Weddingbee

Mama Canary had been having the hardest time finding dresses at home, so one of our big goals was to find her the perfect dress in Hong Kong. We had strolled through Kimberley Road on three separate occasions without any luck, until finally we stepped into Noel Chu, one of the busier shops on Kimberley Road. One of the mistakes Mama and I made on our first few trips to Kimberley Road was just browsing what was on the racks– which usually only showcases the most popular rental dresses (which don’t often parallel U.S. fashion tastes).

The storefront of Noel Chu’s shop on Kimberley Road.

When we stepped into Noel Chu, the service was fantastic from the beginning. They asked what she liked, unlike other stores where they just started pulling dresses and tried to make you like them. Noel Chu had an extensive collection of photo albums filled with all their designs. I think they have a tailor’s workspace upstairs where the tailors cut and make all the dresses. If you’re renting, they make instant alterations while you wait. So my mom and I sat down and went through several books and found a style that she really liked. They had it in stock and off-the-rack so they brought it down for her to try. It fit really well but still required some minor alterations. It looked fantastic on her and I couldn’t imagine a better dress that’d be as elegant and fun!

Mama Canary in her beautiful dress. My favorite detail is the fishtail in the back. The front is decorated with Swarovski crystals.

Mama Canary really loved the color. At first she wasn’t too crazy about the style, but then really liked it once it was altered (which only took a few days!) The store had the dress cleaned and steamed before alterations, and it was pristine when we went to pick it up. It was off the rack, which meant that it cost a lot less than custom tailored dresses (which is usually required for someone who requires something larger than a size 4 in Hong Kong). We spent under $700 for the dress.

So if you’re in Hong Kong and looking for a wedding or evening dress, check out Noel Chu. Just make sure you also look through their catalogues. Often, what’s on display is very colorful and extravagant with a lot of frills. And if you don’t find something you like, you can always bring an image of something you found in a magazine and they can easily replicate it for you. Noel Chu also offers photo packages if you’re interested in getting wedding/engagement pictures in Hong Kong.

Address: G/F, 72 A, Kimberley Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Tel: 852-2380-6380
Web site: http://www.hongkongwedding.com/photo/noel_chu

After picking up the dress, Mama Canary and I were killing some time before meeting a friend for dinner and happened upon Bespoke Shoes on Kimberley Terrace Road (about 2 blocks away from Noel Chu). Bespoke makes custom evening shoes and has a huge selection. On average it takes about 10 days to complete an order, but we were able to get Mama Canary’s finished in about three days. Since Mama Canary has problem feet, custom shoes were a great option. They were able in pad the shoes with additional arch support and make sure the straps weren’t too tight or uncomfortable. The shoes were about $65 US.

I also noticed a lot of custom shoe shops near our hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui East, particularly on the first floor of the Peninsula Centre shopping mall (67 Mody Road). For all these shops, you can bring in a photo of a pair of shoes and they’ll recreate it for (and if you like with your own design adjustments) within 10 days and the cost is almost always under $100 US.

The sample shoes at Bespoke

I’m so happy that Mama Canary is entirely outfitted for the wedding, and we didn’t have to settle for a matronly or too revealing dress. How have you fared with mother of the bride or groom dresses?

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