Dress aleration advice needed!

[MustangGal]

My friend is getting married in 3 weeks, and she gained too much weight to fit in her dress! Her dress is #2136 from Mori Lee http://www.morilee.com/DressDetail.aspx?C=1&D=2136&P=1

The beading and lace pattern won't really look right if let out, and I don't think it could go out enough anyway, so we were thinking about maybe having the zipper removed and add the corset style lace up instead. Is that even do-able? Any idea what that would cost? And there's only 3 weeks to get it done!

Her only other option is to run down to Davids and buy whatever she can fit into, but it would probably cost more than the alteration...

ETA, sorry I can't spell correctly today, the title should read "alteration"!

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Hmm, how much weight are we talking? Is there no way she can do a "Bugling Brides" on WE channel and lose it? If you try a corset-style don''t let the ribbons hang down too far. It''ll take away from the detail on the back. I don''t know if it would work since the back dips, but it''s better than nothing. I am guessing (and this is totally a guess) a couple hundred dollars maybe up to 500? I wouldn''t go to Davids and try to find something, try to make this work this week first! She needs to call all the alterations places in town and get appointments as fast as possible to see if it''s doable. Also try Bridal shops and ask if they will take a dress not purchased there. I am sure most of them have dealt with this situation before. Hope this helps!

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

With the amount of time and the detail the seemstress would have to work around, plus the likely need to fill in the space in the back I would say david''s bridal is almost certainly going to be cheaper, possibly by quite a bit. I know if I were still a seemstress I would charge more than many of the dress on David''s bridal because of the rush and having to order more fabric.

 

[MustangGal]

Its bad, about 15 pounds, the dress is several inches from closing. She carries all her weight in her boobs and belly, which makes it worse.

We were figuring several hundred, and at this point the dress was only $600 to begin with, so it might not really be worth it. The silly girl has known for months that it wouldn''t fit, but she claims that her mom should have ordered a larger size (even though the sample size 10 fit perfect in August when it was ordered), and refused to diet, like that was going to make anything better?. She claims she''s going to diet this week, and we''ll see if it gets any closer next weekend I guess.

 

[Gypsy]

15 pounds in 3 weeks. That''s bad. I''d start searching for another gown NOW.

 

[Stephanie]

Date: 2/25/2008 12:29:43 PM
Author: Gypsy
15 pounds in 3 weeks. That's bad. I'd start searching for another gown NOW.

Ditto.. Are there any salons around that she could buy off the rack from, besides Davids? Sample sales perhaps? I really think any alterations will be extremely pricey, if they are able to do any at all.

 

[gtn]

Date: 2/25/2008 1:00:48 PM
Author: Stephanie

Date: 2/25/2008 12:29:43 PM

Author: Gypsy

15 pounds in 3 weeks. That''s bad. I''d start searching for another gown NOW.

Ditto.. Are there any salons around that she could buy off the rack from, besides Davids? Sample sales perhaps? I really think any alterations will be extremely pricey, if they are able to do any at all.

Date: 2/25/2008 1:00:48 PM
Author: Stephanie

Date: 2/25/2008 12:29:43 PM

Author: Gypsy

15 pounds in 3 weeks. That''s bad. I''d start searching for another gown NOW.

Ditto.. Are there any salons around that she could buy off the rack from, besides Davids? Sample sales perhaps? I really think any alterations will be extremely pricey, if they are able to do any at all.

Date: 2/25/2008 1:00:48 PM
Author: Stephanie

Date: 2/25/2008 12:29:43 PM

Author: Gypsy

15 pounds in 3 weeks. That''s bad. I''d start searching for another gown NOW.

Ditto.. Are there any salons around that she could buy off the rack from, besides Davids? Sample sales perhaps? I really think any alterations will be extremely pricey, if they are able to do any at all.

yeah, that is a lot of weight to loose in 3 weeks. I would definitely be cheaper to go to a B&M and find off the rack or a sample.

 

[Independent Gal]

I would tell your friend to bring the dress to a seamstress and get a quote. At the same time, she should start shopping. Consignment shops might be a good way to find something that''s already been alterred to fit someone of her height / size, since alterations may be an issue off the rack anyway.

What a drag. I hope your friend isn''t feeling too bummed out.

 

[isaku5]

I''m a little confused here. She gained 15 pounds in three weeks, right?? This is an emergency unless she can lose most of it before the day of the wedding, but that''s not too likely.

