Only on some extremely rare occasions one could take their wedding dress from the boutique straight to the wedding but most of us mere mortals will require some form of alterations for their wedding dress.
If you're not a sewer, or have had little experience with alterations there's a good chance the alterations process is a big unknown. This is where I break it all down for you. It's not a scary process but it can feel daunting.
1. Ensure you use a trusted professional
At Carte Blanche Bride, we have a small selection of trusted and exceptionally experienced dressmakers and seamstresses who know about delicate fabrics and can handle them properly.
If you don't know someone personally make sure you get a personal recommendation. Leaving such a special alteration to just anyone is a risk you don't want to take.
2. Arrange your first fitting 4-6 weeks out from your wedding
This timeline rests on a few factors - you are not making major changes to the design of your wedding dress, simply ensuring the fit of the waist, shoulders and hem are to your specific body proportions.
Any design alterations or reducing your dress by more than 1 size will require a little more time, so ensure you discuss this with your dressmaker.
3. Bring Your Wedding Shoes, Accessories, and Undergarments to every fitting appointment
You need to ensure to wear exactly what you'll be wearing on your wedding day, including shapewear or the specific underwear, for the best possible alterations outcome.
When your seamstress adjusts the hem, make sure to wear the shoes you'll wear at the wedding so you'll be the same height you will be on the day. If you haven't picked out your wedding shoes yet, you can try a pair with the same heel height of the shoes you will wear. But make sure you stick to this height, or you'll end up with an incorrect alteration).
4. Your hemline needs to graze the ground (for floor length styles)
Ensuring you are using an experienced seamstress, this won't be a factor for concern. However it's important that the length of your floor-length gown is correct. It should just graze the ground as you walk. This ensures you can walk around with ease and not be concerned about tripping.
Alternatively, a dress that is too short is just as bad. It kills your proportions and simply looks wrong. You can always go shorter, but you can't add lenght once your dress has been cut. So errr on the side of caution here and trial a longer length before the hem is finished.
NOTE: Keep in mind that the gown is adjusted for your chosen wedding shoes, so if you take them off or switch into flats for the dancing, it will be too long. Carte Blanche recommends finding a shoe that's comfortable enough to wear all day and night...
5. Speak up if you're not comfortable
Asking questions during your fitting appointments is a GOOD thing. Don't feel that you can't speak up if you're not experienced at this sort of thing.
If something feels too tight, or too loose voice these queries or concerns. Sometimes this is where a friend or your Mum is good to bring along as they may be happy to speak up for you if you can't.
6. There is usually an additional cost for alterations
Some boutiques offer in-house alterations services, some will suggest a trusted and recommended external service. Either way, unless specified as "included" your wedding dress alterations will most likely cost you extra to the cost of your wedding dress.
It's always good to check this when receiving the quote for your wedding dress. This way you can factor in an extra amount for the alterations fees to your budget. It can become really stressful if you've maxed out your budget on your wedding dress before realising there's another $500-$800 for the fittings.
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We can't wait for you to be our next Carte Blanche Bride!
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