Short Guide to Buying a Bridal Gown

Perhaps you have heard that it takes a year or more to plan and prepare for your wedding.  That may be true for many brides because of where and when they want to be married.  It shouldn't be so when it comes to selecting your gown and related products.  Visiting 10 bridal stores isn't necessary when you have the internet for comparison shopping, plus a proven personal assistant offering guidance through this maze. Wouldn't you rather have collections from 40 manufacturers to select from than just 5-6 at each store?   Maybe you have already been to a bridal shop or seen several bridal magazines with all their luscious advertising.  A stunning gown that looks fabulous in a catalog and/or on you, should not be the main reason you select a gown. I would be happy to help you decide what shape gown suits your figure, which features are suitable for the style wedding you want, do a little research on who has combined the desired gown elements you prefer in one dress, and help you find where you can see a gown or two that interest you.

If you are like most brides, you will need some alterations done to achieve the perfect fit.  Not only do you need an experienced bridal seamstress for the sewing, you will need one to advise you about what alterations you can expect to need BEFORE you buy the gown.  This might influence which gown you select based on the amount of time needed to do certain kinds of alterations.  Some companies have as much as 3" extra in the side seams that are easy to access, and some have nothing extra to let out.  Some have deep and elaborate trim at the hemline with no easy way to shorten the dress, so shorter brides might need to order custom length, adding to the cost of their purchase.  I know which companies have petite sizes for no extra charge, and I also know which one does custom length when shorter than standard for NO extra charge.  You won't be led by greedy sales staff into buying something you don't need or could easily avoid.

Let me illustrate with a situation I handled recently.  A bride brought me a fabulous designer gown she had purchased at a greatly reduced price at a local store.  The gowns by this designer are made for 5'7-8" in 2-3" heels.  She is 5'2" and planned to wear 2" heels.   For most gowns, this is not such a difficult alteration because gowns only need to be shortened in the front.  This bargain gown had elaborate embroidery and beading around the entire hemline, and the waist had 8 large box pleats set on a waistband with a zipper in the back.  Since it was full-skirted, it also had 5 layers under the satin top, all caught into the waistband.  Since so much length had to be removed, the only place to do it was at the waist and it had to be taken up all the way around, including the zipper.  This meant releasing all layers from the waistband and the zipper, shortening the outer layers by taking all the gores apart and re-tracing the shape and width at the top of each of 7 panels, than re-assembling them without cutting off the netted slip at the top, followed by cutting off the slip and all other layers at the bottom.  The whole alteration process just for the skirt, can't be done in less than 8 hours, so her total alterations bill was about $200, and that was much less than what a bridal store would have charged.  Even though the sales woman sold the gown discounted, she had hoped to recoup some of that loss in expensive alterations.   If I had spoken to the bride in advance of the sale, I would have advised her not to purchase this gown, but rather one with no trim at the hemline, easily moved trim or located at least 6-8" above the front bottom of the skirt. 

There are times when you just can't find the right style, fabric or trim that you have hoped for all in one gown that you can afford.  Maybe you are a hard-to-fit shape or you want a silk gown that doesn't break your budget.  That's when you explore a custom-made gown.  I can work from a store-bought pattern just as it is, or I can alter the pattern to achieve what you want.  There are things to know, such as which fabrics will drape the way you want and which linings will give a gown body or soft lines.  I can show you samples of fabrics, cost out the gown for you, and you can then decide if this is what you want to do.  Having said that, I would also caution that sometimes a custom-made gown is more expensive than the designer gowns when discounted through Affordable Bridals, Inc.  I'll be happy to discuss my sewing background with anyone considering this option.