Unless the wedding dress is perfectly made for you from scratch, you’ll need alteration. Alteration is important because the wedding dress needs to fit you perfectly.

What is Wedding Dress Alteration?

Wedding dress alteration is making certain adjustments to the original design to perfectly suit your taste. Basically, you are assigning a trusted seamstress to transform your dress to fit your shape.

Types of Wedding Dress Alterations

1. The Essential Hemmings

All wedding dresses need these basic adjustments:

• Length Hemming: Designers design long lengths of wedding dresses by default. This is to fit taller brides. For this reason, you will want to reduce the length to fit you.
• Slim-Fitting: This involves taking in or taking out the sides of the wedding dress to accentuate your shape. The bust, waist, and hips.

2. Detailings

You can add as many details as possible to your wedding dress to suit your taste. You can add these details:

• Lace: You can add nice lace to cover a plain wedding dress if you want. If not the entire dress, you can cover specific areas.
• Neckline Alteration: Depending on what you desire, you can either make the neckline wider or narrow.
• Sleeve Alteration: You can either add sleeves to a sleeveless dress, change the sleeve, or reduce the length of the sleeve.
• Altering the Back: You can decide to make changes to the deepness of the back or cover it with lace or straps.
• Beading: Beading with pearls or adding stones to the dress to enhance its beauty.
• Bustle: If your wedding dress has a train, then you will need to add a bustle. Wedding dresses don’t come with bustle. The bustle is added to the skirt area of the dress. The purpose is to support the dress train and to prevent you from tripping on the train.

Wedding Dress Alteration Tips

1. Budget for alteration: While planning to purchase your wedding dress, also make a budget for alteration. The price ranges depending on the type of alteration you want.

2. Pick your size: It is advisable to slim-fit the dress than to lose it out. It is easier to take in the dress than to take out.

3. Only give an expert: To avoid stories that touch the heart, look for an expert in wedding dress alteration. A quick way to go about this is to ask the bridal salon to refer a seamstress to you.

4. Book for fitting appointments: According to experts, the recommended fitting appointment is three times. Schedule the first appointment 3 months before your wedding. The second is for 1 month before your wedding. The final appointment is 2 weeks to your wedding.

5. Fit with your bridal accessories: Go with your shoe to measure the perfect length of the dress. Also, go along to your fitting appointments with your underwear. Do this so your wedding dress can conceal the underwear.

6. Bring your friend to fitting appointments: You will need the opinion of a friend. She can be your maid of honor.

Be our next featured love story. Submit your real wedding here.