Wedding Dress Alteration Tips

When it comes to your wedding dress you can splurge on an expensive dress, but if it’s not properly altered it won’t look any better than a gown that’s significantly less money. Here are some Wedding dress alteration tips to remember from our friends at brides.com.

Buying your dress early

  • Take the stress out of wedding-dress alterations by buying your dress early and leaving plenty of time for fittings and tailoring. It’s prudent t o but a dress 10 months before the wedding. It sometimes takes up to five months from the time you order it to arrive in your bridal salon. Schedule a fitting two months before the wedding and a final fitting no later than two weeks before your wedding to ensure it will fit just right in your wedding day.

Design changes can add up

  • Bridal alterations can add up and it can cost $225 to shorten your gown, $150 to resew seams, etc. Some bridal salons do a flat fee like around $500 to $700 that covers anything you’ll need to make the dress fit you perfectly. Design changes can also add up such as cutting a sweetheart neckline to adding lace or beading. Make sure you factor in these costs before buying a dress.

Consider a gown with structure

  • Never order a smaller dress to motivate you to lose weight for your wedding day. Even with diligence, you can’t predict how much you’ll shrink and it’s easier to take a larger dress in than to let a smaller one out. Consider a gown with structure which have built-in corsets that can be easily tightened or loosened. You can also try an A line, which covers lingering pounds. The slinkier the dress the harder it is to fix the fit if you gain or lose weight.

Make sure to bring the shoes

  • Here are some other Wedding dress alteration tips. When your tailor adjusts the hem, make sure to bring the shoes you’ll wear at the wedding so you’ll be the same height you will be on the big day. If you haven’t picked out your wedding shoes yet, bring a pair with a height comparable to the shoes you’ll be wearing.

Have an extra set of eyes

  • It’s always good to bring your mom or a friend with you to your dress fittings, just so you have an extra set of eyes to make sure everything fits just right. Bring someone with a great sense of style and an opinion you trust.

Wear exactly what you’ll be wearing on your wedding day

  • Bring whatever undergarments you plan on wearing along with you to your fitting. You want to wear exactly what you’ll be wearing on your wedding day, including shape wear, for the best possible tailoring. This includes jewelry, gloves, and other accessories that might change the fit or styling of your wedding dress which will affect the overall look. An example is where your wedding necklace falls might influence where you want the neckline of your dress to be.