Timing: Ordering & Alterations

Well, the holidays are behind us and the 2104 bridal season is in full swing.  There have been several bridal shows already this year.  Today we are going to talk about timing for your wedding.

With over four decades of serving brides, we find that most resources still recommend to order your gown only six months before the wedding.  In the mid 90's we subscribed to that belief as well.  Now, it is possible to order your gown six months before the wedding,  but we do not recommend waiting that late.  The world has changed a lot since the 90's.  In the 80's most of the wedding gowns were still made here in the United States.  But with the demand to keep pricing low and improve quality:  all most all of the production has been removed from the United States.  China is one of the largest suppliers of product in our industry.

We have seen embargos:  where the merchandise was held 'captive' in shipping containers on barges on the coast of California.  It was very stressful knowing that our client's gowns were on that ship, that their weddings were ensuing and that we had absolutely no idea of when they might be released.   We have seen strikes at U.P.S. and again, had no idea of when the end would be in site.  In 2011 a large number of factories closed due to profitability.  Did you know that each gown must receive it's own visa to be allowed to enter the country?  Veil's too.  Who would have thought?  Last year China found it's self with a labor shortage and record orders.  This backed production up and many of our orders were up to a full month past anticipated delivery.  We even had a couple of orders that were unable to be completed before the wear date.  This was hugely stressful.  Many customers were very upset with us for things we had absolutely no control over.  We even had a factory close and tell us that they would not be filling the balance of any of our orders.  One of those was for 7 bridesmaids and the wedding was only a few weeks away.  This became the perfect recipe for S-T-R-E-S-S.

We ended up custom making the seven bridesmaid gowns at no additional cost to our client.  I assure you it cost us a lot of time and much more to fill the order than was originally planned.  Our bride was ecstatic and her maids were all happy, but the time and effort and added stress to make 7 bridesmaids in a few weeks was huge for us.

For the last two decades we have changed our opinion and recommendation on when you should order your gown.  We strongly suggest to our brides that they should have all of their orders placed nine full months before the wedding.  This assures plenty of time to resolve any problems and issues and have that gown aisle ready a full month before the wedding:  Our optimal goal.

The mother of the wedding has a tendency to believe that they are going to just go out and pick up a dress. Believe me when I tell you that it is rare when that actually is how it happens.  Most mothers have a very difficult time finding that perfect dress.  As the wedding comes closer the stress levels rise and it only serves to make everyone's life a little more difficult.  We strongly encourage the mother of the wedding to start shopping as soon as she knows when and where the wedding will be.

When ordering a gown the least it would normally take is 14 weeks.  That is 12 weeks for production and two weeks for shipping.  Keep in mind that on the standard six months order time frame, if everything goes perfectly, your gown will be arriving only six weeks before your wedding!  You can order on a rush, but that does cost more due to the changes in production that the factory will have to make.  Additionally, some rushes are simply 'air fare' for the gown, which provides that the gown will be flown in rather then sent on the 'slow boat' from China.  Those boats take approximately 4 weeks to transport from China to the US.

Of course, we have a huge selection of gowns and every single one of them is available, for sale, off the rack. Sometimes that is the easiest and best way to go as you know everything about your gown right now!

At Bella Sposa Bridal & Prom we like to get started on altering the gowns as soon as is possible.  In the event that you would be losing weight we can always hold off on the side seams until close to the wedding.
Normally you would have 2-4 fittings on a bridal gown and 2-3 on a all other types of gowns.  The first fitting will simply be to pin and determine what needs to be done and how much all of that will cost.

The second fitting is to determine if everything is exactly as we want it.  The third fitting is to assure that we have achieved perfection.  Perfection can be a difficult and challenging task.  It takes time!  Lots of time.
Normally we will schedule your fittings approximately two weeks apart, but this is dependant upon how much time there is to that 30 days before the wedding mark we set our sights on.

It is always our goal to have all of our gowns aisle ready, exactly one month before the wedding.  I know stores that do not start their fittings until then:  but we can't recommend that.  It would feel like a recipe for stress and difficulty.  Please know that the last three weeks before your wedding will be extremely busy. You will find  yourself with so many things that can not be done sooner.  The last thing you need to be worrying about is if your gown is perfect and ready.

The final time you come in it will be to pick your gown up.  We suggest that all trying on have been done in advance of this as it will be aisle ready at that time.  Once your gown is pressed you will need to have a great place to hang your gown out so that it is not cramped or crushed.  In the event that you do not have such a place, we suggest leaving it here, at the salon, as long as possible.  We have designated areas to hang gowns once they are pressed.  The majority of our brides pick their gowns up on the Thursday before their wedding.  Of course, as with all things, there are variables that we will work through, together, to your satisfaction.

So, the long and short of our advice here is: be a prepared bride and order all of your merchandise at least 9 months before the wedding.  Anything less becomes an increasing recipe for stress....the longer you might wait.  It is our goal to eliminate as many problems and as much stress as is possible for our clients.

Building up Necklines (part 2)

Today's blog post will feature a chiffon neckline build up.  The full breasted lady often struggles with keeping things in check.  Over the years we have helped to prevent numerous 'wardrobe malfunctions'.  We believe that on our wedding day is not the day to wear and over revealing dress.  We don't want the only thing that the guests to notice or remember is our breasts.

This is one of the most unforgettable fails I have ever seen in all my 42 years of working with brides!

