Fitting Do's and Don't's

added May 2009

Hi Leanna,

The First Fitting- Alterations

Just like any new customer you meet for the first time you want to show a bride that you expected her and are ready to give her your attention. I usually try to stop whatever project I'm working on about 10 minutes before her expected arrival and place out the things I will need for the fitting. These include a box of pins, mirror, invoice, price list and my special Bridal labor form. The price list is to let her know that I am not just picking dollar amounts out of the air perhaps charging her more because of the car she came in. The Bridal form is handy because it gives me more room to write down descriptions of tasks than the invoice doesn't have space for, that's just for price listing.

One of the most important things I feel you can do at the first fitting is to take a little time out while she unveils the gown. Look it over admiringly and mention some aspect that you find unique or lovely. That may become hard to do once you've seen hundreds of gowns and they all start looking alike, but there is always something special about each, if only that it is special to your bride. So find something nice to say. "What lovely beadwork", "This fabric is gorgeous", "What a unique design" or if there's no decoration, "Simplicity is so elegant, don't you think?" (Which I actually believe anyway.) You get the idea.

Carry this attitude through the fitting. The gown will have problems, that's why she is there, but do not criticize the gown itself or your bride's body. The bride is going to be self conscious anyway, and may even criticize her figure herself.. To the best of your ability keep your statements positive. Instead of saying, "The bodice is too big." You can say, "A little nip here in the side seam will give you a lovely waistline." This will help her to see that even though her figure isn't perfect, she can still look like a princess on her wedding day.

The other important thing I try to do at the first fitting is to not overwhelm the bride. You do want to give her a complete estimate of the things the dress needs but you do not want to handle each item in detail. Do the basic bodice pinning and then simply list the other items the dress will need and prices and tell her these items will be taken care of once the bodice is fitting comfortably. This will also set a precedence for future fitting sessions for as the wedding date nears the bride may get more emotional about every little thing. If you have already taken control over how and when things will be done, it will be easier to defuse a difficult session by simply ending it with the reason that the work pinned has to be done before any more can be properly pinned.

An article written for the June 1998 issue of Tangled Threads

Second fittings are usually not as tense as first fittings but there are many pitfalls that can be avoided if you are prepared. At the first fitting you set an atmosphere of comfort that the bride should remember when she arrives for her second fitting. This will be of immeasurable worth to this session and any others that are needed. So the bride's initial nervousness of the first session should now be replaced with trust and instead of worrying about everything she has to accomplish, she should be anticipating a problem free appointment that will make her feel like she is truly accomplishing something.

The first thing she will be concerned about is to see how the work you've done so far is coming. She puts on the dress and first checks how it looks. She may start criticizing that it is not tight enough because she needs to have a gorgeous figure on her special day. The younger the bride the more likely she will be to want her dress tighter than it really ought to be. You do need to try to explain that this will stress the zipper and all the seams, but she may ignore your warnings. Here is when you have to decide that fine line between the old adage that the customer is always right and your responsibility to impart professional, quality work.

This is very difficult. Sometimes pinning the dress tighter and not telling her you do not intend to resew the seam may work. It may also only gain you the same argument at the third fitting. Usually the best thing to do is to tighten the seam and reinforce it as best you can. You may also make her sign a waver stating that you advised her against this. But usually, if you have gained her trust, she will listen to your advice if you give it in a way that lets her make the choice.

As a rule, I simple do as the bride asks. I avoid any squabbling over how the dress should look. I do often ask, "How do you feel?", to get her mind off her "looks" and thinking about comfort. I also say, "It's important that you feel good in the dress for it to make you look good."

Comfort is also important because she is going to be in this dress for many hours. She has to be able to dance, hug, eat and sit. Explaining that comfort is the most important factor when you think of all the activities she will be doing, will make her less likely to ask for unreasonable changes.

You attitude is key here. If you start feeling nervous at her unreasonable requests, she will pick up on it and be even more unreasonable. She may not realize she is doing it either. You need to stay calm no matter what and explain things to her. Your calmness will also rub off on her and will help you both to do what is best for the dress.