Questions brides ask before their first fitting

Start looking for your seamstress as soon as your gown is ordered, and book your first fitting for roughly 6 to 8 weeks before the wedding. That leaves room for the two or three fittings most gowns need without anyone rushing. If your date is closer than that, call anyway. A lot can be done in a short window, and it is better to ask than to assume it is too late.

It depends entirely on the work. A hem and a bustle is a different job from reconstructing a bodice or adding sleeves. Call Nina with your date and a description of your gown and she will tell you honestly what her schedule allows.

Yes. Rush and last-minute alterations are possible when Nina’s schedule allows, so call first and she will tell you honestly whether she can meet your date. Even if the wedding is days away, it is worth the phone call before you give up on the fit.

Not necessarily. Hems, bustles and take-ins can often be turned around quickly. Heavy beadwork and full restyling need more time. Call and describe the gown. You will get a straight answer, not a maybe.

Cost depends on the work, not the dress. A simple hem is one price; a hem plus bustle plus taking in the bodice is another; beaded lace that has to be lifted, cut and hand-reapplied is another again. Nina quotes at your first fitting, once she can see the gown on you. You will know the price before any scissors come out.

Yes. Nothing is cut, pinned permanently or charged until you have heard the price and agreed to it. There are no surprise line items at pickup.

A wedding gown is often five or six garments in one: an outer layer, lining, crinoline, boning, beading and lace, each of which has to be opened, altered and closed separately by hand. Taking in the side seam of a beaded gown can mean removing beadwork by hand, altering, then sewing every bead back on. It is slow, careful work, and there is no second chance at it.

Most gowns need two to three. The first is the fitting where everything gets pinned and measured. The second checks the work and refines the fit. A third is common for heavily beaded gowns, major restyling, or if your body changes between appointments. Simple hems sometimes need only one fitting plus a pickup.

Bring the exact shoes you plan to wear, the undergarments you will have on under the gown, and any veil or belt that affects the look. If you have not bought shoes yet, bring a pair at the same heel height. The hem is measured from your shoes, so the wrong pair means the wrong length.

Bring whoever will be helping you into the dress on the wedding day, usually your mother, your maid of honour, or both. They will be taught how to do the bustle, and it is much easier to learn it in person than from a photo.

Plan on about an hour for the first fitting and thirty to forty-five minutes for the ones after. Getting into and out of a wedding gown takes longer than people expect, and Nina does not rush the pinning.

Yes. Your gown is pressed and packed properly before it leaves, so it is ready to hang and wear.

A bustle lifts your train off the floor after the ceremony so you can walk and dance. An American (over) bustle pulls the train up onto the outside of the skirt. A French (under) bustle tucks it underneath. A ballroom bustle lifts the train flush into the hemline so the skirt looks floor-length all the way round. Which one suits you depends on the fabric, the train length and where the seams fall. Nina will show you the options on your own gown.

Usually yes. Two sizes down is routine on most gowns. Three or more is often possible but depends on where the seams and the beading sit. A heavily structured or fully beaded gown has limits. Bring it in and Nina will tell you what the dress can take.

It depends on the seam allowance the manufacturer left inside. Some gowns have generous allowances and can go up a size or more; others have almost none. There are also ways to add width with panels or a corset back. Nina can look inside the seams and tell you what is there.

Yes. Beading and lace are the reason many alterations shops turn a gown away. Beadwork is removed by hand, the seam is altered, and the beads are hand-sewn back so the pattern still reads as continuous. It takes time, and it is where 50 years of experience actually shows.

Yes. Online and preloved gowns are very common now and they are welcome. They sometimes need more work than a gown bought in a salon, because the sizing was a guess rather than a measurement, but that is exactly what alterations are for.

No. Nina works on gowns from anywhere: any salon, any designer, online, secondhand or inherited. She has spent decades working with Atlanta bridal shops including Bridal Sense, Wedding Angels and Bride Beautiful, but you do not need to have bought your dress from any of them.

Yes. Nina works by appointment so that your fitting is unhurried and private. Call or book online and she will find you a time.

Nina works from Sandy Springs and regularly sees brides from Roswell, Buckhead, Dunwoody, Brookhaven, Marietta, Alpharetta and Johns Creek, as well as brides travelling in from across metro Atlanta for a specific piece of work.

Yes. Adding sleeves, illusion panels, straps or a different neckline is some of the work Nina enjoys most, and lace can often be sourced or lifted from elsewhere on your gown so it matches perfectly.

Yes. Heirloom gowns are delicate. Fabric ages, thread weakens, and yellowing can need addressing before anything else. Nina has worked on gowns decades older than most seamstresses have been sewing. Bring it in and she will tell you honestly what condition it is in and what is realistic.

Often, yes. It depends on the skirt construction and where the seams fall. It is one of the most requested additions and one of the most satisfying.