allowing brides from all walks of life to access your gowns. Launching our E-Boutique meant that so many more brides would have access to Karen’s wedding dresses without having to visit one of our locations if it wasn’t accessible to them.

July 2023
We launched a KWH Pre-Loved Marketplace, for brides to sell and shop their beloved gowns in a full circle marketplace.

January 2024
Our new bespoke collection stuns the press world.

 

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