A glittering star of her own Makin

For more than three decades, a Brisbane bridal gown designer has made dreams come true for countless women across the world, writes Isabella Pesch,

She has spent almost five decades working in her dream job. But, when renowned Brisbane bridal designer Wendy Makin takes a moment to reflect, it isn’t the awards she thinks of. It isn’t designing gowns for Queensland royalty either.

It is the look a mother and daughter give each other when they know they’ve found the perfect wedding dress. To her, that means everything, knowing she has helped make a dream come true for another bride-to-be.

Fondly referred to as the “fairy godmother” by many, Mrs Makin is one of the country’s most popular wedding dress designers and has worked from her flagship studio nestled in East Brisbane.

With husband Geoff by her side throughout her entire career, they have spent 33 years at the helm of her self-titled label.

Wendy Makin Bridal Designs has been making couture and ready-to-wear gowns for thousands of brides in Queensland and across Australia, as well as in New Zealand and the UK.

Now, Makin is preparing for the final bittersweet months, with her studio plastered with ‘clearance’ and ‘sale’ signs, displaying hundreds of beautiful gowns at a discounted price.

Being a wedding dress designer has been a fairytale of her own. Ever since she was a little girl she has loved sewing, so it was a no-brainer to take up an apprenticeship at Dundee Fashions immediately after school.

“It was a dream job, being able to work in bridal and with all the beautiful fabrics, and I really just learned on the job,” Mrs Makin said.

Wendy Makin from Wendy Makin Bridal Designs in Brisbane is retiring after 45 in the bridal industry, Wednesday, June 4, 2025 – Picture: Richard Walker

“I worked my way through learning to do the making and cutting, and sewing, and then the designing. And by the time I was 21, I was the head designer of the company.”

Eventually Mrs Makin, alongside her husband, went on to build her own label, and has since won countless design and manufacturing awards for her work.

Just recently, they had started to help clients whose mothers had also purchased a Wendy Makin gown for their weddings.

When brides-to-be walk in, they can see a framed photo perched to the left of the studio’s entrance. A photo of triple Olympian Hayley Lewis on her wedding day, wearing one of Mrs Makin’s designs.

Picture: Richard Walker

“She was actually our next door neighbour, Hayley and her family, and we had already made her sister’s dress,” Mrs Makin explained.

“I wasn’t aware another company had offered (Lewis) a dress, I just hoped that because we made her sister’s that she might ask.

“We didn’t hear from her for a while, but then she eventually did approach us and said, ‘Look, somebody else had offered a dress, but I didn’t like where it was going … I really wanted you always to make my dress anyway, would you?’ Of course, I said yes.”

Wendy Makin – Picture: Richard Walker

Mrs Makin said Lewis originally had her eyes on the ‘Audrey’, a strapless gown with a collared neckline and full skirt. But Mrs Makin was determined to make something especially for the Olympic swimmer.

“I had this beautiful fabric that was the same sort of toning, with an embroidered organza with beading on it,” she said.

“I said to her, ‘How about we put this on the bodice?’ And then her eyes just lit up. She didn’t say anything for a few seconds, so I wasn’t sure if she liked it or not. But then she said, ‘that’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen’.

“It’s probably common knowledge now, but she told us she was pregnant at the time, but nobody else knew. We weren’t allowed to tell anybody, of course, so when she came for her fittings, we all had to be quite secretive.”

The wedding gown was fondly renamed ‘Hayley’ after her big day.

Mrs Makin has also made gowns for a number of familiar Queensland names, including former Brisbane Lions player Jonathan Brown’s wife Kylie Adams, and YouTube influencer Jess Conte.

“When Jess posted photos of her wedding to Gabriel Conte, our social media following just doubled,” Geoff Makin said.

Wendy Makin made the wedding gown for Natalie Turner, the NSW constable who passed away in 2013 from terminal ovarian cancer. Natalie married her husband Matt Turner in the Hunter Valley. Picture: Supplied

But the one that brings instant tears to Mrs Makin’s eyes is the gown she made for New South Wales constable, Natalie Turner.

Mrs Turner was diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer, prompting Mrs Makin and the team from Modern Wedding to offer to put on a ceremony and reception for her and her husband Matt in the Hunter Valley. She passed away in 2013.

“It was certainly one we are very proud of … we put all together a wedding for her, Modern Wedding got involved and got all the suppliers involved. We made the dress for her little girl as well,” Mr Makin said. 

“She was a beautiful bride, it was lovely to help her out.”

She has made countless dresses over the years, but the one that truly stood out to Mrs Makin was the ‘Katelyn’, a handpainted and embroidered floral bridal gown which revolutionised wedding dresses across the globe.

“It was made of this divine silk, and it just stole everybody’s hearts. The girls who did have that gown loved it. Honestly, well, there was something magical about it. Everyone who saw it loved it,” she said.

“Even people from the other side of the world knew about the pink gown. It was a very special fabric.”

It went on to win the People’s Choice Award at the Queensland Brides Design Awards in 2012. But overseas, there was some confusion from other designers.

“I took it to the UK, and no one was doing floral wedding dresses. A lot of the designers then were sort of pointing and laughing; they were surprised. And now everybody’s got florals,” Mr Makin said.

Hayley Lewis on her wedding day. Picture: Supplied

When she casts her mind back to her all-time favourite celebrity wedding dress, Mrs Makin instantly recalls the late Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, wife of John F Kennedy Jr. The high profile couple were married in 1996.

“It was simple and stylish, and she had the figure to wear it,” she said

“Stunning girl and stunning gown. Everyone wanted to look like her in the late nineties.”

Though the majority of the last 33 years with her label had been bliss, Mrs Makin acknowledged that there were some lows, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was also during the height of the pandemic that the pair had to close their Stanley Street store when the lease expired and merge into their flagship studio on Wellington Road, East Brisbane.

“Covid was heartbreaking because so many girls had to postpone their weddings two or three times. Each time it was just heartbreaking for them, and that was a really emotionally and financially draining time,” she said.

As she plans to hang up her measuring tape at the end of September, she hopes the final few months bring joy to a few more brides looking for their dream gown.

”All our brides are special, they’re all gorgeous, and each one has been a pleasure to dress. It has been an honour,” Mrs Makin said.

“We’re just very grateful to everybody who’s trusted us with such a special occasion, to be part of their lives.

“I’m very grateful to have had Geoff by my side the whole time. He’s my rock.”

The couple look forward to spending a couple of months in France without worrying about lugging fabrics or frantically preparing for the next runway or photo shoot. Yes Bridal Studio would continue to carry on the Wendy Makin Ready to Wear and French Collection in the UK. 

Originally published as A glittering star of her own Makin