13 Ways: How to Alter a Wedding Dress Yourself

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR WEDDING DRESS IS SMALL?

1. DETERMINING THE ALTERATIONS

Before the big day, it would be best if you could wear the wedding dress and add the heels you wish to wear on that day. This will give you insights about the hem. The heel height will not only after the length of the hem but also show your posture in the wedding dress. Make sure you check the bust and waist to see fit they fit well.  Check the hem to see if the dress need to be shortened or lengthened. It is important to write down all the changes. There are also many creative things to do with a wedding dress if you are searching for one.

It is paramount for you to take off the take and put it inside out, wear the wedding dress back and check the bust and waist to see if it fits or needs altering wedding dress. This part of the wedding dress should fit perfectly without the feeling of tightness or too loose.

2. SHORTENING THE HEM

Most wedding hem are often made to be long if you are short, you will need to shorten the hem. Sometimes wedding dress streamstress might not get the right fitting on your wedding dress either make it too tight or free. Hemming a wedding dress is not something easy to do because you are looking for a way to make the wedding dress fit and not otherwise. If you are not careful with the hem, you might mistakenly cut the right portion which could jeopardize the beauty of the wedding dress.

3. MARKING THE ALTERATIONS

You have to gently pull both sides of the cloth and try to avoid stain or getting torn. Mark the line of new seams you plan to add or remove using straight pins. It will be best to avoid getting pricked while you work. Whatever you do on the one side must be done on the other one. This is to make sure that the middle section of the dress aligned with the rest of the dress. To draw a marking, using a piece of tailor’s chalk to mark the seam line you have already use straight pins to locate. You need to carefully take out the pins of the fabric. Then the bride or bride maids will have to take off the wedding dress again to see if it fits or need more adjustments.

4. REMOVING EXISTING SEAM

You might want to remove existing seam previously by the wedding gown seamstress. It is advisable to use a seam ripper and gently remove the stitches from an existing seam. You have to be careful on how you handle the fabric to prevent any permanent damage on it. Also, it is compulsory that your fingers are free and clean from any pebble to prevent any smudges on the dress.

5. SEWING THE NEW SEAMS

Sewing your own wedding dressing or adjusting the seam might be a problem, the moment you are able to remove existing seam. Line up the chalk and mark the seam lines, you have to join the seam again with the aid of straight pins. Remember that, when you are sewing the new seam, it is best that you have the right thread to match the exact color and also the weight of the thread used on the new dress. If you are using a sewing machine, it will be best to place the needle under the machine.

You need to be careful when resewing the seams. You can use the seam line and the straight pins to get the perfect line to sew. You can remove the straight pins when resewing.

6. FINISHING THE SEAMS

To finish your tailored wedding  dress,  you need to turn the wedding gown in order for the outside and inside of the dress can perfect face the right ways. You have to put the gown back on again. The wedding dress should fit perfectly. You need to take off the dress and turn it inside out, if you notice that the dress have more than one half inch removed from the normal size, trimming the seam fabric to fit the wedding dress is important. If you noticed that there is not one half inch removed, leave the seam.

Moreover, the seam allowance should always be flat. This is the part where most people find very difficult to get. If you feel like the fabric should be steamed flat, do it and make your wedding dress look great. Note, if you are using pressing iron for steaming be careful not to burn the fabric because the whole dress will be ruined. It is advisable not to put a hot pressing iron on the fabric of a wedding dress. Always make sure that you placed a linen towel between the pressing iron and the wedding dress.

BENEFITS OF ADDING LACE TO WEDDING DRESS

Many women often associate lace with grannies and think it is over of vogue. But sometimes most ladies do change their minds whenever they are at the clothing store during their shopping spree for wedding dress. These are the reasons why lace is important in wedding dress;

7. LACE IS BRIDAL

Lace is always beautiful and always add elegance to whoever wears it. The classy and girly looks are the qualities brides look for in a wedding dress. A lace wedding grace is always graceful. This characteristic makes it works for any type of wedding dress.

