Your First Alterations Appointment Explained
Congratulations—you’ve said yes to the dress! Before you know it, you’ll be headed back to Kleinfeld for your first alterations fitting. What exactly happens at your first bridal fitting? Find out below.
Arrive and be greeted by your fitter.
When it’s time for your first fitting, you’ll arrive at Kleinfeld and head down to our alterations department. There, you’ll be greeted by your fitter who will be working with you through the entire alterations process. Your fitter will then take you to a fitting room, where your dress will be waiting for you—the first time you’ve seen it since you said “yes”!
Slip on your wedding shoes.
Before your alterations can begin, you’ll need to make sure you have your wedding shoes that you’d like to wear with your wedding dress. Even if you don’t know exactly which pair of shoes you’d like to wear, bring a pair with the same heel height so your fitter can begin work on pinning your hem and train. Forgetting your shoes will create more work for your fitter, and may cost you an extra fitting to accommodate the work. If you’d like to wear any shape wear on your wedding day, make sure to bring this too. Don’t worry if it’s not the exact shape wear you want to wear (or if you’re unsure all together)—our alterations staff can suggest a few types for you to purchase for your subsequent fittings. Also, if you’ll be wearing a specific bra (we highly suggest it), make sure to bring that along as well.
Step into your dress.
After you’ve put on your undergarments and shoes, you’ll try on your wedding dress for the first time since your bridal appointment. Remember, your dress was ordered according to the largest measurement (which included bust, waist and hips) and therefore it will likely not fit properly right away. Take a deep breath—our expert fitters will immediately start pinning and fitting your dress to meet all of your expectations. Our fitters will spend on average over 30 hours working on your dress starting now, so you can trust your dress will make you feel like the most confident and beautiful version of you.
Come prepared to stand.
Your first fitting appointment will take about an hour—keep in mind that’s about an hour of standing in your dress and shoes while it’s being pinned by your fitter. We highly recommend eating a light meal to keep you fueled and excited about your fitting experience, not too light that your stomach is growling through the process. If it’s a particularly hot day, make sure to hydrate before as well.
Hand your dress off to the alterations team and schedule your next fitting.
At the end of your first fitting, your fitter will place your pinned dress back in its garment bag and work with you to coordinate your next fitting date. If you’re doing an express or semi-express fitting, you may have coordinated your dates prior. Here at Kleinfeld, we purposefully complete fittings and alterations as close to your wedding date as possible so that we can ensure your dress fits perfectly, so don’t be alarmed if the timing seems close.
