Winter 2020

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW!
Dress shopping is one of the most exciting parts of the wedding planning process and one that most ‘brides-to-be’ look forward
to the most. It can be a stressful process and the sense of relief and joy when you have found ‘the one’ is real! One mistake
‘brides-to-be’ make is to think that it’s another tick off the list and they don’t have to think about their dress again until it
arrives into the bridal shop – wrong! Ordering your dream dress is only one part of the puzzle and unless you have the budget
to go for a custom fitted designer dress then you are going to need some form of alterations to make sure it’s the perfect fit on
the big day! With this in mind I’ve put together the ultimate Team Bride guide to the alteration process! (You’ll thank me later!)
– you will be wearing it for at least 16 hours so
you want it to be comfortable!
It’s never too early! Good seamstresses are
like gold dust and you want someone who
has experience working with bridal dresses
as it can be intricate, delicate work. Once you
find a recommended seamstress – book them
straight away! Even if you don’t have your
dress yet, book into their diary so you know it’ll
be taken care of. Every wedding dress will need
alterations of some kind .
BUDGET FOR IT
Even if your bridal shop offers an in-house
alteration service it’s unlikely that it will be
included in the price of your dress so make
sure to add alterations to your budget. Cost will
depend on how detailed the dress is and the
amount of work that needs done but if you allow
between €200 - €350 you should be well covered
(unless you want reconstruction or sleeves etc
added, then you need to budget more). Bridal
alterations are a specialist service and one dress
can take a few days to alter so this is reflected
in the cost.
Be patient – it may take a few fittings to get the
fit 100% how you want it. Allow for three fitting
appointments (you may only need two) and trust
your seamstress to know what needs to be done
and the best way to do it.
GET YOUR SHOES
Make sure to have your shoes with you for
16 | SAVE THE DATE with Teambride.ie
ALL FITTINGS, especially your first fitting as
the seamstress will need to be able to see what
shoes you are wearing to alter the length of your
dress. It will also give you an opportunity to get
used to wearing your wedding shoes and wear
them in a little.
USE IT AS A TRIAL
Although your fitting appointment is to get your
alterations sorted it is also a great opportunity to
have your hair and makeup trials so you can see
how everything will look on the day. No fake tan
though – unless you want to risk transfer to your
dress. Also, be mindful not to touch your dress
too much during the fitting.
MOVE AROUND!
I cant stress this enough! During your fitting
it’s important to move around in your dress –
don’t just walk a few steps, try to get a good area
where you can walk around and make sure your
length is good and you clear the floor without
catching on your dress. Also bear in mind
different floor surfaces will affect the length.
You will glide over a smooth tiled or wooden
floor but you will sink into carpet so think about
the type of floor in your ceremony and reception
venues – my pet hate is seeing a bride kicking
her dress up the aisle because it’s too long! Your
dress should be just off the floor to allow easy
movement! Also, don’t forget to sit in your dress
PLUS ONE ONLY!
With all the excitement of the wedding it’s
tempting to want to bring all your nearest and
dearest to your fitting with you but it’s important
to bring only one or two with you – too many
opinions are not helpful at this stage and can
add stress. Bring the same people to each fitting
and ideally someone who will be there on the
morning of the wedding to help you get dressed
(unless you have Team Bride booked then you
don’t have to even think about it!).
GET THE
FOUNDATIONS RIGHT
Underwear is key to the fit of your dress. You
should ask your bridal consultant for advice on
what type of underwear will work best for your
dress (practicality generally wins over pretty in
this case!). A week or two before your fitting you
should get measured for your underwear and
make sure to bring it with you to your fittings – a
different bra can make a few inches difference in
terms of alterations.
EAT!!
You may not want to eat before your fitting
as you don’t want to risk bloating etc but its
important that you don’t have an empty stomach.
You could be standing in one spot for an
hour and you don’t want to feel faint so have
something to eat beforehand and sip water
throughout your fittings.