8. LACE IS FLATTERING

Lace skins neatly and perfectly over the lumps and bumps of fabrics. Lace is always attractive to the eyes, it can add bulk to skinny ladies who want to look busty in the wedding dress if a larger pattern is used on the wedding dress.

9. LACE IS TIMELESS

You can always choose from the wide variety of available lace patterns and styles. A lace wedding dress can have a different appearance either vintage modern, it depends on the type of wedding dress you want. A lot of bride still wear lace as wedding dress for many years and lace is still in fashion every year.

10. LACE IS VERSATILE

It is not always necessary that you use a complete lace as a wedding dress, you add the lace on the wedding dress as minor details. A lace used on top of silk gown is now popular nowadays, as delicate as lace sleeves are on wedding, people still add it on a silk dress. Lace details can be added anywhere on the silk gown either on the train, waist, around the hem of the dress or veil. You can also use lace as either jacket or shrug.

11. LACE ADDS TEXTURE

Lace will always add depth and texture. The whole plain white can be very added to customize or add extra features but lace wedding dress can easily be customized, the style or materials separate lace from other wedding dress. The additional texture and style lace do add to wedding dress makes it more unique than other clothing materials, the color and texture is what people do look for in lace and that is why the cost of it while altering wedding dressing is expensive.

12. LACE LOOKS EXPENSIVE

Whatever you choose for your wedding dress is great but using simple details, this extra touch of luxury to your wedding dress to make it look expensive. Lace details on simple wedding dress is a great way to make it look expensive. The more people use lace on their wedding dress the more popular lace become, it doesn’t matter whether you are rich or poor but you can always use lace as a means of luxury on your wedding day.

13. LACE MAKES A GREAT THEME

If you are choosing a simple design lace for your wedding dress or a vintage theme, it doesn’t matter as long as your wedding dress fit well with lace. You can use lace as wedding decorations or floral arrangements or add extra elegance to your wedding stationery. You can use lace on your wedding day apart from a wedding dress, it all depend on how well you plan your wedding and how the decorators can think. It is not always necessary that lace can only be used on a wedding dress only but can be used on other things.

AVERAGE COST FOR WEDDING DRESS ALTERATIONS

Wedding dress alterations on average cost between $150 and $600. But if you are customizing your wedding gown through a seamstress, it might be up to $1,000. Some alterations companies might charge you a flat rate while other seamstresses could charge per alteration needed.

The amount of money need to alter your wedding dress all depends on the work done. If the wedding dress alteration is a simple one, the fee might not be as costly as a complex alteration.

But, the more complex the wedding gown, the more money you have to pay. Adding lace, neckline or strap and embellishments are often costly. Some customization does need additional cost, it is up to you and the seamstress to decide on the type of alteration needed and how much it will cost.

FAQ

1. CAN I ALTER MY WEDDING DRESS MYSELF?

Once you have decided on the type of wedding gown to use on your wedding day, you will need a few dress alterations to make it look perfect and fit. If your wedding dress is simple, it might be easy for you to make the alterations yourself or ask for help from anyone that has an idea on how to do alteration.

2. IS IT HARD TO ALTER A WEDDING DRESS?

You can actually adjust a wedding dress by yourself but if you are picking a complex wedding dress for your wedding, altering it alone might be very hard but if you ask for the help of a professional seamstress to alter the dress if it is too small. Wedding dress seams should always be let out by an inch or two.

3. How do you fix a wedding dress that is too big?

If you noticed that your wedding is too big and won’t fit on your body. There are a lot of brands of online or seamstresses that can fix wedding dress if it is too big for you. Your friends or family can also help you to alter your wedding dress.

4. HOW MUCH SHOULD BRIDAL ALTERATIONS COST?

Wedding dress alterations on average cost between $150 and $600. But if you are customizing your wedding gown through a seamstress, it might be up to $1,000. Some alterations companies might charge you a flat rate while other seamstresses could charge per alteration needed.