It can happen over a series of sessions or be more limited, depending on your sewist/designer and your own time. In these sessions, your dress turns into The Dress, sculpted and tailored for your body.
It’s a good rule of thumb to have every wedding outfit fitted. It’s highly unlikely that something off-the-rack, rented or borrowed will fit like a glove. Designers and sewists specialise in changing that. Even inexpensive wedding dresses deserve the zhuzh that a comprehensive fitting gives them. You’ll be amazed at what a snip here and a clip there can do to transform your outfit into something even more spectacular.
Hemming: which is where most simple alterations begin. This is bringing in the length, adjusting the sides or changing how it fits/falls in minor ways. This is the foundation of your wedding dress alterations and should never be overlooked or rushed.
Detailing: which is the icing on the cake. These wedding dress alterations cost a little more, but they are what add personality to your outfit. It can be anything from adding or removing a train, beading, extra lace, bodice appliqués and more. You can get creative as you want - and as much as your budget (money- and time-wise) allows.
Time is the most significant factor in ensuring your wedding look is as sleek as can be. Bigger changes require more fittings, which will mean adding a necessary amount of extra fittings. Talk to your sewist about how many extras you’ll need for details and how to schedule your alteration process.
Jenny said, “If I design and custom-make [the dress], the chance of alterations is [once]. Because we custom made [it], meaning that we've made it to customer’s measurements, so the chance of having a fault or a little bit of mistake on the measurements is probably only like like 20% - like very minor mistakes. So [some] customers can wait, and then we do alterations on the spot.”
If the dress is off-the-rack, inherited or rented, there’s usually more than just one alteration, according to Nazneen. “If it’s only the one, it’s usually just the hem of it - but if a person needs hemming, and [it’s] due to them being short, then obviously then the shoulder and the waist ratio also will need to be altered.”
Of course, further alterations can happen if you decide you need them. Maybe you want something shorter or looser or whatever. It is necessary to communicate this with your designer and allow them time to fulfil your requests - alongside more fittings, most importantly! Besides, who doesn’t love trying on the wedding dress of their dreams as many times as they’re given a chance?
Nazneen breaks down the details of wedding dress alterations and customisations in this comprehensive FAQ. Check out the guide for all the nitty-gritty questions, from how long they can take to fluctuating dress sizes.
According to our experts, know what kind of wedding dress you’d like a year out from the big day. From there on out, it boils down to who you’re working with to create your masterpiece.
Custom-made wedding dresses can take anywhere from three to six months to create before you can alter them accordingly so that chops your year in half. Six months, however, is the ideal amount of time to consider your style, shop around, try on as many dresses as you want and eventually settle on the fabric-based love of your life.
12 months out: the dress search begins! Find inspiration online and in real life. Talk to loved ones and experts alike for different points of view. Begin the shopping experience by allocating time and energy for this to be as fun and relaxed as possible for you.
9 to 8 months out: take the plunge! Buy your wedding dress. You’ve given yourself a few months to consider what you want and why. You’ve tried on outfits and modelled for your besties in a taffeta-clouded bridal boutique over bubbly. Now it’s time to settle on the one, putting down a deposit of around 50% of the total price (alterations included). Fabric, customisations and more may be sourced from around the world, so this is the longest waiting game you’ll play, dress-wise.
6-month mark: accessorise! You know what your dress will look like, your wedding styling is coming together, and your venue has been long since decided. You can now choose fitting accessories, such as shoes, jewellery and more, based on your wedding’s décor, location and season.
3 months out: it’s here! Your beautiful wedding dress in all its shimmery, perfect glory is here. We vote for giving it a little peck. We also vote for making sure your upcoming fittings are in the books. Your sewist will either have a flat fee for overall fittings, while others may charge per service (hemming, added details, etc.), so budget as needed.
2 months out: your first fitting, which will probably be your longest, should happen. This is when you give the bulk of your feedback to your sewist, including alterations of the neckline, hem and more, and you work together to feel as comfortable and gorgeous as possible. If you’re going to have a wedding bustle, bring along a member or two of your wedding party.
1 month out: your second fitting, where any further tweaks may or may not be decided. By this time, you should have chosen your accessories, but if you haven’t, it’s also perfectly fine to settle on your final pieces and lingerie now.
3 to 2 weeks out: the optional third fitting, for those who wanted more details or further alterations made to their tastes. This is the moment where you’ll have your genuine “first look” at the final wedding outfit. You may get teary-eyed; you may stare at the mirror and call yourself a sexy minx. Both are valid.
1+ week out: it’s all done, and you feel like a goddess, floating through a cloud of perfection - precisely as you should. What are you waiting for? Go pick it up! When it’s all done and dusted, you’ll pay the remaining balance (including any fitting costs). Your bridal salon should send your wedding dress home in a protective garment bag, which will keep it safe and sound until the big day.
