Wedding Blog

Yesterday, I went to pick up my dress and went straight over to my first fitting! Even though I knew I’d need a lot of alterations on my dress, and a lot of poking and prodding would be involved, I don’t think I was prepared for how awkward the process could be. So, naturally, I’ve decided to share with you my extreme awkwardness in the form of photos, in hopes that may be less traumatized* by the experience than I was.

This means that you, Mr. Toucan, cannot read the rest of this post. Sorry, love, peace out!

The people at VOWS Bridal Outlet recommend the seamstress across the street, Anahit, for all their alterations. So, I walked across the street, walked in the door, and saw walls of mirrors. I realized then that walls of mirrors are kinda terrifying. We (FSIL Toucan came with me ) were greeted by Anahit, who FSIL and I agreed reminded us of a stern yet lovable grandmother (but obviously not old enough to be a grandmother).

We were told to take our shoes off at the door, and Anahit led me to the dressing room and I changed into my dress. She told me to leave the zipper open, which led me to feel quite naked…

See nakie AWK-WARD! (I can’t believe I’m posting
this embarrassing picture, by the way)

Immediately, Anahit started pinning away…

After Anahit pinned up the whole back, I started to feel a lot less naked and a lot more comfortable. That lasted about 2 seconds, and then in went the bra cups (eep!). I told her I wanted to take down some of the sweetheart neckline so that it was a less severe heart shape. And the cutting began…

eeek! Scissors to the chest!

After I survived the scissors to my chest, the next part to deal with was the length of the dress. She first had to pin up the petticoat (is that the term for the fluffy part?), which led me to lifting up the skirt part over my head:

Okay, obviously not over my head…

After I could put the skirt down, the rest of the alterations process wasn’t so bad. Before we dealt with the hemming, we worked on the bustle which will kinda look like this:

Oooh! I can tell I’m gonna like this when it’s done!
(It will look a little flatter and less poofy after the back zipper alteration is made)

After the bustle was “made,” I was told that it was imperative that I stand VERY VERY STILL, and DID NOT MOVE. Wow, talk about pressure, no? While I was absolutely not moving a single muscle, Anahit was doing this:

Gah! Cutting the dress!

The thought of cutting the dress still makes me feel uneasy. I realize that at 5’4″ plus the 3.5″ heels I’m wearing, I’m not tall enough to wear the dress as is - but all the cutting made me nervous - never mind the fact that if I moved a single hair I’d risk permanent damage to the dress (ok, tad dramatic). The good news for being a shorty is that I got to keep the extra fabric for my bouquet wrap (or whatever really), and I’d know that it would match my dress exactly!

After a few more snips here and there, I made it through my first dress fitting mostly unscathed. I really wish I was a little more mentally prepared for the uncomfortable nudie and a stranger-is-touching-my-boob moments… but, I’m really excited to see all the changes in a couple of weeks!

*It wasn’t really traumatic, I’m just being overly dramatic. I was, however, at least mildly uncomfortable.
**I probably should also mention that Anahit is a sweetheart, and it wasn’t her that made me uncomfortable. I ‘m pretty sure with all the alterations that needed to be done, I would have felt uncomfortable with anyone doing my alterations.