When it comes to shopping for your wedding dress, there are a few things you just wouldn’t know—because seriously, when was the last time you had to think about a legit gown?

This blog is for 2025 brides (or anyone planning ahead!) who are getting ready to shop for their wedding dress, wondering about bridal alterations, or figuring out how they want to look on the big day.

I’ve been a bridal alterations specialist for over ten years, a designer before that, and now work as a personal stylist. If the question has been asked, the answer is probably in here. And if you’re looking for a more in-depth guide to finding your dress, styling it, and understanding what can realistically be altered, check out Finding Your Fit—a course I co-wrote with nutritionist Jennifer Neale, RD.

Feel free to jump ahead using the headings, but otherwise, here’s what we’re covering:

1. Where & when to start (shopping, altering, and who you’ll need along the way)

2. How to know if you’ve found THE ONE

3. Everything you need to know about bridal alterations

4. Where to save and where to splurge

5. Day-of and day-after advice

1. Where & When to Start Shopping for Your Wedding Dress

Before you even start dress shopping, let's talk about your wedding dress timeline.

Quick Guide:

• Made to Order: Start 9–12 months before

• Off the Rack: Start 3–6 months before

There are two main types of bridal boutiques:

• Off the rack (including consignment or sample dresses)

• Made to order (the most common)

There’s no “wrong” way to choose your wedding dress—what matters is what you want. The opinions will fly in from all directions, but your job as the bride is to tune them out and focus on how you want to feel.

Off the Rack Wedding Dresses

These dresses have typically been previously worn or tried on as samples. You can take them home the same day.

Pros:

• Shorter lead time (you could buy it the day before!)

• More affordable ($300–$2000 CAD)

• Sometimes already altered

Cons:

• May need dry cleaning

• Styles might be older

• Sold as-is (you cover any repairs)

Made to Order Wedding Dresses

Let’s clarify: Made to order ≠ Made to measure. These dresses are made once ordered but follow standard sizing. Some designers allow customizations depending on timeline and style.

Start shopping 12–15 months before your wedding. It takes about 9 months for the dress to arrive, plus another 3 months for bridal alterations.

Modifications you can request at the designer level:

• Added length

• Split sizing (e.g., size 8 bodice, size 10 skirt)

• Cup adjustments

• Fabric changes

Pros:

• Latest styles

• Brand new, unworn dress

• Designer-level changes

Cons:

• Higher cost

• Longer wait times

• Limited in-store sample sizes

2. How to Know You’ve Found The One

So you’re in a change room, sweating through your third try-on, your mom’s in tears—how do you know it’s “the one”?

Sometimes it’s a moment. You cry, your mom cries, and the seamstress says, “It’s perfect.” But more often it looks like this:

You might have found the one if you:

• Don’t want to take it off

• Smile every time you wear it

• Pose without thinking

• Swish the skirt (yes, it’s a thing)

If you’re trying to convince yourself:

• You love the compliments, not the dress

• You’re thinking about what others want

• You’re fidgeting, itching, or physically uncomfortable

To help ground your decision, think about the big picture:

1. Wedding Venue:
Beach? Forest? Church? Gallery? Let the landscape inform your dress style—boho, modern, romantic, etc.

2. Wedding Decor:
Are you going maximalist with florals and table settings? Then go simple with the dress—or vice versa.

More is more: You love attention, you’re bold, and your physical frame can carry a dramatic dress.
Balance: You like a quieter style and want the space to shine just as much as you.

3. How the dress feels:
It shouldn’t feel like a costume. It should feel like the best version of you.

3. Everything You Need to Know About Bridal Alterations

This is a big one for 2025 brides. Bridal alterations aren’t included in the cost of your dress—and yes, they can be pricey. Whether your dress cost $500 or $5000, the labour is what you’re paying for.

Petite brides: Expect to spend a little more, since bridal gowns often aren’t made in petite sizing. Common alterations include:

• Hemming

• Taking up the waist

• Adjusting straps

Cosmetic alterations:

• Adding a bustle

• Beading or lace additions

• Changing straps or sleeves

Red flags in a seamstress:

1. Making you feel uncomfortable about your body, family, or dress

2. Only offering 1–2 fittings

You should expect 3–5 fittings:

• Fitting 1: Measurements, contract, deposit

• Fitting 2: Half-finished dress, test fit

• Fitting 3: Further adjustments (if needed)

• Fitting 4: Final pick-up, test with accessories

Pro tip: Don’t pay the final invoice until you’re happy. This is your last chance to speak up.

4. Where to Save & Where to Splurge

Here’s a good rule:

💰 If both dresses fit the same → Splurge on alterations
💰 If you’re ordering → Splurge on the dress and save on alterations

Save:

• Veil

• Gloves

• Shoes

Splurge:

• Wedding day jewelry (you’ll wear it again!)

5. Day-Of & Day-After Tips

You're ready. Your dress is flawless. But now you need to get the wrinkles out without disaster.

Please learn from this story:
A bride’s mom once hung the dress on a light. The light got hot. The light melted the tulle.

Yes—melted. a. hole. in the bodice.

Day-Of Steam Tips:

• Use a tested steamer (no rust!)

• Only distilled water

• Keep the nozzle 3–5 inches away

• Let it fully cool before putting it on

Day-After Reminder:
Pick your dress off the hotel floor and take it to the cleaners within a week.
Set a calendar alert—you won’t regret it.

Bonus tip: After your first dance, swap your heels for Crocs, sneakers, anything comfy. You’ll thank me.