I know there are some people who are able to buy a dress right off of a rack and be done.
Not me. Not one of the wedding gowns I tried on fit me. Even after ordering the size I needed, my wedding dress had to be altered.
I made the fitting appointment the day I ordered the dress, just in case it needed a tuck here or there. The dress arrived earlier than I thought it would, and I had to keep it here at home until the day of the fitting appointment because they won't hold it at the store.
I kept it in the bag it arrived in, and also bought a garment bag from David's Bridal to keep it in. I was so tempted to try it on here at home, but just knew I would end up getting dust or dirt or who knows what on it. So I left it alone in the closet.
When I got the reminder call about the fitting appointment, I was told to bring my underpinnings and shoes that I would be wearing the day of the wedding. I also brought along my friend Shane, because my bridesmaids don't live here and I thought she could give them instructions on how to get me into the dress.
My first appointment for the fitting was really long. I started out in the alterations department. I was put into a room with a mirror, and told to get into my bra and slip and shoes. I had to ask for help because my bra is a bustier, and the slip fits tight around my ribcage and needs to be held in place while it is zipped. Once I was ready, I was helped into the dress. The fitting was moved to the main area where people try on gowns because we needed more room.
The dress is sort of big, and has a train, and layers of material. I stood for about two hours while the fitting specialist pulled and tucked, crimped and folded and pinned.
She was great. She would pin up a hem, then have me walk and she would actually get down on her belly and watch the layers of material as I walked to be sure they were just where she wanted them.
If they weren't she'd have me stop and she would repin, then have me walk again. She looked from different angles, and was finally satisfied.
Then the bustling began. I decided to get it bustled because I want the dress to stay as clean and undamaged as possible. It's a French bustle, and it's gorgeous. She first started pinning and showed me how it could be, and then showed me the same bustle, but that she could bustle the layers separately.
I left there with no doubt it would fit me as if it was made just for me, and that the bustle would be beautiful.
I knew my appointment for the second fitting was sometime in May, but it didn't appear on my phone. I called to confirm and had only a few days until that appointment. Shane came along again. This time I really did need her to be there to watch how the bustle is done.
As I stood looking to be sure everything was right, I noticed a spot on the dress. I almost had a moment, but the girl (different person that the one who did the fitting) said she could clean it right away. I also had a little malfunction with one part of the dress where a button was loose, and they fixed that while I was there also.
Overall, it was a good experience. And they gave me a little bag with all of the material that was trimmed from the dress to make it fit. I plan to use the material in some way.
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