Doing Your Own Bridal Alterations
Rule 1 - Ignore the price tag
You know what you paid for this gown and it's probably way more precious to you than the actual price, but you have to put that out of your mind. The price doesn't matter - and dwelling on it will only make you nervous. It may be hard but think of it as just a big white dress.
Rule 2 - Double check before cutting.
Never cut off anything until you have tried on the dress. Check for the fit or drape, or even the way it feels. Once you cut fabric, it might not be able to be adjusted.
Rule 3 - The Basic Process
a) Try on dress and determine what to adjust.
b) remove decoration (beads, lace, etc.)
c) do the adjustment,
d) try it on, repeat a) through c) if necessary
e) trim and finish seams,
f) re-apply decoration.
Rule 4 - It's mostly about feeling
It's not so much about what you do to the dress, but how you feel about the fit. Feeling good is often more important than the technical fitting or sewing questions when it comes to bridal alterations. The technical issues of sewing construction are important but if you are not an experienced seamstress, you can still alter your own gown and look fabulous.