Purchase Wedding Dress In LavalFYI: Flying somewhere for your wedding? Never ever check your garment bag in with your luggage. Carry the garment bag with you onto the plane and stash it in one of the overhead bins. If you’re feeling extra fancy, you can buy a plane ticket for your gown, à la Gossip Girl.
The timeline above differs if you’re having a destination wedding or an elopement. Destination weddings call for the timeline to move further out so you can account for leaving for said destination (i.e. away from your sewist). Elopements usually happen on a tighter timeline, so the above one is condensed to accommodate how time-sensitive it may be - but this will probably cost extra.
Experts strongly recommend settling on your wedding venue before agreeing on a wedding dress. This is because choosing your wedding venue naturally accounts for the other aspects of choosing your wedding dress: you’ll know the location, weather, time, budget and atmosphere of your upcoming wedding. This will help you more aptly select a wedding dress for your big day, whether it’s choosing a heavier fabric for a snowy celebration or going for a pastel-coloured outfit at a beachy spot.
Because different designers have different methods of working and rates of turnaround. Pick your specialist based on your needs and their input. It’ll make planning your wedding dress timeline a piece of cake.
Nazneen expanded on this, saying, “If you wanted to get a custom-made [wedding dress], then a year is enough for that to be done. If you wanted to get that style [from] a [bridal] shop, then a year is enough to get it from overseas. Then, obviously, it gives you enough time, in the end, to also do alterations. Now we also provide bespoke service, so our minimum time is four months - not quite a year - but some people have eight months as a minimum, so, again, that can differ. For all trade shows like we do, we can do things for brides within a week's time, [but] some [salons] go, no, we need a minimum of three weeks.”
Invisible garments: your bra, underwear, shapewear and other lingerie should not be the only thing anyone is staring at when you’re in your wedding dress. Bring these necessities with you in your skin tone because they’re important enough to change the way the dress looks and drapes around you.
Shapewear: they should be, as mentioned above, nude-coloured, but they’re also necessary because they determine how your wedding dress looks on you. You don’t want to buy your shapewear halfway through your fittings, then realise you need a bunch of alterations to suit a slightly different figure. Do it in advance, so your sewist’s foundation is the same from day one.
Shoes: even if you’re not wearing heels, your shoes will add a smidge of height that will need to be accounted for. Desired heel height factors into your hem, train and overall drape of the dress. If you haven’t found the perfect pair of shoes yet, then at least decide on the heel height and bring a pair of shoes with them so your fittings can proceed with that in mind.
Inspiration: as recommended by all of our experts, bring your inspiration with you. Whether it’s a Pinterest board on your phone or an old-school scrapbook filled with magazine cut-outs, the source of your inspiration matters. Mood boards and scrapbooks help your bridal expert gauge what you’re after rather than guess.
“The first thing I'll [normally] ask before we start looking at the dresses is whether [they have] anything of mine or any style that [they] prefer,” Jenny told us, concerning inspiration. “So then I can narrow it down from what [they say] - whether she wants a mermaid dress or she wants a button and flair or A-line gown. Then I will guide them to what I have available that they prefer.”
The wedding dress shopping experience is a time-honoured tradition amongst many, many people. For women, it can be emotional and exciting - but also sensitive. This is why it’s crucial that you pick the right people to join you. No one wants too many pushy opinions from a supposedly well-meaning family member or not enough insight from a friend distracted by their phone. Pick someone you really trust to help you. Good options include:
Easygoing relations, whether it’s the cousin you’ve been close to since you were toddlers or the sibling you cannot do without. Choose family members that are patient and listen to you and your needs. This might be your mom or dad, or it might be your dotting grandmother.
Easygoing pals, because nothing is better than a friend you can trust with your life. The ones that keep calm in sticky situations and are level-headed and kind are the keepers.
Exciting besties, because, if you really want it, a loved one encouraging you and being your number one hype man is one of the best feelings around - even more so for wedding shopping.
You, since, at the end of the day, that is the opinion that matters most. You don’t have to take anyone wedding dress shopping with you if you don’t want to. If you prefer something more lowkey and free from stress, fly solo and spread your wings in comfort.
Engaged besties, listen up! The venue is booked. Planning is underway. But you still find yourself asking when to buy your wedding dress. Let me be honest: wedding dress shopping is so much more than just showing up to the salon and picking a dress. It requires strategic planning and budgeting, from researching dress trends to booking appointments and leaving time for alterations. There's a lot to consider, and TBH, it's hard to remember all the to-dos. Luckily, I'm here to help you get started with a wedding dress shopping timeline that highlights all of the important fashion-related benchmarks to note while you're wedding planning. From the start of your engagement to the big day, here's everything you need to know about when to shop for your gown, including exactly when you should buy your wedding dress to ensure that it arrives on time.