Wedding Dress Alteration Timeline??

When I bought my dress from DB back in November they had me set up an alterations appointment for 3 months before my wedding date. I don't think January would be too late based on that.

Great to know. I guess my DB didn't do that for me since I was getting married over a year out.

January would probably be too early for a May wedding. I'd say closer to mid-February (3 months beforehand) would be about right, but you need to check with the specific seamstress you are planning to use, b/c they all seem to have a specific schedule they like to stick to (mine insisted anything after 3 months would be too late, while other ladies' seamstresses wouldn't let them book any sooner than 6 weeks out).

My private seamstress is having me come in for my first fitting one month before my actual wedding day then a week before. I've got to trust that she's capable of doing what she needs within that time frame.

When I bought my dress the seamstress at the boutique said to come for my first fitting in January for my June wedding. She says that during March-May she's insanely busy and she wants to have enough time to make all the changes I want.

I would think it may depend on what you want done. I want a fancy bustle and maybe change the whole neckline so maybe that's why she wants it longer. If it's just a hem then maybe it would only have a fraction of that time for her to do.

My seamstress sets the first appointment six weeks before the wedding. Second appt is three weeks later (3 weeks before the wedding). If all is well, you take it home then. If more alterations are needed them pick up is a week before the wedding. If additional alterations are needed at the 1 week mark, dress pick up is 72 hours later.

My seamstress is having me come in early August for our November wedding. I'm sure I'll stop in at least once in between to make sure everything is still fitting well. She's works out of her home, though, so I'm not sure about the timeframe at a bridal salon.

I would recommend you speak with the seamstress/bridal shop doing the alterations. It depends on their workload/schedule and the difficulty of the dress for how long it will take to complete each alteration. Other than that I recommend doing them as close to the wedding as possible to give you the time to look and feel your best for your wedding day. Alfred Angelo scheduled my appointments automatically and I'm worried that my dress could be too loose on my wedding day, based on the fact that my goal weight is as low as I can get :-). I hope that helped!

Your wedding is in May like mine!! When I bought my dress they told me to call the seamstress WAY in advance because we will be in prom season!! I would say January or early February!

Due to it being prom and graduation season, I will be starting in mid to late Jan. I only want a bustle done and maybe have the leg area taken in a bit. I hope I don't have to have it hemmed. Thanks for the advice ladies,

My seamstress had me come in about 6 weeks before with my final fitting a week before the wedding. I picked it up four days before my wedding because they steamed it and my veil.

I started my appointments in early july for my late august wedding, I only have 2, but I think most people have 2-3 depending on how much needs to be done with your dress & such.

I bought my dress last weekend. The shop recommended making the first fitting/alterations appointment at 10 weeks out.

This is from an at home seamstress/tailor's perspective. It is super important to call whomever will be doing your alterations to find out their preferred timeline. I prefer to have my brides book with me at least two months before their wedding date. But I will book appointments much farther in advance if the bride wishes to guarantee my time. I would caution to not wait until "that last five pounds comes off" as the seamstress may be booked up by then. Especially during that location's "bridal season". And it is customary that you may get charged a rush fee if you wait too long. By the second fitting and right before I close all the seams permanently I tell my customers to not try and lose any more weight. If I have to reopen seams right before the wedding due to weight loss or gain, another expense may be incurred.

I started my alterations April 11th, I had my second fitting May 8th and I go back to pick up my dress June 5th. So each time it was 4 weeks apart. I shouldn't need any additional alterations after this fitting.