Everything a Bride Should know about Wedding Dress Alteration

Congratulation! You finally find your dream wedding dress. When we talk about the bridal look, wedding dress alteration is one of the key factors in the overall appearance. When it comes to finding your dream wedding dress, it’s all about excitement and fun; hair and makeup trials are a joyful process. Fitting appointments aren’t very exciting (you probably have 3-4 fittings) but be sure that these appointments make all the difference to your look. Most wedding dresses are made according to the standard sizes and need to be tailored to your body size. Few women’s measurements fit the standard size because everybody is unique. A professional and experienced tailor sculpts your dress to your gorgeous figure in the fitting process. Wedding dress alteration ensures the perfect fit; when your seamstress alters a wedding dress, it may involve customizing the design, creating a corset back, changing the neckline, or practical alteration like adding a bustle for your comfort wedding day.

Rita bridal is one of the professional bridal alterations shops in Orange County. We provide bespoke bridal alteration services for brides who want to look flawless on their big day. Whether you buy your bridal gown, we have done alterations for many bridal gowns from famous designers such as Pallas Couture, Galia Lahva, and Ines Di Santo. More than 30 years of experience make Rita bridal a destination for brides who want to have her alter their luxury bridal dress.

This blog willl explain everything you need to know about wedding dress alterations. From what to expect in fitting appointments to the budget, you should consider other important points about bridal gown alteration.

Every Wedding Dress Needs to Be Altered

All wedding gowns need some form of alterations. Every body type is unique, and nobody fits a dress like a mannequin! Alteration is inevitable. Most bridal dresses are made to order, not made to measure, so adjustment is necessary for a flawless look.

Where is the Best Place for Gowns Alterations

Many bridal boutiques provide in-house wedding dress alteration services for the brides. This is the best option because professional seamstresses will work on your dress that know your dress design.

If that service is not available for your bridal boutique, they can recommend a seamstress specializing in wedding dress alterations.

If you opt for a secondhand or from a sample sale, in case the dress needs adjustment, you can still ask the local bridal boutique if their alteration services aren’t exclusive to brides who have bought dresses from their store.

Best Time for your First Wedding Dress Fitting

Almost all wedding dresses need alteration because each body shape is unique. There are no such things as standard body shape, and every dress needs alteration even a bit! If your dress needs alteration, it is crucial to have a plan in advance. The complexity of the alteration you need depends on the fabric and material of the gown. Our priority is your convenience, so our tailor recommends bringing your wedding gown at the earliest opportunity. We recommend getting your gown 3-4 months before the wedding. If our seamstresses have enough time, everything should be on schedule.

Professional wedding dress alteration shop in Orange County.

How Many Fitting Will You Need?

Brides always have different experiences during alteration. The number of fitting you need depends on the dress’s fabrics and how much your body changes before the wedding. At the first meeting, the seamstress starts pining and tucking the materials. At the second fitting, the essential changes have been done, and the bride has a better idea of how the gown fits. Two alteration sessions can be enough but prepare to have three fittings! Schedule your final fitting two or three weeks before the wedding to avoid body changes.

First Fitting

Your first meeting will probably take an hour and will be your longest appointment. In this session, you visit your dressmaker and discuss your requirements. You are not getting pinned. Try to listen to your seamstress’s advice. They are experienced and know what changes are necessary. If what the tailor says and your requirements don’t match, ask for a second opinion. Speak about what is in your mind and your priorities. Your tailor can’t read your mind, so communication is crucial in altering your wedding gown.

Second Fitting

The tailor adds temporary stitches in the second appointment and does more tweaks before the final cuts are made.

Third Fitting

The final fitting is when you see yourself in the dress as it’ll look on the day. After the final session, you’ll take the dress home with you.

Common Wedding Dress Alterations

Alteration of the bride’s dress is a complicated and delicate procedure. In order to have an elegant alteration, a professional tailor should be accustomed to the details of wedding gowns. Here are common alterations for wedding dresses:

Adjusting the hem

One common alteration is adjusting the hem because wedding gowns are generally made in standard length for brides (5’10’’), so there is a high possibility that you need hem adjustment unless the designer order the dress with a different hem length.

Adjusting straps

Wedding dresses are usually available with long sleeves because it is easier to shorten a long sleeve than make a short sleeve long. Depending on the type of dress strap, this could be a simple alteration!

