Dress Alteration Worries

Aw, that is a bummer...hope it all works out! try to stay positive and in the worst case scenario that you cant wear that dress you could always try to sell it on craigslist or ebay or something to get some of the money back (and you'd be making another bride very happy). it's too bad that the store you bought it from wasn't more up front with you about the alterations. good luck! let us know how it turns out.

That stinks. If this woman says she cant fix the dress maybe try going to another place to see if someone else may be able to do it, always worth a try Good Luck!

Things that come to mind:

Find a good Long line bra (corset) and wear it as tight as you can - often that will take care of it - they really pull you in and make you stand up straight. They are not especially comfortable but it's not about comfort - it's about zipping the dress up all the way.

If you need more than an inch or two putting a corset back (lace up) in the dress should work.

Would loosing a few pounds make the difference or is the dress just too small for your frame?

Hopefully your seamstress will find that there is enough seam allowance - it's hard to tell until the dress is opened up. And, yes, a second opinion is a good idea as there are varying levels of experience with any profession.

I hope the outcome is good.

Ribcage too wide? My first thought is to remove the zipper completely, then add a tie back closure. It can be open back or you can add a piece of fabric under it.

I agree if there isn't enough seam allowance you should be able to make it a corset back.

Thanks for the advice. I'd absolutely LOVE to make the dress have a corset back. One of the other dresses I loved had a corset back.

I'm pretty sure the problem is that my ribcage is too big for the dress. It gets most of the way up and then stops. I'm still waiting on the call from her to tell me if she can do it or not. If she can't do it then I'm going to see if she can make it a corset back and I might leave it as an open back.

Wish you all the luck

You have been given some good advice so far, especially the idea about adding a lace up back to the gown. I have done this quite a few times this year for brides' whose dresses were too small.

But there is something else that can be done. You can have gussets added to the sides of the dress in matching fabric. When done the right way, the gussets blend in with the design of the gown, so that they aren't noticed. You would have to find a wedding dressmaker or alterations specialist that know how to do this.

Here is an article that mentions what can be done to re-size a wedding dress that is too small. http://www.perfect-wedding-dress-finder.com/your-bridal-dress.html

Desiree I was thinking exactly that but I had not idea how to explain it.

Dbrown, the woman who is altering my dress told me that she looked at that and decided it would be best not to because of the amount of beading on my dress. The whole top has beads everywhere. She said they're even sewn into the seams.

When she called me back about it she told me that in her opinion the best thing to do would be to change the back into a corset type. She's supposed to get everything she needs for it today or tomorrow and then when she's finished she said she'd call me.

That's great that she's suggesting a corset. That sounds very promising. I'm sure it'll all work out.

Good luck

Wish you goo luck.

Change your bra. I know it sounds crazy, but with my cup size I can either wear a shirt or not depending on the bra. And Spanks. They gave me a dress size down and they were light and I felt like I could still breathe. Hang in girl, there's still a way....

Thanks Linda and Salsagirl. I haven't talked to the lady since she told me that she recommended making the dress a corset back.

It is best to have someone who specializes in formalwear alterations tackle your problem; hopefully, your seamstress is experienced with wedding gown alts. A corset back is probably the best solution to your problem, however, in your first post, you mentioned that although it wouldn't zip, the chest area was "way too big". This may sound crazy, but if you are a "c" or "d" cup, you may just need to pull "the girls" up into the bustline to get the gown to zip. If you are a "b" cup or smaller, this is definitely not the problem. There have been plenty of times a gown could not be zipped and when the bustline is aligned correctly with the body, it zips easily. Hope this doens't confuse you and I certainly hope your gown fits wonderfully.

I'm glad that you guys got something figured out. Let us know how it fits after it's altered!

Designer- I think the reason it doesn't zip up is because of my ribs and I think the chest is too big because everytime I've tried it on it hasn't zipped all the way up. So I don't have a honest feel for how the top fits.

Future Mrs. Schmidt- Thanks. I will. She hasn't called about it but said she would be getting the materials she needed in late November and I know it takes awhile to do it right so I'm not too worried right now. She's done a lot of alterations for my FH's sisters.