Transparency
I am intuitive in my design approach, and here to share my gift for making beautiful wedding dresses with my brides. To offer support from start to finish and help make the process as seamless as possible.
The Maryke experience runs deeper than just the making of a dress. It is the connection and chats about love, life & everything else in between, while your dress story unfolds that carries the value.
I do not believe in copying another designer’s work and will therefore not consciously make a carbon copy of a design. Neither will I make a dress that won’t be flattering on a bride. I look for ways to personalise a design so that it is individually suited to a bride and offer an authentic experience.
I also believe in transparency when it comes to communicating costs and my quotation document will cover this extensively. For pricing visit the ‘choose your dress journey’ page.
In a nutshell
This is me. I quietly work in the background alongside my dedicated team on the brand and making our bride’s wedding dress dreams come true. So to capture me in a moment such as this photo is a rare one.
Sewing was my first love and at the age of 19 I dressed my first bride – bless her heart for trusting my very young, but capable self to do that! Fast forward 25+ years of passionately following my childhood dream, to the bridal brand it has grown into today.
Maryke brides get to experience the energy of love and passion poured into each dress, resulting in an individually crafted gown, suited to each bride.
At our KZN Studio you are treated to the full selection of our designs as well as the option of custom (bespoke) design. In recent years we have also helped numerous international / out-of-town brides realize their dress dreams.
In addition, we have various stockists nation wide (see our Collections page for more) and will soon be spreading our wings internationally.
‘’As a bride who has dreamt of her wedding dress as a little girl, this was a very sentimental experience for me and Maryke went above and beyond to add sentiment to every step of the process in creating my dream dress.
Her passion for what she does shines from within. Her attention to detail is in a league of its own - and this does not only refer to her beautiful craftwork, but also her ability to listen to all your requests and make your dress even more special than you could ever imagine.
At my final fitting not only did I leave with my dream dress but, a dear friend as well. And for that I will be eternally grateful! Thank you, Maryke, for understanding my vision and bringing my dream wedding dress to life.’’
Treasured memories
I treasure the pockets of time during which we get to chat and catch up, all while you see your dress unfold at each fitting.
A primary goal is to make each bride’s experience as seamless and memorable as possible and it is my heart’s desire that your wedding dress journey will become one of your favourite wedding memories.
Finding The One
There is something that lights up in a bride when she steps into her wedding dress. Most times it is a subtle shift, other times it is a wave of emotion.
So often I observe this from the side line, before she even sees herself in the mirror. One of the most beautiful and rewarding moments to me as a designer is when a bride looks at her reflection and sees her true, inner beauty ignited.
Authentically South African Design
Maryke is a personal bridal brand, where each and every wedding gown passes through my hands, regardless of whether it was ordered directly from our KZN Studio or via one of our lovely stockists.
Your Maryke wedding dress is individually hand crafted, made-to-order, especially for you taking your personal measurements into account. All our dresses are designed and made on-site at our Hilton, KZN studio, with most of our fabrics & laces sourced from local South African suppliers.
Time & Skill
An average of 80 – 200+ hours of time (depending on your design choice) and over 3 decades of experience is invested into each Maryke wedding dress.
Through a thoughtful process of applied skill and time, backed by a dedicated team of sewing specialists, we bring dress stories to life.
