Alterations, Customization and the Perfect Gown

Alterations are a fact of life when it comes to bridal gowns. Yes, the stylist will measure you (bust, waist, hips and hem-to-waist-to-hollow-to-hem) and often – if you are ordering a couture gown – the gown will be made for you, based on those specific measurements. But even then, when the gown comes in, you very likely will need to have at least minimal alterations made to your gown. You want it to fit like a glove, after all, so a little nip here and tuck there and raising of the hemline may be in order to accomplish that. The areas you can expect to make some tweaks include the hem, sides, bustle and possibly adding cups.

While alterations are necessary for nearly every gown and are simply intended to create the perfect fit of the gown you ordered after trying on a sample, customizations are a totally different thing. Customizations allow you to create a unique, one-of-a-kind gown, based on in-store samples. Say you find a strapless gown you love but you didn’t actually want strapless. Customization will allow you to add straps or sleeves. Maybe you like a gown with some peekaboo panels but there’s a little bit too much peekaboo going on for your taste; you can add appliques or more opaque material to cover a little more skin. Make a straight strapless neckline into a sweetheart neckline. Add a longer train or eliminate a train altogether. The possibilities are endless!

Many of the designers we work with will actually do customizations as they create your gown. But for those who don’t, you can simply have the customization done in tandem with your alterations after the gown arrives from the designer. A reputable seamstress should be able to make such customizations.

Here is an example of a gown that we customized to perfectly meet the needs of one of our beautiful brides, Rebecca.

photos: The Three

She fell in love with a strapless masterpiece, style 1458 from Eve of Milady. But the catch was that she didn’t want a strapless wedding gown.

The Eve of Milady "starting point" gown.

She found a beautiful lace bolero by another of our designers, Birnbaum and Bullock, which she originally intended to just wear over her gown all evening.

Lace bolero by Birnbaum & Bullock

But our genius team of skilled seamstresses came up with the ultimate solution: attach the jacket to the gown to create a sleeved style dress! Our alterations/customization whizzes outdid themselves by splitting the bolero down the back, adding loops and buttons down the back of the jacket in line with the gown’s and incorporating the bolero into the gown to create a gorgeously cohesive gown flawlessly suited to lovely Rebecca and her wedding dress dreams. The stunning finished creation:

photos: The Three

photos: The Three

photos: The Three

Another, more famous, example of a gown we helped customize was the fabulous St. Pucchi worn by Mrs. Tony Romo, Candice Crawford! This customization was executed at the designer level, but Candice worked closely with our team to ensure the gown was created exactly as she envisioned. We started with St. Pucchi 9264, added a keyhole back similar to the one in style 9352, made the plunging neckline a little more modest and added more appliques, crystals and feathers, giving the skirt additional texture and interest. The result was simply stunning!

photos: Karlisch Weddings

Two different St. Pucchi gowns were the inspiration for Ms. Crawford's gown vision.

So, when you think you’ve found THE GOWN, but there’s something (big or small) that you might like to add, change, omit, alter – whatever – just ask! Our stylists are experts in knowing which designers are flexible with their designs and also what our incredible alterations staff is capable of customizing. We truly do all that we can do ensure our brides have the exact bridal gown of their dreams!