You’ve found the wedding gown of your dreams, that’s half the battle! Your next step is to have a dress fitting to ensure that you look like a million bucks on your special day.
Having a gown fitted means having the dress tailored to every curve of your body, and the length adjusted perfectly so that you are comfortable (and beautiful!) walking down the aisle, chatting with your guests, and dancing the night away.
The first fitting will connect you with a skilled tailor who will spend some time pinning your dress and determining where it needs to be taken in, let out, and hemmed. No matter what you spent on your dress, this step will make it look like the gown was designed for you and only you.
At VIERO Bridal, we understand that your wedding dress is one of the most important garments you will ever own. Offering affordable wedding dresses, couture gowns, and a luxury boutique experience in our flagship locations in Chicago, New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, we know what it takes to get the most out of your entire dress shopping experience.
We want to make sure that every step in the process meets your expectations which is why we have created this list of tips to help you prepare for your first wedding dress fitting!
1) Choose the undergarments and shoes you will be wearing
To get a better idea of what your wedding gown will look like on the day of your wedding, it is a good idea to decide on the undergarments and shoes you want to wear.
It may seem like a no brainer, wearing whatever undergarments you feel like to the bridal boutique, but your dress may not allow for a run of the mill bra and underwear. You may need a strapless bra, or one with a lower cup height, or a normal bra with thinner straps. Additionally, if your dress has a unique shape, you may need to change the undergarments you have chosen, which you can determine at this first fitting.
Your shoes should fit the style of your dress. If you are wearing a boho gown, a pair of satin stiletto pumps will not fit the aesthetic. If you are wearing heels, it is recommended that you wear them to your fitting so that the tailor can see how long your dress needs to be to fall properly. The tailor will determine if the hemline is ok, or needs to be brought up or let down for your big day.
2) Book your appointment 6-8 weeks before your wedding
To avoid any possible headaches or missteps, schedule your fitting appointment about 6-8 weeks before your wedding date.
This will allow the tailor to make any alterations or adjustments to your gown. You probably have not seen your dress since you ordered it or had it designed for you, so you may also want to purchase accessories that suit the dress style.
Scheduling your appointment early will leave time to make any secondary alterations, if necessary.
Bring a friend or family member with you as a second set of eyes to inspect your dress, and suggest any alterations that need to be made.
While you have your dress on, try bending over, and moving around to see how you feel when you are in action. If anything feels uncomfortable, take note and ask for it to be altered.
You should be looking at the three-way mirror that will be available to you, to see if there are any puckering, gaping, odd stitching, or anything else that you do not like on your dress. Encourage your friend or family member to do the same.
Remember that you will probably only wear this dress once, so you want it to be absolutely perfect. It is ok to be assertive and insist on alterations that you identify.
3) Accept your body
If you have had any plans to change your body type for your wedding, at this point, you should be on a maintenance plan. You may have many opportunities to alter your wedding gown, and things can be let out or taken in many times. If you require taking large panels out of your dress however, the integrity of the style and design may be compromised.
It is a good idea to buy a gown for the body you are in at the time of your order. Dresses can be taken in and let out, but ordering a dress that is too small in anticipation of changing your silhouette can leave you devastated and without a gown that fits.
If your wedding gown has a bustle, ask the tailor for help with bustling your gown while you are in your appointment. You may want to show your friend or family member how to do it as well, for on the fly bustling.
While you are being fitted, you may also want to ask the tailor if there are any special tricks to putting on your gown. Familiarize yourself with the dress, so that you won’t be stressed out on the day of your wedding, trying to figure out what goes where.
4) Remember to budget
When you were preparing your wedding budget, you should have taken alterations into consideration. Alterations can be costly, depending on what you need taken in or let down, and the intricate details of your wedding gown.
Some wedding dress boutiques charge per altered item, while some charge a flat fee to cover all alterations. Either way, you will need to budget a few hundred dollars for alterations. If you are looking for any design changes to your gown, there will be additional charges. Adding alterations to your wedding budget will save any shock down the road.
5) Schedule your second fitting
Before you leave the bridal boutique, schedule your following appointment for about a month before your wedding.
Remember that multiple fittings are not a reason to panic. Having your dress altered to fit your body will turn your gown into one that is perfectly made for you, and help you have a wedding day to remember.
Ready to make an appointment? Centrally located in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, VIERO Bridal offers the best bridal shops for finding affordable wedding gowns and couture wedding designs.
Contact us for an appointment.