It’s no wonder why summer weddings are so popular – it’s a particularly romantic season. Long, cool summer nights full of dancing, laughter with friends and family, sparklers and fireflies on the breeze. Plus, with ample sun, nice weather, outdoor locales, brides, grooms, and guests alike have more options for what they can wear while still being comfortable.
No matter what bridal dresses for summer weddings you buy, alterations are necessary to help the bride look and feel her very best. Typically, off-the-rack gowns are not exactly fitted to your measurements – and even if you’ve purchased a custom-made gown, it’s possible for your measurements to change in the months before you tie the knot.
Alterations can be simple procedures to make your bridal dress fit better without changing the “look” of your dress, but they can also be a fun way to make your off-the-dress rack “unique,” too!
When to get bridal gown alterations?
When you’re scheduling your wedding alterations, you have to hit a timing sweet spot, with your first fitting falling 2-3 months before the wedding and one or two more fittings following that. Brides may find their dress more than a year in advance of their wedding, but their bodies may change enough in this time to alter the fit of their dress. However, it’s also important to leave enough time for your tailor to actually finish the job.
How to alter a bridal gown?
Brides usually get their gowns altered by in-house tailors at the bridal boutique with which they purchased the dress or by a third party tailor. These tailors can change the fit of the gown using your detailed measurements and they can add or remove design features to suit your liking, including lace appliques, sleeves, buttons, beading, and more.
Thrifty brides may attempt to alter their own gowns, but this isn’t recommended for anyone other than a highly skilled sewist. Wedding dresses are often made with extremely delicate details that require precise sewing skills, and even minor messups can potentially ruin a dress that cost thousands of dollars.
How long do wedding gown alterations take?
The length of the wedding gown alteration process can depend on a number of extremely variable factors, including the intricacy of the dress (is there a lot of beading? Boning? Small details?), the skill of the tailor, the amount of alteration that has to be done, the measurement fluctuation of the client, and more. One set of alterations can take anywhere from two months to two weeks, though it’s often recommended that brides get more than one fitting done to ensure the most accurate possible sizing.
Bridal alteration ideas for a summer wedding
Wedding gown alterations aren’t just meant for fitting your dress to your body – they can also be a way for you to create the dress of your dreams from scratch. Here are our favorite ways to alter bridal dresses for a summer wedding:
Change up the neckline on your bridal reception dress
You made it through the tears, the kisses, and the cheers of the ceremony – now it’s time to party, and you’ve got to make sure you look and feel good while doing it. At your fitting, you may want to ask your sewist to alter the neckline of your bridal reception dress depending on your needs. Lower necklines can be flattering, cooling, and look great while you’re in “party mode,” while some brides may opt for a higher neckline that gives them a bit more security as they dance the night away.
Turn an ordinary bridal jumpsuit into a chic strapless statement
Summer weddings sometimes have a more laid-back energy than weddings in other seasons – sure, there’s the occasional extravagant destination wedding, but more often you see the weekend at the lakeside or, for something even more laid-back, the no-frills ceremony in the bride’s backyard. This can mean more “casual” dress codes, even for brides or grooms. For brides who want to opt for an edgy-but-casual look this summer, choose a bridal jumpsuit and then ask your tailor if they can make it strapless.
Beach-ify your lace dress with flowy off-the-shoulder sleeves
Lace dresses are always in vogue, but higher temperatures are perfect for dresses that make use of beachy sheer fabrics like mesh, tulle, and lace. You can seal the deal and reach your full mermaid glamour by asking your tailor to add off-the-shoulder sleeves. Bonus points if they’re flowy – your guests might actually mistake your for a siren.
Make your short bridal dresses even cuter with sleeves
Short bridal dresses are obviously perfect for summer weddings – with a shorter hemline, you can stay cool, dance all night, and never break a sweat. Awesome. Adding delicates sleeves can “dress up” shorter gowns for brides who might be worried about appearing too casual. We’re fond of lace sleeves and puff sleeves for that gauzy, romantic look.
Lower the back to stay cool (and look smoking)
Low-back dresses are perfect for summer brides (hello sunkissed skin!), but it does sometimes happen that your dream dress is perfect in the front and lacking in the back. Not to worry – with some alterations, your tailor can lower the back of your dress and help you look and feel your very best.
Customize bridal robes with beads and cute lace appliques
Alterations don’t have to stop with your gowns! Tailors can alter your bridal robes, too, to match your personality by adding lace appliques, beads, bling, and other accessorization to your robe.
Looking for bridal dress alterations near Memorial Area?
If you’re looking for reliable tailors to help you in advance of your summer wedding, Memorial Tailors has you covered. We’re a team of two highly experienced tailors who take pride in all of our work, from simple fit alterations to more complex customizations. We are experienced in all types of fabrics, embellishments, dress shapes, and body types, and we are confident that we can work with you to create the dress of your dreams for your special day.