When Should I Start Having My Wedding Dress Altered?

You’ve found your bridal gown and it is incredibly exciting isn’t it? You are sat in the bridal boutique with your mum, your sisters, your maid of honour and maybe your bridesmaids. There are tears of joy and you can’t wait to get to the big day and show your husband or wife to be exactly how beautiful you look in your wedding dress. These moments are there to be cherished and are made even better when you are in the comfort of a bridal boutique that has delivered above and beyond what you were expecting. The service doesn’t end there though, there is still work to be done. When should you start thinking about having the wedding dress altered?

Every person is different. Every bride has a unique story, as well as a unique wedding that is planned down to the finest details and timings. Your wedding dress is unique and special to you, and the best bridal boutiques understand this, providing you with the peace of mind that you will look your very best on your big day, a vision. Most bridal gowns will require some alterations before the big day, but knowing how many and when you should have those alterations might not be apparent at first.

The timing is crucial. If you take your wedding dress for alterations too early, there is the risk that it does not fit you properly come the big day because there has been too much time for your body to change, whether you lose or gain weight. If your wedding dress is only slightly off it can have an impact on the overall look and comfort. On the flip side, if you take your wedding dress for alterations too close to the wedding, there is a risk that there isn’t enough time for the seamstress to do the work required.

There is an ideal timeline that suits most brides, starting with a gap of two to three months between your first wedding dress fitting and your second. Most brides will have three or four dress fittings spread out from the first day of choosing a bridal gown up until the last fitting when all the alterations have been made. It does depend on how much alteration work is required though of course.

If you have picked out your wedding dress from a bridal boutique you will most likely get any alterations done there, as you will be heading back there for multiple dress fittings in the run up to your big day. Always be ready, taking with you the shoes you will be wearing, the underwear you want to wear, and your maid of honour (or whoever will be responsible for helping you get dressed the morning of your wedding).

Whether you have found your wedding dress online and want to get it altered by a professional or you have chosen your bridal gown at a bridal boutique and want it to be altered in the run up to the big wedding day, you’ll want to know the timescales and what is required of you at every step. The best bridal boutiques will set out a clear plan of action for you from the moment you choose a wedding dress. This will include set times to come back and be measured two or three times more, and for the wedding dress to be altered and prepared within plenty of time of the big day. You will find that the best places will even be able to offer alterations right up to an emergency, late, situation, but the more time you have to prepare the better!