Melbourne, Victoria
Always and Forever Bridal International
Always and Forever Bridal International sits on Level 1 of 340 Collins Street, in the middle of Melbourne’s fashion precinct.
Visit in person
Bridal Dress Stores · Melbourne, Victoria · Visit in person
MWL Bride (Made With Love Bridal)
About
Overview & Vibe
MWL Bride — Made With Love — is an Australian bridal label that sells its own gowns through six Australian boutiques and three more in the UK and Netherlands. Every dress is designed in-house by Carla Jenkins and her team of designers, pattern makers and seamstresses, and every appointment reserves the entire studio for one bride.
Dress Styles & Designers
One label, its own. The range is organised by silhouette — fitted, flowy, plunging neckline, halter neck, strapless, low back, cowl back, minimal, separates and minis — and by fabric: lace, French crepe, mikado, beaded and satin. Accessories run to veils, gloves and sleeves, scarves and capes, cuffs and wings.
Ideal For
Brides who want a modern, understated gown and a private room. Made-to-order gowns run $3,300–$4,100; there is also a ready-to-wear line of minis and slips from $950, which is a genuinely different price point for a registry wedding or a second look. Sizing is 0 to 30 with split sizing available.
The Need-to-Knows
MWL does not offer multiple fittings — it says so plainly, and it is the single most important thing to know here. Your size is agreed once, at the appointment, from measurements taken then. Alterations are expected but not done in house; the boutiques recommend local seamstresses and tell you to budget for it. Sample gowns in store are sizes 6–18, narrower than the 0–30 you can order. No children, though babies in prams are welcome, and photos are asked to wait until you have narrowed to one or two dresses.
Standout Feature
They will clean the dress afterwards. MWL Cleaning is a published post-wedding gown care service with its own before-and-after results page — a part of the process most labels hand off entirely, offered here by the people who made the gown.
Appointment Policy
- Appointment only: "Our MWL boutiques run by appointment only", booked through the store's own online calendar
- The whole studio is reserved for one bride: "Your MWL appointment offers complete privacy, with the entire studio reserved just for you"
- No appointment fee is published.
- GUESTS: 1-4 per bride at the Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth boutiques; 1-3 at Sydney
- No children, but babies are fine: "Unfortunately, we do not allow children, but babies in prams are welcome"
- Guests can join remotely: "You are welcome to video call any family and friends who can't be with you on the day"
- A complimentary glass of bubbles is served during the appointment
- The store recommends trying 3-4 dresses and suggests researching designs beforehand and bringing nude undergarments similar to what you will wear
- Photo policy: "Although we allow photos, we request that you wait until the end of your appointment when you have narrowed down your selection to 1 or 2 dresses"
- One fitting only: "To ensure a smooth and efficient process, we do not offer multiple fittings. If you anticipate changes to your measurements, please let your stylist know during your appointment so they can tailor an approach that best supports you"
Dress Designers
- Made With Love — MWL's own and only label. "Each MWL dress is designed in our design studio by Carla Jenkins and our expert team of designers, pattern makers and seamstresses." The boutiques carry no other designer.
Dress Experience
- An MWL appointment reserves the entire studio for one bride. A dedicated stylist works one-on-one for the whole visit, a glass of bubbles is served, and the store suggests trying only three or four dresses and doing some research beforehand so the time is spent well. Guests are capped at four in most boutiques and three in Sydney; children are not permitted though babies in prams are welcome, and anyone who cannot attend can be video-called in. Photographs are welcome once the choice is down to one or two gowns. Every dress is made to order in the label's own studio, designed by Carla Jenkins and her team, and the stylist agrees a standard size with the bride at that single appointment, using split sizing where bust, waist and hip do not align. The store is direct that this is a one-fitting process: it does not offer multiple fittings, and asks brides expecting their measurements to change to say so on the day. Alterations are anticipated rather than included, referred out to trusted local seamstresses, and the store tells brides to budget for them. Made-to-order gowns run $3,300 to $4,100, with a separate ready-to-wear line of minis and slips from $950. Afterwards, MWL will clean the gown through its own cleaning service.
Dress Styles
- fitted
- flowy
- plunging neckline
- halter neck
- strapless
- low back
- cowl back
- minimal
- separates
- mini
- lace
- crepe
- mikado
- beaded
- satin
Dresses
- Rue — $4,100.00. A made-to-order gown from the MWL collection.
- Duke — $4,100.00. A made-to-order gown from the MWL collection.
- Adeline — $4,100.00. A made-to-order gown from the MWL collection.
- Monroe — $3,900.00. A made-to-order gown from the MWL collection.
- Andie — $3,900.00. A made-to-order gown from the MWL collection.