Adding in bra cups

If you’re looking to add a little lift to your wedding gown, bra cups can be a great way to smooth out the shaping of the dress and make your dress more comfortable and fit.

Bustle

A professional seamstress can make your bustle invisible until you need to use them. Bustle is a term describing getting your train up off the floor by attaching it to the back of your dress.

Adding a sleeve

Maybe you fall in love with a strapless wedding dress or a dress with thinner straps, but you want something with more coverage on your arms. Your tailor can add a sleeve and make it what you want. Alteration helps you to make necessary changes and have your dream dress.

Altering the neckline

Altering a neckline is a relatively small change that makes a considerable difference in the overall look.

Taking in/Letting out the sides

A talented seamstress can make a fitted dress for you. As professional seamstresses, we take in or let out sections of the dress to fit like a glove on your body.

Adding layers

If you like to have a giant ball gown, something that stands for itself, our professional alteration team helps you with that! Maybe you would like to add a layer of sparkle tulle, which is our specialty

Custom Accessories

Sometimes, brises choose to have a headpiece or veil that completely matches their dress. Our alteration team helps you find a matching lace and tulle as if the dress and accessories are from the same designer.

How many sizes can you alter a wedding dress?

According to our experience, you can alter a wedding dress two sizes down and a size up. A dress could also be recut if you need to take more than three sizes in. However, your seamstress could make other special alterations depending on your size or the dress’s current size.

Wedding Dress Alteration cost

Wedding dress alteration costs depend on what must have been done on the dress and the style of the gown. The bridal boutique can estimate the alteration costs, but it should be regarded as a guideline, not a set-in-stone price. As you know, wedding alteration costs vary concerning fabrics, and details, so we can’t tell you about alteration costs in advance

Do you need professional alteration services in Orange County?

What You Should Wear For Alteration

We recommend our brides bring the undergarments and shoes for all wedding dress alteration appointments. The shoes and slip will determine the length of your gown, and the bra will help for the foundation of your bodice. Bring all these items for every alteration appointment.

What If My Weight Has Changed Since I Ordered My Wedding Dress?

If your weight changes dramatically, the first thing to do is keep calm and talk to your seamstress. At the time of order, if you suspect your body will change for pregnancy, for example, it’s better to get measured closer to the wedding. A tailor can normally let out or take in a wedding dress by one size, perhaps two; more considerable changes are tricky. It is not recommended to change a wedding dress across a spectrum of sizes.

Can you alter a dress that is too small?

Generally, it’s easier to take in a wedding dress than to let out. If you are a plus-size bride, a professional wedding dress tailor is also able to alter your wedding dress if it’s too small. Most wedding gowns can be let out by an inch or two, but if you need to go up for several sizes, your tailor can add up a lace-up corset back our gussets.

Who Can a Bride Bring To her Wedding Dress Fittings?

It isn’t a good idea to bring all the bridal party to the dress fitting appointment. Most boutiques will advise only one guest. A fitting appointment should be a time for communication with the seamstress without distraction.

Conclusion:

Fitting is everything. At Rita bridal, we care about fitting. Many years of experience make us one of the best alterations shops in Orange County. Our professional and experienced seamstress makes your dream dress fit as a glove. Our bespoke bridal alteration service makes your precious gown flawless. We focus on your wedding gown’s fit, comfort, and style at Rita bridal. Pallas Couture alteration,Galia Lahav alteration and Ines Di Santo alteration are among the famous brands that Rita bridal altered the bridal dresses and came to great results. Fittings and changes can be made on plain dresses, embellished, gathered, or pleated, and on dresses with numerous layers. If you aren’t sure whether alterations can be performed, we can arrange a consultation before any fittings.

For more information about our bridal dress services, book an appointment.

References:

Davies. H. (2021, Oct, 12). Wedding Dress Alterations and Fittings: Everything You Need to Know.

https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-planning/bridalwear-articles/wedding-dress-alterations/

Kellogg. K. (2022, Match, 4). Wedding Dress Alterations 101. The brides.

https://www.brides.com/story/wedding-dress-alterations-tips

(2020, Aguste, 26). 12 Wedding Dress Alteration Tips From an Expert. The wedding spot.

https://www.wedding-spot.com/blog/wedding-dress-alteration-tips

Lacia. S. (2022, March, 18). Everything You Need to Know About Wedding Dress Alterations.

https://www.theknot.com/content/wedding-gown-alterations-101