How I Reconstructed this Wedding Gown
As a patternmaker, I love offering my full patternmaking and sewing services to my local alteration clients. It means I get to work on incredibly special and intricate gowns, including this one featuring the longest train I’ve ever seen!
This gown was an incredibly technical bridal alteration. Not only did this dress need an entire bodice reconstruction, this gown was also over 2 dress sizes too large, and needed to be taken in by 2.5 inches!
Here’s what this bride had to say about her alteration:
“I ordered a custom gown online, and when I received it, I was very disappointed. My gown didn’t fit at all and it wasn’t the dream dress I had imagined. Lizzy altered my dress and changed the shape of the bodice to something I really love. Lizzy, thank you so, so much!!! My dress really stole the show. ”
Before and After Photos
This gown was technical for many reasons. For one, it’s a strapless gown, with tulle illusion side panels and a train over nine feet long. Unfortunately this dress was constructed incorrectly, and didn’t have any boning to keep the dress secure. This is why the princess seams along the side panels are completely wiggly, instead of straight. The manufacturers of this dress didn’t include any support or boning. Sleeveless bridal gowns need boning, which not only helps to streamline the look of the bodice itself, but also provides much needed support so the gown never slips out of place.
Using my experience as a professional patternmaker, I was able to completely reshape the bust cups of this dress to fit my bride’s aesthetics. Flip through the carousel to see the transformation:
the total bodice reconstruction process
For this dress, it was necessary to completely restructure the bodice, which meant I carefully took apart all seams and completely re-stitched all seams of the entire bodice, adding boning along the way. The boning allowed the nine foot train to trail beautifully without pulling the bodice out of place. There’s nothing worse than having to pull your bodice in place all night, or worrying about your dress slipping! This also meant the tulle illusion panels laid perfectly flat without any pesky wrinkling as before:
I also carefully re-pleated the skirt to account for the 2.5” of fabric I removed from the bodice, shortened the bodice to end at the high waist, and gave the pleats much needed volume by adding a tulle layer in between for nice, fluffy folds:
To finish, I hemmed the front of the skirt, reshaping the skirt along the sides to flow effortlessly into the gorgeous train, and created the bustle.
I was lucky enough to intern for British designer Erdem, where I learned incredible couture, hand-stitching techniques I use everyday for bridal alterations, such as this one. Erdem is known for his mastery of the finest fabrics, including laces and silks, which is where my strong sewing foundation began. I’m able to seamlessly finish even the hardest alterations and fix ill-fitting gowns.
“My wedding was all very magical. The bodice stayed in place all night and the bustle looked amazing during our dances.”
Bridal FAQ
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I take bridal alterations very seriously. When I work on bridal, I use white gloves to ensure the oil on my hands doesn’t stain the dress. Before every bridal fitting, I thoroughly clean the fitting room and sewing room studio, so no dust or dirt ever marks the dress. I even regularly clean underneath my bobbin case on my sewing machine, so no dirt or oil ever touches the gowns I work on.
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It really depends on the gown, the amount of work needed and my calendar availability. For bridal, expect multiple fittings (usually 3—5) over at least a 2-4 month timeline. The extensive gown featured in this blog is 4 months of work.
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My studio is located in Centennial, CO 80015. I work out of my home studio, rather than renting one, to keep my services as accessible and affordable as possible. I am able to accompany friends and/or family members, should you want them to be present for your alteration. For more information and to schedule a fitting, see my alterations tab.