For more than 70 years, thousands of brides have traveled to Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City to find their wedding day looks. From the moment you walk through the doors, you’ll feel the magic of Kleinfeld. Not only does Kleinfeld have 30,000 square feet filled with the largest selection of wedding dresses in the world, it also has the greatest professional staff of over 200 employees who are dedicated to finding and perfecting your bridal look.
We get a lot of questions from brides-to-be on our Facebook and Instagram about how to handle wedding dress shopping when you’re expecting. Well, we spoke to our expert alterations and sales teams and got the scoop—find out their top tips, below.
Be prepared for a few questions!
Upon arrival, your consultant will sit with you and discuss details about your wedding—silhouettes and styles you like, your wedding venue and theme, and most importantly, your wedding date! Be prepared to let them know your due date as well, so your consultant and alterations manager can keep this in mind in relation to your wedding date, as your bump will grow significantly the closer you get to your due date. Believe it or not, it also helps to know if this is your first child or if you’ve had children before—our expert alterations staff can expect your body to grow and change a bit differently with each pregnancy.
WHAT SHOULD YOU BRING TO YOUR KLEINFELD APPOINTMENT?
Keep bump-friendly silhouettes in mind.
To make things easier during the alterations process, we suggest keeping bump-friendly silhouettes in mind that can grow with your belly. Styles with empire waists, gathered or ruched waistlines or corset bodices are your best bet, as these typically have more room in the torso. A-line and ballgown styles are always preferred, as your belly will have more room to grow and less alterations will be have to be done. If you’d like to rock a fitted style to show off your belly, be prepared for possible fees during the alterations process to accommodate your growing bump.
Certain fabrics are better than others.
Speak to your consultant about exploring dress options in bump-friendly fabrics. Options like chiffon, crepe, Georgette (a combination of chiffon and crepe) and lace (the most bump-friendly of all!) hang better on the body and will accommodate and flatter your bump. Stiffer fabrics like Mikado and satin can “point”, or create a tent-like shape around your bump which is undesirable.
Danielle Caprese Style: 113224
Straps are recommended.
Because you wont be able to wear a corseted strapless bra on your wedding day as it places too much pressure on your tummy, a strapless style wedding dress is not recommended. We suggest opting for a strapped style or a style with shoulders, cap sleeves, or long sleeves. This allows you to wear a regular supportive bra and also allows our fitters to keep the bodice of your dress as loose as possible to leave room for your baby.
Nouvelle Amsale Style: Danielle
Alterations will be closer to your wedding date.
When your dress arrives in store (!), you will altered to call our alterations department and make your first fitting appointment! At that point, our alterations managers will suggest that you push your fittings as close to the wedding date as possible.Doing these fittings close together and as close to your wedding date as possible will ensure that any work done on the dress will not need to be redone, as the closer you are to your due date, the more your body rapidly changes! In most cases, you’ll start the fitting process 3 weeks before your wedding (don’t panic—our alterations team knows what they are doing!) and you’ll come for a fitting once a week over 3 weeks, with your final fitting and pickup appointment scheduled right before your wedding.
9 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT ALTERATIONS
Ready to shop for your special day? Make an appointment!
Need more bridal advice? Read our blog.