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Narrowing your wedding dress choices down to "the one" is just one piece of the puzzle. Next comes the alterations, which many brides forget to plan for in their budgets. Alterations and dress fittings are inevitable if you want your dress to fit your body perfectly. So, to make your fittings run as smoothly as possible, check out these 6 things brides often forget to do or bring.
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The shoes. By the time your wedding dress fitting rolls around, you should have your shoes picked out so your seamstress knows how much to hem your dress. If you don't, at least come with an estimate of how high you envision your potential shoes. Many brides also forget about their dress length if they change shoes or take them off during the reception. "If, after the wedding ceremony, the bride takes her high-heeled shoes off and puts on flats for the reception, the hem will drag and she will trip," says Mary Ruth Cherry, bridal consultant at Rebecca's Wedding Boutique. Make sure you stick to one pair of shoes for the sake of your hem.
Undergarments. Cherry says that most dresses come with built-in cups, especially gowns with low or illusion backs, so don't worry about dragging out your strapless bra. Instead, she recommends bringing shapewear like Spanx, but it's up to the bride.
An heirloom piece. Many brides incorporate pieces of their relatives' wedding dresses or jewelry into their own looks. You might not want to be caght dead in your grandmother's wedding dress, but you can still make her dress a part of your ensemble by sewing a piece of it onto the interior of yours. If you plan to do this, don't forget to bring material to your dress fitting.
The cost. Many brides might have to undergo extensive—not to mention expensive—unforseen alterations to ensure that their dress fits like a charm. Although you won't know how much tailoring your dress might need from the get-go, set aside a few hundred dollars for this expense just in case.
Pressing the dress. According to Cherry, most seamstresses don't press wedding dresses, so it's up to the bride to get it done. You definitely don't want to forget this step. Pressing your dress gets rid of any wrinkles or creases so your wedding garb looks as pristine as possible.
Add a bustle. Many brides might not know this wedding vocab word, but a bustle involves a seamstress sewing something, like a ribbon, into your dress that allows you to convert a long train into a shorter one during the course of the wedding. There are different types of bustles, but they essentially help protect the back of your dress. "The bride can dance and mingle without people stepping on her gown," says Cherry.
