ᐅ Wedding Dress Alterations in Toronto

As a general rule, it usually takes 4-6 weeks to alter a bridal gown, but it can vary depending on the service and how many dresses we have in our queue. For more complicated projects we might need more time, so you should aim to have your bridal alteration appointment at least six weeks before your wedding date.

Your wedding dress shouldn’t be a source of stress, so it is always better to allow enough time for your alterations, so remember to allow plenty of time for your wedding dress alterations!

It’s always a good idea to get your dress alteration done sooner rather than later to avoid any potential rush fees.

Ideally, three wedding fittings are enough to achieve the desired fit of your wedding dress, but of course, this depends on the bridal gown.

The number of fittings depends on the dress and whether you require basic tweaks or major remodeling & restyling. For plain wedding dresses, we usually need 2 fittings and for more complex gowns 3 fittings. Every Fitting session takes between 30 minutes to 1 hour.

The standard flow of wedding dress fittings is as follows:

• The first fitting is to take your measurements and discuss what you would like altered. The bridal dress is examined from all angles on you in order to find the alterations that should be done to fit in the bride’s unique figure. It is also the perfect opportunity to add special details or remodel your wedding gown. 
• The second fitting will be to make sure the alterations are correct and that the dress fits well. Our bridal seamstresses will make sure that we addressed all the concerns from the first fitting and will check for any outstanding tweaks that we have to make. We will also check that you can move around comfortably and that there’s no obvious wrinkling, bunching, or pulling of material. 
• The third fitting is for any final touch-ups. You will try your bridal gown on to make sure you’re 100% happy. If there aren’t any wrinkles or adjustments needed, you will take your wedding gown home!

When you come to your initial fitting appointment, there are several things you should bring with you. First of all, the shoes are essential in properly marking the hem.

Hair accessories, jewelry, sash, crowns, and undergarments you plan to wear (bra, cups, slip, corsets) on your special day, can also greatly impact the fit of your gown and will help you have a better idea of how everything looks together.

Our Tailor will do everything to make sure your gown fits perfectly, but you should also take a close look at the fit and how the fabric falls.

If something doesn’t feel right, speak up. Be direct about how you envision your gown looking and feeling. If there are any significant changes you want to make, such as adding illusion lace sleeves or altering the neckline, don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Finally, if you feel more comfortable bringing a member of the bridal party or your mother with you, then you are more than welcome to do so.

We all know that you need to find the perfect wedding dress for your big day. One that will flatter your curves, look gorgeous in photos and keep you cool on a hot summer’s day. But what happens when you go to try this gown on at home and it doesn’t fit properly or worse, needs some kind of alteration?

Some common wedding dress alterations we provide include shortening the hem, taking in/out on the hips and waist, removing or adding sleeves, train loop, bustling, button and shortening straps, taking in around the chest, adding a waist stay, and altering the neckline and back, adding darts or replacing the zipper.

Here are the descriptions of the alterations every bride should be prepared for…

1) Sleeve shortening/lengthening: Depending on how narrow or wide your arms are, sleeves can be altered (shortened or lengthened) accordingly. Did you know that most bridal shops cut dresses with built-in ease? So they’re made 2 inches bigger than your measurements to ensure a good fit.

2) Waistline alteration: To get that waist-train or princess cut effect, your dress will have to be taken in at the side seams. But don’t worry if your dress is made too tight for comfort! Your seamstress can also remove fabric from the front of the dress so you’ll still have plenty of room to breathe.

3) Bust alteration: Wedding dresses are often designed with built-in cups or padding, but many girls need more support than this provides. If it’s simply not enough, our tailor can always add an extra layer underneath using boning and/or heavy interfacing to create the desired shape for you.

4) Hips alteration: This is a tricky one as you should try and keep your hips looking as natural as possible. But if there’s too much fabric hanging off the side seams, it can be taken in so that nothing looks out of place.

5) Hem alteration: This is probably the most common alteration. Wedding dress hemming will depend on your dress and shoes, but the length should always allow you to walk comfortably rather than having to shuffle along. If this isn’t the case, your seamstress can lower or raise the hemline accordingly by folding it over at regular intervals.

If your hemline has been taken up or down too much, you can always have it re-hemmed. Your tailor will then need to unpick the original stitching and hand stitch a new hem into place. This is not only useful for uneven hems but also if the fabric has started to fray in certain areas.

6) Train alteration: A wedding gown train can be altered depending on how far down you want it to the trail – may be only around 2 inches – or it might need its base shortened or completely removed.

7) Side seam alteration: If a dart has been sewn into the side seams, it can be taken out to create a looser fit – especially if you have a small bust – or moved further up if there’s too much material at the waist. This is also useful for getting rid of bulges around your middle as darted areas will typically sit flat against your body and smooth out any bumps.

8) Shoulder strap adjustment: If they’re digging in under your armpits due to buckles that are too loose, find those straps and loosen those buckles slightly. Also, notice how high those shoulder straps sit and whether they need to be adjusted so that they don’t slip off your shoulders.

9) Altering the neckline: One of our popular services that can make a huge impact is neckline alteration and we can have the neckline opened or closed.

10) Adding or removing straps/sleeves: If you want more coverage on your arms, adding sleeves can be a great solution!

11) Narrowing or widening the skirt. This is another difficult alteration that requires a lot of experience. 

In addition to the common bridal alterations, we can also take over projects that require a particular level of tailoring skills and level of expertise to restyle or remodel completely a wedding dress.

Our skilled team of bridal dress tailors is well-known for its exceptional craftsmanship. If your wedding dress, or any formal occasion dress, doesn’t fit you perfectly, our seamstresses will skillfully alter it so it does. We handle all kinds of adjustments, including adding sleeves to strapless gowns, shortening dresses, taking in waists and hips, and more!

To make the bridal alterations process easier, we provide a FREE consultation with our wedding dress tailor.

Our goal is to achieve the perfect result and our dress tailor will help you decide which adjustments will work best without compromising the style of your dress. All the Gowns are constructed differently, and some styles and materials are just naturally easier to alter than others.

There are also many parts on the dress, so altering one may affect another part and that is why it is hard to give you an estimated price, only by looking at the photos.

From our experience working with bridal stores, our prices are on average 20-40% lower, as we do all the bridal alterations in our shop in Toronto, without outsourcing the projects.

Find the starting Prices for ALL the bridal alteration services we provide to our clients in Toronto, on our website, or book a free consultation so we can see the dress on you and provide you with the final price.

For brides who ordered their wedding dress online and received it a little later, we do offer Rush Fittings & Alteration, but we need the bride to be extremely flexible with availability for fittings.

We need to see the wedding gown first on you and find all the alterations that should be done. If the alteration is possible, then the alterations may be subject to a rush fee.

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