The Asher Lane Blog

When it comes to any dress, you want to make sure it fits well. An important dress, such as a bridesmaid dress, needs the fit to be as close to perfect as possible considering how many photos will be taken of you in it, and the fact that you might be spending the entire day—or most of it—wearing it. Let’s look a little closer at why you might need to alter a bridesmaid dress, and how you can go about doing so before the big day!

Why Would I Need to Alter a Bridesmaid Dress?

If you’re buying a pre-made bridesmaid dress, alterations need to be made to fit it more closely to the person wearing it. This could include making it shorter or longer, or even changing the length (perhaps the only option was a maxi dress, for example, but you require a mid-length dress). Dresses are often purchased months in advance as well, which can mean that by the time they reach you, your sizes might have changed. Another reason you might need alterations is you might have made mistakes in taking your measurements, which would result in the dress not fitting properly.

How Can You Alter a Bridesmaid Dress?

Depending on what part of the dress needs alterations, different alterations can be made. These alterations could include changing the hemline, altering the length, or adjusting the bust, waist, or neckline. To alter the length of a dress, the cost can range anywhere around $35 – $45. For more robust alternations, they can cost anywhere from $75 –150, depending on what work is being done. If you need to get your dress altered, it is highly suggested that you get the alterations done a month in advance. Some might like to get the alterations done earlier but putting it closer to the date will make the fit better while giving the person altering the dress time to do so without running too late and leaving you without anything to wear.

Bridesmaid dresses can also be repurposed with alterations, such as turning a maxi dress into a midi or cocktail dress or changing the sleeve style or neckline. If you’re worried about getting more wear out of your dress, you could even repurpose an old bridesmaid dress so that you don’t buy a dress that you then only wear once in your life.

Our biggest advice for preventing alterations is to start with one of our try-on boxes where you can select the size and style of dresses and try them on at home. Shop our home try-on options below!

Make the Dress Work for You

Every dress should be flattering to wear and should be wearable without worrying about issues such as tripping over the length or showing something you don’t want to show. One of our favorite features about our dresses is that all of bridesmaid dresses have built-in bras incorporated in the design. That will hopefully save you money on adding cups or hidden support to your bridesmaid dress. As you’re going to be wearing the dress for a while, you want to make certain that it fits you like a glove and isn’t distracting to both you and other people.

We also advise following sizing charts that companies provide closely to ensure you’re finding a dress that fits the best. If you’re looking for dresses in sizes XS to XXL American sizing, the wonderful team at The Asher Lane has you completely covered. Shop our bridesmaid dress collection at The Asher Lane today, and contact us if you have any questions!