Meet Me at the Alter|ations: Jessica

"Meet Me at the Alter|ations" will be a series dedicated to bridal alterations commissions completed by Syreeta C.

Today's bride is Jessica!

She came to me for an alterations consultation to determine what tasks would help tailor her gown to perfection. (It's okay if you're not certain in advance of your appointment. Schedule a time to bring it by and we can discuss options!) It was a decent overall fit off-the-rack but we knew it needed to be taken in a little + a few other nips and tucks. This is fairly common for full body looks of any type, as most women aren't a uniform size from top-to-bottom. Depending on the gown silhouette, it's best to have a well-versed and well-meaning professional size you appropriately. This can sometimes be tough, because many salespeople do not sew and are only trained to follow a size chart. Ask those questions to make sure! (Alterations affect the proportion of garments and sometimes you can only do so much and still be able to fit the pieces back together.)

Like most bridal alterations, the work begun with lifting the lace and removing beadwork that would impede the path of the sewing machine. Because her back neckline was plunge, we also shortened the length to lay flatter against her back.

One of the biggest non-standard alterations was in the bust. Jessica's gown bodice was sheer and the cups were an awful nude that did not match her skin tone, thus making them prominent and distracting. I was able to remove and recover them with a fabric closer to her shade and they blended so much better under the lace! Jessica and I also elected to trim down the front mesh for a more flattering neckline.

Lastly, we had a conversation about fullness. This is common because we love the drama of full skirts and hems that we see in imagery around us. The most cost-effective and non-invasive way to achieve this? Petticoat! As long as it’s not visible through the gown fabric or too long and sticking out of them hem, there are tons of options for petticoats to add volume to a dress.

In the end, a combination of standard and non-traditional revisions elevated this bridal look superbly!