I think, depending on your build, 15 pounds is about one to one and a half sizes. That''s quite a bit for a seamstress to work miracles with, but some can do it well. I was a size 12 for my first MOB dress; there was a size 10 in stock which was too tight so they did a custom measured dress which fit me like a sack; it was at least a 16. I was heartsick especially when the owner told me that I had lost weight on purpose and it was my fault. Hello??!! Anyway, long story shorter, their seamstress took the 16 apart and re-made the dress to a 12. It was done perfectly!! I think it''s probably easier to size down than up, but consult the seamstress first and if she looks doubtful, run to a bridal salon or four and try to find a suitable dress.

Good luck to your friend

 

[MustangGal]

She gained the weight over christmas, and only has 3 weeks to loose it. I spoke with her mom more (she''s a co-worker), and it may not be quite as bad as I first thought. The dress zips almost all the way up, to the satin sash part, and only the top 4-5 inches don''t make it. Her mom doesn''t want to take it anywhere, and knows it would be almost impossible to get it fixed in time anyway. So our plan after this weekend and we see how much she looses is to purchase the lacing loops and add them inside the dress under the zipper to that top section and just lace that part with a very small bow where it joins the satin sash part. Her mom is pretty handy with a sewing machine, so hopefully this will work enough to pull it off. The bride has really long hair that will cover most of that section, so it shouldn''t be too noticeable. We''ll just tell the photographer not to take any back shots.

 

[swimmer]

Grrr, it just ate my response, which was moderately thoughtful, but mostly incoherent. So here is a retry:
1. Has she tried Spanx, that zipper is stuck at her waist, the spanx i rock go up to the bottom of my bra and keep the squish squashed. There was an excellent thread here about how to pee in them, informative for daring folks.

2. I had to wear a bustier (sp) thing at a snooty dress store, (they made everyone wear them, sorta weird i thought) but it got my solid self into size 8 samples...killed some brain cells, and I began to understand why Victorian women needed their smelling salts. Your friend wouldn''t even need to wear it that tightly. Perhaps her mom could sew her in by attaching the dress to the bustier thing? A friend of mine broke her zipper and we (her BMs) sewed her into that bad boy. Come to think of it, not sure now how she got out of that dress...
3. Its not safe or remotely OK to try to lose that much that quickly. This coming from someone who would do just about anything to not have to buy another dress...it might have to be done...

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 2/25/2008 1:00:48 PM
Author: Stephanie

Date: 2/25/2008 12:29:43 PM

Author: Gypsy

15 pounds in 3 weeks. That''s bad. I''d start searching for another gown NOW.

Ditto.. Are there any salons around that she could buy off the rack from, besides Davids? Sample sales perhaps? I really think any alterations will be extremely pricey, if they are able to do any at all.

Hey, I got my BEAUTIFUL wedding dress from David''s. Not sure why everyone always puts them down.

 

[MustangGal]

I hear you Tacori, they''re not that bad! My mom got her renewal dress there, it was perfect! One of the issues is that the BM dresses are all halter tops, and she would want a halter top as well. They don''t carry that many styles in halters. The other issue with getting a new dress is that she would need a fairly intricate/longer train dress, and those aren''t the cheap ones. Her venue has the archway at the top of a wide stairway, so the train of the dress drapes down the stairs. Maybe a veil would help hide things, she wasn''t going to wear one.

She probably doesn''t need to loose all the weight, just 5 or maybe 10 pounds, which would be doable in 3 weeks. She just isn''t the most self controlled or on top of things. I think I''ve planned half the wedding (I somehow volunteered to be an amature coordinator), and she thinks she''s the stressed one!

Sorry your post was eated swimmer, I hate that! When she tried the dress on at the salon they had her in a proper undergarment, but it wasn''t able to zip. When she took it off it zipped up no problem, so they''re hesitant to try undergarmets. I''ve suggested the spanx, maybe if we get close to zipping they''ll try it. Who needs to breathe anyway?

 

[Stephanie]

Date: 2/25/2008 9:24:17 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring


Hey, I got my BEAUTIFUL wedding dress from David''s. Not sure why everyone always puts them down.

Tacori - I wasn''t meaning to put them down in anyway. I got my dress there and couldn''t be happier with it...

Mustang - Have you tried Spanx or other shaping garments under the dress? If she loses like five or seven lbs and uses one of those, it may work.