Preparing your wedding dress is one of the most exciting and unforgettable parts of planning your wedding. You and the dress together will be the star of the show. You will walk down the aisle in this dress and you might dance the night away in the very same dress, if you chose a danceable style. However, few wedding dresses fit perfectly on the first try. In fact, it is customary to order a dress a little big and have it fitted before the big day.
What should you know before your wedding dress fittings? Here are eight important tips that will help every bride prepare for their wedding dress fittings and alterations.
1. Start Early
Don’t wait to get your dress fitted until the last moment. It’s best to start several months before the wedding so there is time for measurements, fittings, and adjustments until your dress is perfect. Your salon will need time to make the adjustments, and most brides need a few fitting appointments before the dress fits just right.
2. Order Based On Your Biggest Measurements
Avoid ordering a dress that is too small. It’s better to order a slightly larger dress and have it fitted down to your size. This is common wisdom in the world of fittings and alterations, and you’ll be happier with a dress that can be formed perfectly to your body.
The best way to achieve this is to order a dress based on your largest measurements at your bust and hips, and to size up just a little beyond your measured numbers. While it is sometimes possible to save a too-small dress, a good seamstress can always tuck a dress to better fit a slightly smaller size.
3. Plan for 2-3 Fittings
Wedding dress fittings typically take two or three appointments to achieve perfection. Your dress will usually achieve the right form after two fittings, but a third may be necessary for special adjustments. The first fitting is to make sure the dress is the right size. The second is to achieve form-fitting elegance, and the third may provide detail-work to ensure the dress is not only beautiful, but also comfortable.
4. Bring Your Whole Wedding Outfit
Pack everything, absolutely everything, you are going to wear with your wedding dress for each fitting – especially the second and third fittings. Your wedding shoes will help get the hem exactly the right height.
Your necklace and the top of the dress should align in perfect harmony – whether that means changing the neckline or the length of your necklace chain. Gloves and bracelets may change how you want your wedding sleeves to work. For example, shorter lace sleeves will not catch on a jem-studded bracelet.
Don’t forget your wedding undergarments to ensure that the dress fits perfectly to your form.
5. Bring a Friend to Each Appointment
It can help to have some morale support at your fitting to help you feel your best and encourage you to speak up if anything is uncomfortable. Your best friend knows that look on your face when something is pinching or if you’re worried the neckline is just a little too low. They will not only take great photos, a friend can help ease communication with your tailor.
6. Plan a Last-Minute Fitting, Just In Case
Plan one more fitting about two weeks before the wedding. Your size may have changed just a little, up or down, and you want your dress to be perfect on your wedding day. A few little alterations can ensure that you are both comfortable and gorgeous.
7. Share Your Wedding Environment Details
Let your seamstress know where you’ll be wearing the dress. Do you want a floor-sweeping chapel entrance, or do you need to keep your dress off the sand at your beachside wedding? Do you expect high winds for your mountainside vows, or do you need your dress to move right for dancing? These details matter, and your tailor can help make your dress just right.
8. Write Down Any Special Requests
Finally, write down any extra special requests you may have and give them to your tailor early – or send an email. Want your father’s handkerchief sewn into the bodice? Want to add some lace over the chest or a silk lining added for comfort? Want your grandmother’s locket sewn into the beading? It can be done, but give your seamstress a head’s up on your first fitting.
Get Your Wedding Dress Tailored at OXXO Cleaners That Care
Your wedding is a once in a lifetime moment and your dress should not only look perfect, it should also feel perfect. Make sure your wedding dress alterations process is stress-free by trusting the team at OXXO Cleaners That Care! We’re here to help you have the wedding day of your dreams.
