Wedding dress alterations – what should you know?

Have you started your wedding planning yet? As you start preparing for your big day, there are so many decisions you will need to make and so many questions you will want answered. Which wedding venue or reception venue will you choose? Do you want a theme to your wedding? What do you want your wedding colours to be? What type of music will you want played as you walk down the aisle or at the reception? Do you want flowers in your center pieces? What flavour will you choose for your wedding cake? What kind of transportation will you use to get around on your wedding day? What shoes will you wear on your big day? How will you wear your hair? And, of course, what kind of wedding dress will you choose? One of the things that brides may not think about when they are searching for their special dress is the wedding dress alterations. When you are budgeting for your wedding dress, you should always build in the alteration cost into your price, unless you are planning on purchasing a custom dress. A custom dress will be made to fit your figure perfectly, which is one of its main benefits. Custom dresses should not have any alteration costs associated with them. This is the main reason some brides will opt to order a TALINE custom bridal gown.

However, if you purchase a made-to-order dress, then you will have to consider the wedding dress alterations. Most retail stores will order a dress that is one size larger than your usual size.

So, when it comes to wedding dress alterations, what should you know?

• Every retail store has a different price for wedding dress alterations but, in general, expect the alterations to start at $600 minimum. It is always good to ask the retail store what the average alteration costs are so that you can include this in your wedding dress shopping budget.

• The style of your wedding dress and the placement of the embellishments will impact the alteration costs as well. Your wedding dress alteration costs may be higher if your dress is covered in beads or lace because it requires more work to adjust. And, these types of dresses might even be very difficult to alter. The more complicated the dress, the harder it may be to alter.

• Sometimes, when a seamstress alters a wedding dress, the gown may no longer look the way it was designed. That is why it is very important to make sure your seamstress is a professional who has experience in bridal wear alterations. This is especially important if you are not getting the dress altered at the bridal store you are purchasing the dress from. The last thing you want is to purchase a wedding dress that you love and then feel the disappointment when the alterations adjust the look of the dress.

• Always order the dress in your original size, not the size you expect to be in a year’s time. Many brides-to-be will order one size smaller than they would normally wear in the anticipation of weight loss. Remember, it is easier to take in a dress, vs. letting it out during the wedding dress alteration process. You can always take away fabric from a dress, but you cannot add fabric to a dress if it is too small.

• If possible, when you are trying on your wedding dress, make sure the dress fits your largest area perfectly. For example, if your bust is your largest area, then make sure it fits your bust perfectly. If it is your butt area, make sure it fits your butt area perfectly. This will help with the wedding dress alteration process.

Wedding dress shopping is one of the more memorable parts of the wedding planning process. Many brides have a budget in mind before they start their shopping but may not take into consideration how much it will cost to alter their dress. Factoring in the cost of wedding dress alterations when you are determining your wedding dress budget is important. If you have already been married, what have your experiences been in wedding dress alterations? Share your thoughts! We would love to hear them.