- Eloise — $3,700.00. A made-to-order gown from the MWL collection.
- Palmer Satin — $3,500.00. The Palmer silhouette in satin, made to order.
- Palmer Crepe — $3,300.00. The Palmer silhouette in crepe, made to order.
- Eloise Mini — $1,100.00. A ready-to-wear mini version of the Eloise gown.
- Blair Mini — $1,100.00. A ready-to-wear mini gown.
- Dotty Tulle — $950.00. A ready-to-wear mini in tulle.
- Dotty Chiffon — $950.00. A ready-to-wear mini in chiffon.
- Dotty Lace — $950.00. A ready-to-wear mini in lace.
- Celine Mini — $950.00. A ready-to-wear mini gown.
Nearby Landmarks
- Albion, Brisbane – The Brisbane boutique is at 4 Anstey Street in Albion, on Brisbane's inner north
- St Ives, Sydney – The Sydney boutique is on Stanley Street in "the peaceful and picturesque St. Ives" on Sydney's upper north shore
- Carnegie, Melbourne – The Melbourne boutique is "set in the beautiful Carnegie" in Melbourne's south-east
- North Adelaide – The Adelaide boutique is on Melbourne Street, North Adelaide's retail strip
- Subiaco, Perth – The Perth boutique is "located in the heart of Subiaco"
- Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast – The Gold Coast boutique is "nestled in the beautiful Burleigh Heads"
Price Notes
- Made-to-order gowns $3,300-$4,100 and ready-to-wear minis and slips $950-$1,100, per the store's own product catalogue. No price range is stated in prose.
- No multiple fittings — the single most consequential policy here: "we do not offer multiple fittings". The agreed size is recorded once, at the appointment
- Samples in store are sizes 6-18 while gowns can be ordered 0-30, so most brides try on a size and order another
- Alterations are expected, extra and external: "alterations are usually needed for the perfect fit. We consider your height and heel height, but you may want to adjust length or straps. We can recommend trusted local seamstresses and suggest budgeting for alterations"
- Two order speeds: "We offer standard and priority order options based on how far your order is from your wedding date" — neither timeframe nor priority surcharge is published, and the store directs you to discuss it with a stylist
- Payment plans exist but are not detailed: "For orders placed through our MWL boutiques, we offer a range of flexible payment options to choose from. For further information on our payment plans, please speak with your stylist"
- The gown is made to a standard size, NOT TO MEASURE — split sizing is available where bust, waist and hip do not align
- MWL CLEANING is a paid post-wedding gown care service with its own purchase page
- Mwl also sells through independent retailers worldwide, which set their own stock and terms: "As all of our retailers are independently owned and operated, please reach out to your nearest retailer to confirm which MWL designs they have in store"
- The label also has boutiques in London, Manchester and Utrecht.
Price Range
- $950–4100
Purchase Options
- Made To Order
- Ready To Wear
Services Offered
- Private One-On-One Appointments
- Personal Styling
- Split Sizing
- Standard And Priority Ordering
- Post-Wedding Gown Cleaning
- Veils And Mini Veils
- Gloves And Sleeves
- Scarves And Capes
- Cuffs
- Wings
- Referral To Local Seamstresses
- Trunk Shows
- Virtual Guest Attendance
Size Range
- Made-to-order gowns are available in sizes 0 to 30. Sample dresses in the boutiques run sizes 6 to 18, with a small selection outside that.
Similar businesses
Melbourne, Victoria
Be A Star Bridal
Be A Star Bridal sits on the Nepean Highway at Cheltenham, in Melbourne’s bayside south-east, and it is a full-service shop rather than a curated boutique: gowns…
Visit in person
Melbourne, Victoria
Bonita Couture
Bonita Couture is a couture bridal house on Sydney Road in Brunswick, Melbourne’s long-standing bridal strip.
Visit in person
Melbourne, Victoria
Bryony Jayne Bridal Couture
Bryony Jayne Bridal Couture is a private bridal studio in Berwick, in Melbourne’s south-east, established in 2013.
Visit in person
Melbourne, Victoria
Ivory Bride
Ivory Bride is a by-appointment bridal studio in South Melbourne, curating “a curated edit of exclusive and highly sought-after designers from Europe and…
Visit in person
Melbourne, Victoria
Kerry Armatas
Kerry Armatas is a dressmaker’s studio on Springvale Road in Melbourne’s south-east, where gowns are cut and made rather than pulled off a rack.
Visit in person
Contact
- Website
- mwlbride.com
- Address
- 13 Arawatta Street, Carnegie VIC 3163
13 Arawatta Street, Carnegie VIC 3163
Open in Maps