BRIDAL AND SPECIAL OCCASION DRESS ADVICE

“Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments”
Rose Kennedy

Planning a wedding or any special occasion is certainly no easy task. Your to do list is bursting with tasks like finding a venue, catering company, a perfect dress, shoes, flowers, music and more. To make your life a bit easier, we’ve put together some information on dresses and dress alterations.

Dress silhouettes

Ball gown: It consists of a fitted bodice and waistline with a full skirt. It is supported by a crinoline made out of layers and layers of netting. Great for those who wants to have a princess look or is trying to hide the lower part of their body.

A-line: It is called A-line because the skirt is in the shape of an "A." Not suitable for petite plus figures.
Empire: This type of dress has a high waistline right under the bust with a narrower skirt. It is great for slim figures. Sometimes, the skirt is gathered which is perfect if person is pregnant.
Sheath: It has a slim bodice and a skirt.
Mermaid: The mermaid-style gown is formfitting and flares from the knees down. It is hard to dance and walk in.

Fabrics

Crepe: A mostly plain-weave light soft fabric of silk, cotton, wool, or another fiber, usually with a crinkled or puckered surface. It comes in different weights and commonly used for dresses of all types. It is a perfect choice of fabric for a semi-formal special occasion.
Satin-Backed Crepe: This fabric has a shiny smooth satin on one side and a matte crepe on the other. It drapes beautifully, but we find that the crepe side snags too easy.
Satin: This fabric is ideal for lingerie, lightweight gowns. It will hug your body and show everything. Most of the sexy red-carpet style dresses are made out of this fabric.
Bridal Satin: It is very smooth, medium weight and shiny fabric mostly used on bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses. It holds its shape and shine better than crepe or regular satin even after dry-cleaning. It may be used on its own or as a soft base layer under another sheer fabric.
Taffeta: It is an excellent choice for a prom or an evening gown. It comes in variety of colours and shades when looked at from different angles. It is a medium weight fabric, keeps its shape and easy to care. Don’t dry-clean before the occasion, as it loses its shape and the shine easier than the bridal satin but not as bad as a satin-backed crepe.
Chiffon: Chiffon is light and sheer. It is ideal for use as an overlay on a gown or as a stole or a scarf. It is available in many colours. It flows better than organza.
Organza: Another option for sheer coverage is organza. Organza has much more body than chiffon. It is also used for overlays on gown and for wraps or stoles where a little more volume is desired. Most of organza fabrics are made so you can see different shades from different angles. You can think of organza as fun and chiffon – elegant fabric.
Georgette: It is almost the same as chiffon but heavier weight and not sheer. It can be used on its own with lining underneath or as overlay.
Silk: Silk is a classic fashion fabric. No other fabric can match the rich lustre, colour and lightweight crispness of this fabric. Again, don’t dry-clean before the occasion. It doesn’t hold beads and sequences as good as bridal satin, that’s why most of the silk dresses are fairly plain (not in a bad way)
Bridal Tulle: Tulle is a ball gown basic. It can be layered over a skirt of a ball gown or used layered under to create volume as a crinoline. Comes in variety of colours and holds its shape. It rips very easy, so be careful.
Lace: Lace is used as an overlay or as appliqué pieces. Commonly used on bridal or prom dresses. Together with beads and sequences creates an elegant Victorian look. Great choice if you are trying to hide some imperfections.
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Undergarments

Bustier: Some brides with larger bust sizes or opposite-too small might have to choose a bustier. They work under gowns with heavily embellished bodices. A safer bet is to pick a very smooth microfiber bustier with no visible boning.
Sew-on bra cups: If your dress cannot be worn with a bustier, try sew-on bra cups. Your seamstress or you yourself should be able to tack them in place.
Stick-on or silicone bust cups: They are a great alternative to sew-on cups. Use high quality stick-on bra cups to avoid skin irritation. Be sure that they are reusable, because you will need it not only for your wedding day, but for your bridal gown fittings as well.
Panties: If you are wearing a ball gown selecting undergarments for the lower half of your body is a piece of cake. If you’ve chosen form-fitted satin or sheer dress, you might have to try different options.
Seamless panties: Very smooth microfiber panties with no visible seams and elastics.
Shaping panties: The same is seamless panties but with better support, this type of panties are more expensive to buy but in some cases can be a worthwhile investment.
Mid-thigh shaping panties: Under some dresses, the best option is a longer smoothing garment that comes down to the mid-thigh. You won’t have to worry about the edges of your underwear.
Crinoline or petticoats: If your skirt is full but doesn’t seem to hold its shape as much as you want, you might want to buy or rent a crinoline - an underskirt made out of several layers of netting, tulle and cotton or polyester lining. Usually, bridal stores in your area will carry some or try looking online.

