Getting the Perfect Fit
It is all in the alterations!
Getting your wedding gown altered is one of the most important parts of your wedding preparations. You have put so much work into finding the right person, venue, menu, and cake why would you not put the effort into making your gown fit perfectly? When your gown arrives it most likely is not a perfect fit. Do not panic! Almost everything can be fixed and made to be comfortable, secure, and most importantly look fabulous.
How much do alterations cost?
The cost of alterations varies greatly based on the dress but for most dresses you should expect to budget at least $400-600 for a hem, sides taken in, and bustle. More complex gowns with a lot of hand work, lace appliqued over the seams or beading will run $500-700+. Here is a link to our pricelist.
Why the cost?
Most people don't know this but in order to properly alter a wedding dress it could take as long at 8-10 hours just to fit the dress in the body. Then there is usually a hem (2-6+ hours), bustle (2+ hours), and fittings (2+ hours). Not only that, you need to have many years of sewing experience to tackle a wedding dress. If you add up that time, the equipment cost, and space needed and compare that to what you would pay for a facial, hair cut, or massage per hour, you are getting a bargain! So, love your seamstresses and all the hard work they are doing to make your dress perfect. This is nothing like botched alterations to ruin a wedding!
Preparing for your first fitting appointment
Most wedding gowns will need some adjustment in length as well as a bustle. It is important that you bring the shoes you will be wearing with your dress or at least a pair of shoes that are the same height at the shoes you will be wearing on your wedding day. Don't panic if you don't have them! I can measure the dress without shoes and you can send me the heal height later. Also, bring any lingerie or shapewear you plan on wearing. We have cups, both regular and push up that can be sewn into the dress. Sometimes we recommend sticky cups. All of this will be discussed during your first fitting. We also sell veils and other accessories but if you have your own you may want to bring them to the fitting. Here is a checklist of things to bring!
Do the bustle
Bustling a wedding dress is a way to fold the train for the reception so you can do the hustle. There are several general methods for bustling including cascading bustle, french bustle, and Australian bustle but all dresses are created differently and some look great with one type of bustle and not with another. The weight of the train, embellishments, and other structural elements on your train will need to be factored into the decision of what method and how many attachment points are needed to elegantly secure your dress. During your initial fitting I will show you all the possible bustle looks. At your final fitting I will teach you how to bustle your dress. You should try to bring any friends or family members that will be in charge of you bustle to that appointment.