Fittings for the Wedding Gown

This week's field trip took me to Roma Sposa in Birmingham, Michigan, one of the elite bridal salons in the area. I had the pleasure to work with Seka, one of the Roma Sposa seamstresses, at last week's wedding and had a follow up interview with her this week regarding what a bride needs to do to have THE perfect fit for her wedding gown!

As with all structures, Seka reminded me that it begins with the foundation! The bridal gown is no exception! The bride needs to invest in the proper foundations for her wedding gown. I was surprised to learn that Roma Sposa also sells the necessary bustier. They recommend that the bride purchase the bustier at their salon to ensure the proper fit and sizing. One would certainly not want to have to alter the bustier, too!

Seka recommends that the the bride purchase a bustier in a bra cup a size smaller than normal. This will lift the breasts and giving a nice full look at the bust line. Expect the properly fitted gown to be snug - this is necessary because the bride will be wearing the gown for many hours on the wedding day and the fabric will continue to have some "give" throughout the day allowing it to "relax" as the day goes on.

When having a fitting with the seamstress at the bridal salon, it is important to share your wedding day activities with them. It will be helpful for them to know if you are walking on grass, carpet, or hard surfaces. This will help them determine appropriate hem lengths. Discuss when the bustle should be done - it is wonderful to have an elaborate beautiful wedding gown but probably not wise to do "city photos" with a full train, so you may want to bustle the gown before any photo adventures.

At one of my recent events, a bride dripped wax on her gown - my advice to every bride is DO NOT TOUCH! With the complexity and delicate nature of wedding gowns, I think it is best left to the professionals to take out stains AFTER the wedding day! However, this bride took the advice of the priest who assured her that a hot iron and a brown paper bag would do the trick. It left the imprint of the iron! My hope is that once it has gone for the cleaning, the image of the iron will be erased! I know the priest meant well; however, I doubt a priest's vestments are the same fabric make up as a wedding gown and I still hold to DO NOT TOUCH!

Be sure to have your last fitting as close to the wedding date as possible to have the perfect fit - scheduling a fitting for the week of your wedding is best! Have your shoes and foundations in hand with you...a nice hair day and make up and you will feel bride-like and add to the excitement of the busy wedding week!