An Interview with Caroline Atelier

As part of our Fashion Special, we interview award-winning, Cork based bridalwear designer Caroline Matthews from Caroline Atelier to get her expert opinion on all things wedding dress related.

She has been creating dream dresses that combine timeless elegance with quirky twists for Irish brides for over a decade now, and with this in mind we asked her about how to pick your wedding dress, what inspires her and even which dress is her favourite!

You can see lots of Caroline Atelier wedding dresses, as well as other wedding dresses, in our bridalwear section.

Can you describe the sort of bride you have in mind when creating your designs?

Most brides who come to me, come because we offer vintage inspired gowns but with contemporary twists and as we design and produce everything here in Ireland we can adapt designs to suit most brides’ unique ideas, so we give them a designer dress that has all the elements they want in a dress.

How closely should a bride follow fashion trends when choosing her wedding dress?

A bride should never follow fashion trends. As a designer I always tell brides to follow their own instinct with a dress and designer, there are no real fashion trends for bridal I don’t think anyway. Brides will always go for what they like about a designer or dress and that is the most important thing for a bride.

What should a bride consider when picking her wedding dress?

The main thing a bride should think about is how she wants to look on her big day, I always advise brides to try on many different styles to rule out all the shapes they don’t want and what doesn’t suit them. Most brides end up going back for the first dress they try on so if brides do think they have found the one in the first dress, its more than likely true.

Why should a bride searching for her perfect wedding dress consider Caroline Atelier?

A Caroline Atelier bride is one who wants to be different from the traditional bride. Opting for something stylish and contemporary but in keeping with old Hollywood glamour. We also like to let brides know that if they like aspects of a few dresses we can design them a dress with all elements they like to make them their dream dress.

What inspires you?

Everything inspires me, I take inspiration from what’s around me in my everyday work and I also look to the old Hollywood glamour eras.

Out of all your designs, which is your personal favourite?

I couldn’t pick one but if I had to, I would still be torn between my Sienna dress (pictured above) and my Thea dress (pictured below); both of these are vintage inspired gowns with a contemporary twist.

How does a bride know she’s found the one, when trying on her wedding dress?

She will know as soon as she puts it on... she will feel amazing, special and beautiful and of course from the reaction on her bridal party’s faces they will all know. It’s an amazing feeling and one that every bride should cherish!

Describe your creations in three words:

Contemporary, vintage-inspired, timeless

What are you most proud of in your career?

I am proud of everything I have done in my business to date, making brides feel amazing on their big day and getting all the lovely testimonials from brides is worth all the long days sewing. We have also won numerous awards for our bridalwear which is always great, knowing that what we are doing at Caroline Atelier is being recognised.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you to hitched.ie for asking me to do the interview!