Bridal and special occasion dress alterations

70% of bridal and special occasion dresses require some type of adjustment. That’s not because they are doing such a bad job making those dresses. It is because all human beings are unique. Just taking your measurements in the store isn’t enough to build a perfect dress. A tailor on the other end, which is more likely overseas, doesn’t see you, doesn’t have any idea how you look or can’t call you for fittings. An average beaded prom gown takes about 120-160 hours to make. Making such a dress in developed country with all the fittings will cost an average of $1200-$1600 plus about $300 for fabric and taxes, which makes it unaffordable for an average consumer. Buying a prom gown for $500-$800 from the store and spending $80-$100 on alterations isn’t all that bad after all. Of course, you can do your own alterations or ask your mom or grandma as long as they have some sewing experience. As far as bridal alterations, please, be careful. Not every mom or grandma or even seamstress can do bridal alterations. Be sure to find a professional seamstress that does bridal alterations even if you have to travel for fittings.

Call bridal stores in your area and ask if they can recommend anyone. Ask your friends and family members if they know a professional seamstress.

Make an appointment. If you still don’t feel comfortable about something, politely, find an excuse to walk away before any changes are made. Unfortunately, once dress is taken apart and some work is done, it is harder to back out of the deal. Be aware that not all seamstresses are eager to work on a dress when somebody has done some changes to it.

Make sure to bring your undergarments and shoes to all fittings. Slight difference in height of your shoes or support level of your bustier will make a difference.

Please, don’t bring too many people with you for fittings as there will be too many opinions and no one to blame but a seamstress and yourself at the end.

Please, arrange a babysitter, if you have children. Trying a bridal gown and dealing with a crying baby will be too stressful for everyone.

If you are trying to cut on alteration costs, choose a dress that has as little as beads, sequences, appliqué as possible. Also, sheer fabrics like organza and chiffon are harder to work with.

Bustle

Bustling a dress is a way of adding ties, hooks or buttons to make a long train of the dress to stay temporary up for dancing or walking. It should be done so it looks good yet strong enough to hold the weight of the train. If it is a small train, you can try doing it yourself. The longer the train, more difficult it gets. A good bustle is the one that blends with the dress.

Overbustle: Buttons or hooks are sewing at the bottom of the bodice. Loops are carefully positioned on the right side of the skirt. When bustled, it should look like a ball gown. It is ideal for soft flowing trains.

Tufted bustle: Hooks get sewn at the tufts behind the appliqués. Can be picked up at any point: waist or halfway from the floor.

French bustle: or underbustle. Ties are sewn under the skirt. They are carefully positioned, so when the dress is bustled, everything is picked up off the ground. It is perfect for long and bulky trains. The longer the train, the more pick up points should be.

Austrian bustle: It is done exactly how we would make shades. Little rings are sewn under the skirt. String is pulled through. Not our favourite.

English bustle: It is done exactly the same way as overbustle, except not as high, about half way from the floor to the waist. Works good on sheer fabrics.

Taking care of your dress

If you don’t have to, don’t dry-clean your new dress before the occasion. Dry-cleaning dulls the brightness of the dress and softens the fabric. Please, don’t try pressing it yourself, especially your wedding dress. Bridal stores usually offer free steaming for dresses they sell. If you bought your dress online or somewhere else, call your local bridal store and see if they will steam yours for a fee. If not, try calling your friends and family and see if they own a steamer. Smaller dresses like some evening gowns or bridesmaid dresses can be steamed in the shower rooms. For destination weddings, ask your agent ahead if they provide this kind of service. If not, investing into a travel steamer might be a good idea.

After the occasion is over, you might want to preserve your bridal gown. After all, your wedding dress is one of the most important garments of your life. Other dresses can be simply dry-cleaned and put away. Many other occasions will come when you will get a chance to wear it again. Consider taking it to a seamstress to remodel it a bit for an updated look. Sometimes, adding different coloured sash, making a dress shorter, adding straps, removing sleeves will make a big difference.

P.S. These are only guidelines gathered from experience, research and intended as information only. Please, use it at your own risk. Uptown Sewing. 2010