See great bridal gowns in Soweto

Florence Ngwenya and Tholakele Dube are among the 20 designers approached to take part in this year's wedding expo to be held on Walter Sisulu Square in Kliptown from 31 July to 1 August 2010.

Exciting opportunity

Ngwenya, who has been designing wedding gowns and corporate wear since 2002, says she is excited about the opportunity.

"I'm very excited about this exhibition, not only because its happening in Soweto but that it has been taken to Walter Sisulu Square, which has a very rich and important history," she says.

Ngwenya, who quit her nursing job to become a fashion designer, says she has always been fascinated by bridal wear.

"Before I became a fashion designer I used to rent out wedding gowns. I did dressmaking so that I could do alterations to the wedding gowns.

"I found whenever I did alterations I would change the dress to a different design and that's when I decided to do a course in fashion designing. I also did bouquets but have since stopped to focus on designing."

Ngwenya says her big break came in 2006 when she was asked to put together an African wedding collection that was featured in the African Bride magazine.

"Being featured in that magazine put me in the map. Nobody knew about Florence before that," she says.

Dreams are made of this

For Dube taking part in the exhibition is a dream come true.

"I've always known that someday my work will be showcased at one of these prestigious events. This is the beginning of good things to come," she says.

Dube says she knew since she was a child that she wanted to become a fashion designer.

"I started sewing when I was a child. I love beautiful clothes. That inspired me to create my own clothes and people loved them - and my career in fashion designing began."

Dube says though she has no formal training in fashion designing, she has designed exclusive clothes for many people, including a number of high-profile individuals.

"I love what I do and regard myself as highly creative. This exhibition is taking my career to the next level. I'm looking forward to it since I'll a get an opportunity to learn from other designers," she says.

Specialist showcase

Event organisers Corine Scheepbouwer and her sister, Liz Vrijenhoek, say the exhibition will provide local wedding specialists and businesses a platform to showcase their work.

"Most of the participants are locals who are exhibiting for the first time," Scheepbouwer says.

She says the exhibition promises to be a one-stop shop for those planning a wedding.

Everything about weddings will be there. This include venues, catering, invitation cards, decor, cakes, honeymoon destinations, photography, financial and legal advice.

Admission to the event is R50 a person and tickets are available at the door.

For information on becoming an exhibitor, contact Corine or Liz at Dalani Marketing on +27 (0)11 469 3825.

Source: Sowetan