Most brides focus on finding the perfect dress, however, what happens after you have found the one? Where will you store your dress? Who will carry out your alterations? No matter how perfect your dress is, if it doesn’t fit you properly on your big day you’re not going to feel so great in it! Read on to find out what questions you need to be asking of your wedding dress boutique to ensure you get the perfect fit for your big day!
1. Find out where your alterations will be
This may sound like an obvious question but will your bridal boutique look after your alterations or will you be sent to a recommended seamstress? What mirrors will be available, will you be able to see the back of your dress? What will the floor surface be like? If you are walking down an aisle with a hard floor but your fittings are carried out on a carpet then your dress could be too short. Make sure you walk, sit, pretend hug, dance, and generally move around a lot in your dress during your fitting. You will not be standing still on your wedding day!
Our Sass & Grace experience offers free storage to all of our brides, so you will not get a phone call when your dress arrives asking you to collect her. We then carry out all our fittings in the boutique, in the main changing room, in front of our huge 7ft bespoke mirror. We only ever have one bride in the boutique as standard.
2. Bring your shoes and underwear
Most wedding dresses do not need a bra as they will have enough support already built into their structure, ask your bridal boutique if you are unsure. Nude seamless knickers work best with most wedding dresses and go for ones that are more American tan rather than peach in colour. Be careful if your dress has a low or open back as your knickers will need to be low rise. Your seamstress or bridal boutique should be knicker spotting in your fittings!
Most dresses will need their lengths altered and tailored to you. When you walk down the aisle you will be on your (usually) dad’s arm, and you will also have your bouquet of flowers to hold, there is no way you are going to be able to lift your dress as well! It is important to wear your wedding shoes to your fittings so that your length is perfect. You should glide up the aisle easily without anything catching or tripping you up.
3. Ask for a price list
How much are your alterations going to cost? The amount charged varies hugely, it depends on the complexity of the work involved. Taking up a hem that has a lace trim is a lot more time-consuming than a hem that is on a simple crepe or silk dress. Ask your bridal boutique they will be able to advise you on an estimated cost for all your alterations. At Sass & Grace, we use an experienced bridal seamstress and we do not profit from your alterations, we use our seamstress because she is an expert in her field, she’s brilliant at what she does and she gives our brides a fair price.
4. Bring the right guest
Your fittings are so important! If your dress is not right or uncomfortable on your big day then it could ruin your whole day. Take the person who is going to dress you on the morning of your wedding, if there is a corset make sure that the person who will dress you on your day has a go at doing it up at your fitting. Does your dress have lots of buttons that will need fastening? If so leave extra time in your schedule on the wedding morning to ensure you are only fashionably late!
5. Decide when your dress has her final steam
At Sass & Grace we offer our brides a pick up service which is very close to their wedding day, we have even had brides’ who have nowhere to store their dress swing by the boutique on their way to their venue the day before their wedding. Your dress should be steamed (our language for ironed) ready for the big reveal and once steamed she should only be put into her dress bag for travel.
“At Sass & Grace we passionately believe that from the very first phone call to the final fitting we make your dress shopping experience as easy and enjoyable as possible. Buying a wedding dress shouldn’t just be a transaction but an unforgettable experience that allows you to make treasured memories that last a lifetime.”
Sam, Founder & Director Sass & Grace Bridal Experience
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We’re looking forward to meeting you and making your dress dreams come true!
Thank you to these talented individuals for the images we used in this blog.
| Dress | Ellis Bridals |
| Make-up | Leeod Makeup |
| Hair | Bridal Hair in Hampshire |
| Photography | Megan Bronte |
| Model | Sasha |
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