THE WEDDING SEWER 

Carmen Allen, The Wedding Sewer, has been designing Ladies' and Men's fashions and period costumes since 1976. She made her first wedding gown in 1976 for her best friend and has it back in her possession after all these years.   

Carmen can't count how many wedding gowns she has made over the years. They are scattered all over the world~America, England, Ireland, Russia, Alaska, New Zealand, Germany, France, Iran, Hungary, Serbia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Egypt, China, Phillipines, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Samoa, and of course in many parts of Australia.

During her life in fashion, Carmen has designed for her own labels catering from swimwear, activewear, sportswear, dance wear, street wear, corporate wear, evening wear, bridal wear, and men's suiting. She has also designed and made patterns for many prominent designers.

Carmen has been a finalist and won awards in various sectors of fashion. Although, her most prized awards are in the wedding industry. She is modest and hasn't promoted herself like many others. She knuckles down and gets the job done.

Her love of fashion has always been for period and wedding gowns. She made the decision to move away from regular fashion to specialise exclusively in custom made wedding gowns in 1996.

Over time, bridal boutiques referred their brides to Carmen to have their client's gowns altered for that perfect fit. During and since the pandemic an onslaught of alterations came her way, which limited her time needed to make custom gowns. Currently, Carmen concentrates on altering bridal and formal gowns including all other sewing needs of the wedding party, catering for both male and female attire.

Carmen not only has a Diploma in Fashion but she also has a Bachelor of Creative Arts majoring in Writing and Film and TV. Her film studies led her into filming weddings where she discovered the needs of the bride were not always met. As no one covered this area it prompted her to write a handbook that is released by Kindle early 2024. Carmen hopes that "Brides Handbook" is of value and helpful to everyone that comes into possession of it.