Most Common Wedding Dress Alterations

Most often than not every dress will need some kind of alterations done before your big day and many brides do not realise that these are an additional cost on top of the price of your dress. Here is a guideline of some of the most common alterations

The Hem (the bottom)

The bottom of your wedding dress will almost always need to be shortened. This may sound simple, but the hem can often be much more complicated than it looks. You may see or feel some plastic webbing around the bottom of your dress. This is called horse braid or horsehair, and as a result of that little piece of plastic your price will be higher. Have more layers? You will be charged more. (Some dresses have up to 10 layers.) Have a layer of lace on the hem? Yep, the price goes up. Is the bottom of your dress beaded? Guess what? The price goes up even more… So, what does an average bridal hem cost? From our experience you can estimate anywhere between $150-$550.

The Sides

Quite often if a dress has a zip at the back your wedding dress will need to be taken in on the sides to fit you perfectly. If your dress has lace and beading this will again increase the amount that taking in the sides of your wedding dress will cost. So, what does the average cost for taking in the sides on your wedding dress cost? From our experience you can estimate anywhere between $100-$250.

The Cups (if you aren’t wearing a bra)

If you require additional cups in your wedding dress the cost to put these in will vary slightly depending on the type of cups and your wedding dress, but you can pretty much expect to pay approximately $30-$60.

Additional Beading

If your wedding dress needs additional beading or the beads needs to be re-sewn due to alterations there is an additional charge of $25 per hour.

The Bustle (picking the back of your wedding dress up off the floor) $50-$100

If you have a train a bustle is needed. Most bridal boutiques will charge $50-$100 to bustle your dress. This is a complementary service offered by Confetti Occasions on the purchase of your dress.

So, in final you may still be wondering…what will the cost of my bridal alterations be?

From our experience at Confetti Occasions you can expect to pay on average between $150-$700 for your bridal alterations.

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