Wedding dress arrived - does not fit

[wannabehousebunny]

I have picked up my wedding dress and it does not fit at all.

I tried on a size 10 in the shop which was pinned perfectly but still quite big, especially around the bust. The bust being so big made the whole proportions of the dress a bit wrong but otherwise the dress was lovely.

As the fit was the only thing really holding be back from deciding on the dress straight away, I asked a lot of questions regarding the alterations and the shop assistant assured me that it could all be altered.

The dress has arrived now (I ordered a size 8 in the end) and although the waist fits a bit better the bust is still huge. I have taken the dress to the seamstress and she is not sure that she can make the dress fit perfectly as the changes needed are quite complicated due to the construction of the bust.

Has anyone else experienced this? The bridal shop was so convincing when saying the dress could be altered but when in reality the dress can only have the hem raised, the straps shortened and the side seams taken in. I feel a bit tricked into buying a dress that would never really fit me..

I haven't experienced it with a wedding dress but in looking for a prom dress with my DD, the (bridal) shop assistants in some places were exactly the same. Some of the dresses are really complex structures and whatever the style and the fit problem they'd get their clips out and say oh that's no problem at all the seamstress can fix that. I sew a lot so I know how dress construction works and there are some that I just know there's no way it could be fixed without taking the whole thing apart and resewing the entire dress.
Have you contacted the dress shop to tell them what's going on? See what they suggest to sort this out, they definitely shouldnt have told you it could be changed if it can't. How long is it until your wedding day?

In my experience bridal shops are so bloody pushy. Every dress I tried on the staff were all 'omg that looks amazing that's definitely the one!!!!' even when I looked like I was dressing up for a year 6 production of Cinderella.

Sorry I don't have any advice as to your specific situation, but you have my sympathies op.

I'd be wary of letting the seamstress do anything to it at all, and would be more inclined to take it back to the shop and tell them that your seamstress has said that the dress cannot be altered to fit you properly.

When is your wedding?

@Fernandina

I'd be wary of letting the seamstress do anything to it at all, and would be more inclined to take it back to the shop and tell them that your seamstress has said that the dress cannot be altered to fit you properly.

You should definitely do this first and see what they say. If you're going to have to alter the dress "best you can" you need to have at least looked at them reordering it for you first.

Don't wedding dress do the fittings and alternations?

Wedding dress shops

Get a better seamstress.
I am a bridal alts specialist seamstress. There are very few dresses that cannot be altered through the bust seam or by adding darts. There are quite a lot of seamstresses who are not sufficiently competent at bridal alts. It’s not the fault of the sales person that you chose a seamstress who isn’t confident in complex bridal alterations.

Can you post a pic of the dress or explain a bit more about the complex construction that’s preventing fitting?

I’m assuming if your dress has just had a first fit you are getting married in June so you will need to get calling and asking for seamstresses ASAP as most will be fully booked to around September by now.

Thank you all for your replies!

My wedding is in the end of July so still time although no time to have a new dress ordered.

I did give the shop a call but all they did was recommend another seamstress who they were sure could help.

I will get a second opinion but it does feel like they are just going to do the best they can. My seamstress was being honest straight away and admitted that it might not be perfect before she agreed to take it on so no alteration have been done yet. I might give up and try to sell the dress and take the hit.

Really unimpressed with the wedding dress industry as a whole. Pushy shop assistants and I'm not sure the quality of the dresses are really worth it for the price you pay, especially taking into consideration that none of the dresses fit when you get them! I guess the industry is based on the fact that it's a once in a lifetime purchase and we're happy to spend some money on it.

Thanks again for replying, I was worried I was being silly but it's clearly not just me who has had issues with this.

Something similar happened whenever I finally picked up my dress, I had been promised that it could be altered with very little fuss....cue sheer panic when the seamstress told me otherwise! It ended up being a MASSIVE job that took until the day before the wedding with the entire lace having to be unpicked by hand and then all sewn back on.

I would be wary even if a seamstress says they can do it, the cost in the complex alterations was over half the cost of the dress! At that late stage I was just so thankful she could do it but just a warning that the cost may not be worth it if you still have time to source an alternative

I thought so too. Where I went (albeit some years ago) they had an in house seamstress who was called in to say what she could and couldn't do before I parted with my money.

Thanks @NoCapesDarling It's nice to have some expert advice.
I will get a second opinion from another seamstress before I give up hope.
I will try to explain, the dress has a bit of ruching across the bust down to the waist but no lace. As I'm a bit short, the bust is just too long as well has too big. I think the bust curve needs altering as well as the width and the top of the bust need to be shortened otherwise it sits almost at my collarbone. The bust does have boning.

Ok, don’t give up hope! Do get a second opinion!

It sounds like the bodice needs shortening- does it have a waist seam?

Ruching is often a layer on top of the main structure of the dress so you can often alter the bust through the inside, then relay the top ruched fabric back over and add additional gathers to take in as needed. I do that both when taking in through the bust seam and if I am taking in bust darts. You may find that padded cups also help fill the dress and give a nicer line along the neckline.

It’s hard to know without seeing you in person in the dress, but it doesn’t sound impossible at all. Potentially expensive as a good seamstress will charge between £25-£50ph (but still less than a plumber!) and that’s not a quick take in and hem job. Hope that gives you hope.

Oh and boning is likely to be plastic so it can be removed, shortened and replaced.

Thanks @NoCapesDarling That does sound promising!

The dress does have a waist seam so maybe the bodice can be shortened that way as well as taking in the bust.

Fingers crossed and thanks for all the advice :)

I had a similar situation. Ordered a size 8 and thought it would be close to fitting. It fitted at the waist but came with cups and boning etc that I wasn't even close to filling. Clearly they make these dresses to fit people considerably more blessed than I am in that department.

Seamstress said she'd put a dart in the bust and when she pinned it totally changed the size and shape of the cup but she did warn me before doing it she could only take it so far with no guarantee it would sit perfectly flat against my virtually non-existent chest. She did an absolutely amazing job though - my dress was so big in every direction and now it looks like it was made for me. It's a little bit big in the bust still but you wouldn't know to look at it and it's nothing that some boob tape won't fix.

I was a bit disappointed in the dress shop though. I fell in love with the dress when they added some make shift straps and said it was an easy alteration to change straps, easy to match material etc. Seamstress disagreed about matching the material so felt a bit let down by that.

Seamstress worked wonders though and can't say how well my dress fits me now. Definitely get a second opinion. Good alterations and fit definitely make the dress!

Where did you find your seamstress - is she experienced with wedding/ occasion dresses? It seems obvious but some people go to a seamstress who just doesn't have the right experience and they may tell you it can't be done - you need to find a professional with a good amount of experience with wedding dresses, even if it costs a bit more.

If you go to an experienced professional and they still say it can't be done then the shop that originally sold you the dress is at fault, and have a responsibility to sort you out with something else that fits you properly.

You can probably quote consumer rights to be honest as it was sold to you knowing that it didn't fit and they promised it was alterable. Can they recommend a seamstress that can do what they said? If not then they have sold it you under false pretences.

I'm sure you'll get this sorted one way or another but I feel for you - what an annoying thing to happen a few months before your wedding :(