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Entrepreneur and Zuru co-founder Anna Mowbray plans to invest in the best for her wedding to former All Black Ali Williams, and the billionaire bride — the Mowbray siblings are believed to have a combined wealth of $3 billion — flew to Sydney to find her dream dress.
On atrip to Sydney last month, Zuru co-founder Anna Mowbray said yes to her wedding dress.
In between enjoying VVIP tickets to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert at Accor Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park, Mowbray went for wedding dress fittings while she was in Australia’s fashion capital.
Revealing the visit to followers of her Instagram account, Mowbray showed herself being measured in the atelier of Pallas Couture, located in the trendy suburb of Paddington. During her fitting, Mowbray wore a satin robe with feather cuffs.
Part of its bridal offering, the “Bespoke” experience starts from NZ$24,640.
A bespoke gown by Pallas Couture is created through a series of personal toile fittings in the atelier, where their master couturiers ensure the gown is tailored to perfection, while hand-applied embellishments are intertwined and sculpted to the body.
In December, Mowbray also revealed the date of her wedding to Williams, sharing a snap of an elaborate wedding invitation on Instagram.
It included the couple’s names and an invitation for guests “to join them in celebrating their marriage in the Fijian Islands”, also revealing the wedding will take place “over three days” from August 16 to August 19 this year at the Kokomo Private Island resort in Fiji.
Kokomo Private Island clearly holds a special place in the couple’s hearts; last year they enjoyed a family holiday there with Mowbray’s three children and Williams’ two.
A three-night stay at Kokomo is estimated to cost $8000 per person. Betrothed couples can choose from three unique packages which cater for up to 120 guests.
For couples seeking the ultimate private experience, an “Exclusive Wedding Event” will ensure the private island is exclusively theirs for the duration of their stay.
The Mowbray-Williams nuptials will be one of the more notable of the year, and a source close to the couple said at least half of the guests are expected to be family.
Mowbray also revealed the date of her wedding to former All Black Ali Williams last December. Photo / Instagram
Mowbray, who spent 17 years building Zuru alongside siblings Mat and Nick, stepped down from her involvement as director of the company a year ago to focus on her new recruitment app Zeil.
A good indication of who may be invited will be who the pair surround themselves with, as they are expected to have a marquee at the Urban Polo at Auckland Domain this weekend.
Williams is a shareholder in Urban Events, as are former All Blacks Dan Carter and Israel Dagg.
A source warned Spy not to make too many assumptions, however, as they may be using the polo this year to network for business.
Carter was at Williams’ “white party” at sea for his 41st birthday in 2022, as were former All Blacks and the Blues’ players Troy Flavell, Ron Cribb and Daniel Braid.
At Mowbray’s 40th last year, her close girlfriends included Soul Bar & Bistro commercial and events manager Liv Carter; Julia Leuchars, Dame Trelise Cooper’s right-hand woman and marketing manager; and interior designer Shelley Ferguson, who had huge input into the bride and groom’s renovations at their waterfront Westmere home, for which they splashed out $24m in 2020.
We are told Mowbray may choose to wear two dresses, as is becoming more commonplace at uber-wealthy weddings, with one for the ceremony and an easier one to dance in at the after-bash.
Blair Wheeler is Mowbray's go-to designer.
And then there are the other two days of celebrating for the bride to dress for. Mowbray’s go-to designer in Auckland is Blair Wheeler, who designed a superhero-style creation for Mowbray’s 40th last year and the newspaper-inspired skirt she wore to the Swift concert.
