How do I hem a wedding dress with no waist seam and detail on the bottom?

Question

I have a gorgeous wedding dress in need of a few inches being taken off the bottom. The problem is the bridal store did not tell me how difficult it was going to be to hem & did not offer for me to order the dress to length. I now have a dress with gorgeous lace and beading on the bottom (with each little bead individually sewn on) and no waist seam. The first seamstress wanted to make a waist seam where there wasn't one, which is not what I want to do considering I bought the dress because I thought it was gorgeous as one continous piece. Please help!! It's a satin gown with the sheer overlay that has all the detail work on it. Thank you!!

Answer 1

i had this same problem, and there really aren't too many alternatives. My tailor took the dress as short as it would go without distrubing the design. i got the highest heels I could find AND put TWO crinoline slips underneath it. it was tooo puffy for my taste, I could barely walk in the heels. The only alternative is to creat a stitching where there isn't one. She said it could be done, but she wouldn't reccommend it because it would completely change the look of the dress. And thinking about it, she is right. She said she could cut the detailing off the bottom and then move it up, but that would create a "seam", take more time, and cost more. And after she explained it, it made sense.

When you are short, like me, you have to also pick your choice of dress based on what would be needed to alter it and/or if it could be ordered in your size.

So after $250 of alterations on a $200 dress, I have to scrap it and get something that will work with my height. Which is what I should have done in the first place.

Even the most talented tailor is not a magician!

Answer 2

It really depends on the dress, and how much hemming you need to have done, if the train needs bustling, etc. If there is a decorative lace/beaded trim along the hemline, then the way the dress is hemmed is by removing the skirt from the bodice, and shortening the skirt at the waist seam. If there is no trim or lace along the hem, then it can simply be turned under and conventionally hemmed. Obviously, if it can simply be turned under, then it's considerably less work and skill than if the dress has to literally be taken apart and sewn back together. I'm a dressmaker, and I've charged up to about $200 to shorten a wedding dress with trim along the hem, and I think I added another $100 to add a bustle. But I really have to see the dress before I decide what to charge, because each dress is TOTALLY different. I would be wary of someone who quotes prices over the phone without seeing your dress, a good dressmaker will want to see it on you before quoting you a price. Make certain that when you have the dress hemmed that you're wearing the shoes you plan on wearing with the dress, and any undergarments, especially slips, but even your bra. Believe it or not, a different undergarment will affect how the gown fits, and how it hangs to the floor. Good luck!

Answer 3

If you had a picture of the dress, I might be able to offer some suggestions, as I hemmed my own dress, and altered it myself, YES it was a major major huge pain in the azz and it took me 2 months to do, Im almost finished, Im still finishing up the seams on the inside. (mostly by hand)
I didnt want to pay a seamstress $250 to alter and hem my dress since I only paid $100 for it off of Ebay.
Usually if you cant get it hemmed, I'd suggest tall heels, I found some gorgeous shoes at Walmart that tied around the ankels to make my dress the right height, But I decided to wear sandals/flipflops because Im getting married on the beach and didnt want to deal with heels and sand. If there's no beading at the top of the dress, you could probably alter it in that area to be shorter, but the best suggestion is to wear higher heels.

Answer 4

Well, when I tried on wedding dresses I found a beautiful one with detail on the bottom, and the lady at David's Bridal told me in order to hem it she would have to cut off some of the detail. She told me there wasn't any other way to do it.

Answer 5

my wedding dress last year was a-line cut (it too had no real definate waist) had a ton of beading on it and had lace all around the bottom with beading on that and a cathedral length train.
the bridal store hemmed it for me. i have no idea how they did it, but they did.
i would not suggest attempting to hem it yourself. a professional really needs to be the one. pricey? yes, but it the end result will look good, and thats what do.
talk to the bridal store.

Answer 6

that is a real tough one. YOu can either wear higher heels or try going to another seamstress to get another opinion. Stress to her/him that you really don't want to create a seam in the center.

Answer 7

Get it to an experienced bridal gown seamstress.

Answer 8

Personally, I'd take the dress back and get my money back.

Otherwise it may take a complete rework of the the dress - cutting and fitting etc. to keep the beadwork. Call the manufacturer for advice on this one. Perhaps you can send the dress to them for reworking.

Sue the store if they won't take the dress back - and most certainly I would sue them if you have to have the entire dress reworked because the store wouldn't let you order it to length.

Answer 9

This is an easy one...dresses never come to your measurements unless you're rich and can afford to have a dress made FOR you. Simply go to ANY tailor and they can do pretty much WHATEVER you want done to the dress. I'm serious! I love tailors!

Answer 10

Can the straps be shortened? If not, your best hope might be a pair of really high heels.