Time for a little luxury… and there is no better place to begin than with The Wedding Club. As one of the most influential luxury bridal boutiques in the UK, The Wedding Club is known for its sharp digital marketing, immersive in-store experiences and a curated edit of designers that feel both unique and undeniably alluring. Their ability to connect with modern and Gen Z brides has cultivated a powerful sense of community, making the boutique the perfect UK home for Sonia Cappellazzo and her slow-fashion couture aesthetic.

In a retail landscape increasingly dominated by speed and relentless trend turnover, Cappellazzo Couture stands deliberately apart. Celebrating 30 years of the label, the Melbourne-based couturier has launched in the UK for the very first time. Her debut event (a live, intimate Q+A at The Wedding Club) offered brides and press a rare look into a philosophy built on time and an unwavering commitment to making a bride feel truly seen.

As Cappellazzo’s presence in London grows through this partnership, it’s hard not to take notice. What Sonia brings to the UK market is a redefinition of luxury bridalwear – one rooted in artistry and slowness. “The memories start from the minute a bride makes that first phone call,” Sonia says. “Every conversation, every fitting, the coffee afterwards with her mum or her friends; all of that becomes part of the emotional fabric of the wedding. My job is to honour that. To slow it down.

Heritage & Human Instinct

Cappellazzo Couture’s foundations are stitched with both personal history and practicality. Raised by Venetian migrant parents in Australia, Sonia grew up surrounded by resourcefulness – and a mother who worked as a dressmaker. Six foot two by the age of 13, she learned early to make and adapt her own clothes. “Understanding body shape and fit was innate – it was survival,” she laughs. “We couldn’t access what brides have today. Making things from scratch, sculpting fabric, understanding how women move –those lessons shaped everything I do now.”

This instinctive understanding of form still defines her approach. Sonia describes being able to ‘read’m a bride within moments. “I always say we’re like little computers,” she explains. “The way she walks in, the words she uses, how her eyes react. I gather a whole library of information before she’s even tried on a gown. Connection is the real luxury.”

Fabric First: The Signature of Cappellazzo Couture

For Sonia, every gown begins with fabric – and she’s unapologetic about it. “I’m a fabric snob, absolutely,” she says. “Natural fibres, structure, texture. Fabrication is the foundation of everything. You can have the most expensive fabric in the world, but if it’s not cut well, it’s irrelevant. But when the fabric is right, you can tool it, mould it, sculpt it. That’s where the magic begins.”

Cappellazzo works with the same Indian couture houses that bead for Chanel and Alexander McQueen, often developing textiles years before they appear in mainstream collections. Sonia has already seen colour palettes planned as far ahead as 2027.

“We’re not trying to be ‘trending’. We’re shaping what’s next – but in a way that is timeless. Mass fashion is the enemy of memory. Brides don’t want to feel like they’ve seen their gown everywhere.”

The Future of Luxury Bridalwear

To Sonia, the future of luxury lies in the one thing fast fashion cannot replicate: time.“Slow means everything. It means hand-cut and considered. Slow means we’re not cutting 20 layers of the same gown. Slow means artisans are touching every part of what the bride wears.”

Every gown in the designer’s Melbourne atelier follows an intimate, handcrafted process. No mass production. No shortcuts. Even her global expansion reflects her slow-fashion values. The gowns available at The Wedding Club use the same techniques as her couture line – blending accessibility with artisan craft.

“People think luxury is about price,” she says. “It’s not. Luxury is time. Luxury is attention. Luxury is care. Fast fashion can reproduce a silhouette, but it can’t replicate a feeling.”

Among her brides, Sonia is often called ‘the wedding whisperer’. Why? “It’s listening,” she says simply. “It’s caring. Today’s brides are juggling pressure and comparison – especially online. Comparison is the thief of joy.”

“So many brides come in with a preconception of what they ‘should’ wear,” she explains. “But the trust forms in that moment when I show them something they never imagined, and it elevates them. You see it in their face. That surprise – that’s the moment.”

Sonia describes the true measure of success not as praise, but breathlessness. “When a bride walks into her venue, you shouldn’t hear words,” she says. “You should hear gasps. If someone says, ‘Oh, she looked lovely,’ I feel like I’ve failed. Magic is wordless.”

Now preparing for her 30th anniversary runway show in February 2026, Sonia promises a celebration that honours both past and future. “There will be tears, Champagne, everything in between,” she smiles. “But at the heart of it all is the same thing that’s driven me for 30 years: the craft.”

Cappellazzo Couture: What Today’s Brides Want

1. Connection is the new luxury: Post-digital fatigue, brides crave genuine human interaction.
2. Craftsmanship matters: They want to feel the value – in fabric, fit and construction.
3. Slow fashion sells: Time, care and curation outperform trend-chasing in the luxury market.
4. Authenticity beats algorithms: Brides want individuality, not imitation.
5. Gasp-worthy gowns win: As Sonia says, “Magic is wordless.”

 

_{IMAGES Viola’s World Weddings} 

_{WORDS Anna-Marie DeSouza}