For many women, their wedding dress is the first (and possibly last) article of clothing they ever get professionally tailored.

To help you navigate these potentially uncharted waters, we’ve broken down 6 common types of fit issues you might experience with your wedding dress.

1. Hem Length

Most wedding dresses are created extra-long to accommodate taller brides. Depending on your own height and the height of your wedding shoes, it’s likely you’ll need to have your hem shortened to the perfect, floor-grazing length. 

2. Strap or Sleeve Length

The straps of most dresses also tend to be made longer than many brides will need. If your dress has straps, there’s a chance they’ll need to be taken in. 

The same goes for dresses with sleeves, which may need to be adjusted to the perfect length. These dresses can face the same issues as strapped ones, too, and may also need to be taken in at the shoulder. 

3. Bust, Waist, and Hip

Unless you’re one really lucky woman, we bet at least one of either your bust, waist, or hip measurements will differ from the cookie-cutter sample dress. It’s generally easier to take a seam in than let it out, so we recommend buying your dress to fit the largest of your personal measurements. 

4. Structure Changes

If your dress doesn’t already have built-in bra cups in your size, they’re easy to add. This can give you one less thing to worry about if you don’t want to buy undergarments just for your dress.

Adding support like boning or a waist stay, for example, is another common way to help your dress fit perfectly all day and night long. 

5. Altering the Neckline 

A dress’s neckline can make or break the look of your dress, and making the neckline sexier or more modest to fit your own style is a common and generally easy alteration.  

6. Design Changes

If you tried on more wedding dresses than you’d care to admit but still didn’t find exactly the right one, it’s possible to alter a similar dress to add lace, beading, sleeves, buttons or whatever else it takes to make it the perfect dress for you.

Most women have their wedding dress altered in some way, and this doesn’t have to be a scary task. Our expert design and alterations team at Vanya Designs is here to help your dress look like it was made just for you. After all, you deserve to look and feel your absolute best on what could be the best day of your life. 

February 15, 2023