 This poor gal probably had a nightmare of a time finding a gown that would fit.  Actually it would be an impossibility to find anything off the rack (which clearly is what she did) that would be proportioned properly to her.

Had she been our bride I would have created the perfect build up to embrace those breasts and yet keep the  original overall look true to conception.

This is one of our brides whose gown was custom made.  The original pictures she brought us had a very open neckline.  When we had our first fitting we asked about her comfort level when Grandma and Grandpa would be in the room.  She thought she would be fine and that the gown was not too revealing.  However!  Grandma came to share our joy on her 'final' fitting and she realized I was right:  She would be more comfortable with more coverage.  

So rather than picking up her gown we were allowed to spend a little more quality time with it and when our bride returned this was the result.  

Whew!  Yes, it does feel more 'bride like' to reveal less on our wedding day.

Revealing too much is a problem often faced by fuller breasted ladies. 

 It's a problem we frequently overcome!

Building Up Necklines.

We frequently have clients who need to have a certain modicum of modesty in their gowns.

Gowns of every variety fall in this category.  

Today's blog is about one project to build up the neckline.

The gown was purchased from our sale rack for $99.00 

With some modification it will be they had been looking for.  

One problem was  the neckline was far to open.  

This is a frequent problem we overcome.

The gown had long sleeves which she wanted shortened.  We removed the motifs from the old sleeves to build up the neckline.  Here they are removed and are being laid out to see how to best place them.           

Our girl is a very special girl with Cerebral Palsy and so it is important that the gown feel comfortable on her.  With that in mind we chose sheer nylon tricot for the foundation of the re-construction of the neckline. 

Then we placed the motifs on the foundation.

Of course they had to be moved around a little bit to create the frame.

Oh yes, be sure to leave seam allowance for attachment into the existing neckline.

Pinning the motifs down so we can begin sewing.

Pin it into the neckline for a 'test drive' to be sure we are placing things perfectly.

Still pinned and minor motif movement is nearly complete.

The piece is removed from the neckline to sew the lace to the foundation.  All hand sewn.

 Hundreds of tiny stitches that we do not want to be seen, but need to be secure are place around the edge of each motif and through the beads to assure none will fall off.

Motifs appliqued to the foundation and now the built up neckline is ready to be placed.

Carefully pining on the left side to sew in and snaps will be applied to the right side from the shoulder to the zipper. 

Detail photo of the new panel pinned into place.  This was also completely hand sewn into place. 

 We did not start taking pictures when we started this project.  Nor have we taken the finished photos.  We will take those tomorrow.  If you will note the time lapse on the photo:  the applique took about 3 hours to complete.  Total time on this gown is 35 hours.  Next week we will do a blog on an entirely different neckline build up.

New Year - New Blog Series!

Here at Bella Sposa Bridal, we've noticed that many girls coming in to buy dresses have a hard time describing exactly what they're looking for.  The problem is, of course, not everyone has spent 30+ years working in the wedding industry, or has studied the history of clothing and fashion in a classroom setting, or has worked as a seamstress, like our staff has.  In an effort to remedy this, we will feature a series of blog posts on definitions of common sewing and fashion terms, which will run for the next several weeks.  We'll teach necklines, skirt styles, hem lengths, train lengths, veil styles and lengths, fabric types, and general style terms.

These posts will be conjuctive with our Glossary where we will also be creating images to clarify the definitions.

To begin with, here's a quick breakdown of sewing terms to help you interpret style descriptions in magazines and appear informed when you come in to look at gowns, or when you describe your perfect dress to your friends and family. 

Seam:  A joining of two pieces of fabric to construct a garment.  You can find the seams in whatever clothing you're wearing now to see how they're put together. 

Seam Allowance:  This refers to how much fabric is contained within the seam - in other words, the width of the edge of the fabric to the stitching (seam).  The seam allowance is hidden on the inside of the garment, and determines how much (if at all) the garment can be taken out, if it needs to be a larger size.  Seam allowance is measured in terms of inches; for instance - 1/4", 3/4", 5/8", etc. 

Hem:  The bottom of any garment is a hem, and the way the fabric is finished at the bottom can create a variety of effects.  These will be covered in further detail down the road.

Bodice:  This is the part of the dress that covers the torso - the bust to the waist.  The bodice can meet the skirt just under the bust - called an Empire waist; at the natural waist; or below - known as Drop Waist.

A Princess Cut gown does not have a separate bodice and skirt, but instead has vertical seams that run from top to bottom, to provide the dress shaping.

Lining:  Most formal gowns have more than one layer.  The inmost layer is called the dress lining.  Often this is constructed from a lightweight fabric to reduce bulk.  Keep in mind when you are having a dress altered that the changes made to your dress - sides in or out, hem shortened, lengthened, or reshaped - will also need to be done to the lining, and any additional layers between it and the dress itself.  This will be covered in greater detail when we discuss the cost of alterations.

Crinoline:  Full skirts in bridal, prom, and bridesmaids gowns almost always have a built-in crinoline, which is a gathered layer of stiff tulle or net that provides the "poof" of the gown.  We also rent out separate slips and crinolines if the built-in layer does not create the desired effect.

An example of a full crinoline slip

On the other hand, a built-in crinoline can also be removed if "poof" is not what you're looking for.  Built-in crinolines are another layer that often needs to be altered, especially when hems are shortened.  This can mean a great deal of extra work for the seamstress, as this layer is gathered - which means the overall length of material to be hemmed is greater - so expect to be charged accordingly at alterations time.

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