Fairy-tale beginnings

Every girl imagines looking like a princess on her wedding day. As she grows up, she realizes that a fairy godmother who will magically conjure the perfect dress for her is unlikely to appear. Finding the right wedding gown is usually a daunting task. The bride only wears it once, but it is the most important garment that she will own and one that will grace a lifetime of memories through photographs. With the added stress from wedding planning, she needs all the help that she can get.

Carolyn Chow was in the same position when she got married a decade ago. She found that wedding gowns in Hong Kong tended to be over-the-top and not all that suited to Asian silhouettes or tastes.

Along with three other friends who tied the knot at around the same time, they opened Central Weddings eight years ago as a multi-brand shop that specialized in wedding apparel and accessories for local brides.

"Asian brides tend to prefer gowns that are classic, elegant and slightly less trendy," says Chow, who has a background in finance. "We work with top American bridal designers, as we feel that European designs are generally fancier and their cuts may not suit us."

They also operate a stand-alone Vera Wang bridal wear shop in Hong Kong's Soho district.