Take it from the Seamstress #3: The Final Fitting

​Typically, the first alterations appointment occurs about 6-8 weeks before the wedding. The second, and in our case, the final, alterations appointment occurs about two weeks before the wedding. That said, those four weeks in between appointments can be some of the most fun, but also some of the more stressful weeks in a bride’s life! There is so much to do and to look forward to and so much celebration that occurs. As women, our bodies fluctuate regularly, especially during high-stress times. Even if you are the most relaxed and easygoing bride, your body may still be affected by some of the exciting chaos occurring around you. We encourage brides to go into this final fitting understanding that their bodies may have changed a little during this special time! With that said, this is why we do this final fitting at least two weeks before the wedding. If something is not quite fitting right, we have plenty of time to make the dress JUST RIGHT! Be assured, this often happens. We will make sure the dress is just as gorgeous as the bride wearing it!

​That said, here are a few more tips to ensure a successful final fitting…

Communicate!

One of our lead alterations assistants, Cathy, wants to remind every bride to communicate with their seamstress throughout the process. And from the seamstress’ perspective, I promise we will not be offended if you tell us something is poking you from the inside!! We want you to be comfortable and feel amazing. So feel free to ask your seamstress questions. We are here to serve you and make you feel as gorgeous and comfortable as we can, so if something is wrong, tell us! That two week buffer gives us a great amount of time to adjust things that need to be fixed.

Bring a friend!

We recommend to have someone with you to help celebrate you during this process! This is the perfect time for a “how to bustle” lesson. If this is not an option, we are more than happy to take videos of how to bustle the dress and we will draw up a bustle map to send with you and your gown for the day-of.

Prepare for the aftermath!

As difficult as it is to think beyond the wedding and honeymoon festivities, the seamstresses here would like to encourage you to think about and plan for what to do with the dress after the wedding. Here at TBC, we offer affordable Cleaning and Preservation Packages where your dress will be dry cleaned twice, spot-checked for stains, and preserved in a beautiful white box with a framed cut out on the front to showcase your gown. With these packages, preserving the gown guarantees no discoloring for up to 100 years! Even if you plan to resell, reuse, or regift your gown, we encourage you to have the gown professionally dry cleaned.

Celebrate!

This is probably the last time you will wear your dress again before walking down the aisle. Soak up every minute of the experience! Enjoy this magical moment as you dream about your wedding and the beautiful life you are beginning.

For more information on alterations and how to best take care of yourself and your gown, feel free to come by or call us at The Bridal Collection.

Photos courtesy of Elevate Photography.