Marriage celebrant and mum of two Suzanne Panter has a home on the Kāpiti Coast that looks relatively normal from the outside. But once you step inside and open the door to a spare room off her hallway, an array of flowing fabric, glistening beads and intricately patterned lace greets you.
Hanging in rows are more than 100 beautiful wedding gowns that’ve been carefully cleaned and labelled, beside delicate veils and signage that reads “Eco Bride”.
The collection of gowns for sale and hire include one-off styles that’ve only ever been worn on the catwalk. But there’s a catch to Suzanne’s small passion-filled business – Eco Bride only stocks preloved wedding dresses, which are sold and rented
out at a fraction of their original prices.
“My wedding dresses are filled with love when I get them as they’ve already been someone’s dream dress,” enthuses Suzanne, 57, who started working as a celebrant in 2017. “We just keep the love going.
“Hiring or purchasing a pre-loved wedding dress is far more eco-friendly and affordable in the current climate. Not every bride
has thousands of dollars.”
Thanks to Suzanne, budding brides on budgets can pay as little as $195 to hire their dream dress, or between $395 and $595 to purchase one.
Suzanne officiating at a wedding.
“Wedding dresses can cost anywhere from $5000 to $10,000 new and are only worn once,” says the mum of sons Chris, 33, and Daniel, 27. “As a celebrant, I’ve seen a lot of wedding dresses come and go, and some of them are beautiful, like works of art.
It was a shame to think they were boxed up, never to be seen again.”
After marrying her husband Scott, 57, in Manchester, UK, in 1987, Suzanne donated her own beloved wedding gown.
“My dress was a couple of hundred pounds, which doesn’t sound a lot now, but in those days, it was quite a lot of money,” recalls Suzanne, who stocks wedding dresses in sizes six to 22. “It was very ’80s, with a high collar and long sleeves, although at the moment, the trend is a lot of dresses with long sleeves.”
The grandmother of one recycled her dress after having her sons, dropping it to the British charity Oxfam, which would’ve sold it on at a low cost.
“Technically, I’d already done what I’m doing now, without even thinking about it!” laughs Suzanne, who moved to New Zealand in 2008. “It was quite by accident.”
Happy customer Emma Johnston took her dress all the way to the UK to marry Robert.
She was sitting down with Scott during the first Covid lockdown when she asked him what he thought about the idea of preloved wedding dresses. With his support and the help of their youngest son’s marketing and photography skills, Suzanne’s dream business came to life.
In keeping with her sustainability theme, Suzanne decided to donate to Trees That Count, a native tree planting organisation, each time a dress is hired or purchased. Just 24 hours after launching, she received her first inquiry call and almost a year on, the bookings haven’t stopped.
“I started off with a few dresses I got from brides and other people reaching out when they heard what I was doing,” explains Suzanne. “Now I have over 100 and it’s ongoing because unlike sample dresses, once they’re gone, they’re gone, so I need to keep replacing them. It has gone far better than I ever anticipated!”
People have travelled hours to visit Suzanne’s at-home boutique, which includes a separate consultation room that’s decorated with accessories like tiaras and wedding-themed décor.
The room, which is next to a separate changing space with candles and white robes, is where Suzanne chats to brides about their big days.
“The girls and I have had lots of laughter and tears because it’s quite emotional when they do find that dress,” she says, suddenly wiping tears. “Everyone deserves to feel special and I’m so proud of what we do.”
Suzanne also offers a buy-back service that allows brides to sell their frocks back to her for $100 up to six months from their wedding if they don’t want to store it, keeping the recycling going.
“A dress may only be a few hundred dollars, but that’s a lot of money to some people and it’s great to be able to say to girls, ‘No pressure, let’s do this.’ Then if they sell it back to us, we can redo the fun all over again!”
Among her line-up of dresses are styles from Elizabeth May Bridal, owned by New Zealand bridalwear designer Julia Barnes, which were worn on the catwalk for New Zealand Fashion Week and couldn’t be sold as new. Suzanne also stocks designer labels Maggie Sottero, Stella York and Andy Anand.
“It’s lovely when the brides see the dresses and find one they love that they can afford,” she smiles. “It just makes their day, as well as mine. It’s a joy for me, not a job.”
