Alterations – Castle Couture

August 28, 2024August 28, 2024

How to Prep for Your Bridal Alterations: A Comprehensive Guide

Preparing for bridal alterations can be a thrilling yet daunting part of your wedding planning journey. Whether you’ve picked out a stunning couture bridal gown or a more modest option from a local bridal shop,such as Castle Couture, getting the fit just right is crucial. Here’s everything you need to know about prepping for your bridal alterations to ensure your gown fits like a glove on your big day.

Understanding the Alteration Timeline

One of the most important aspects of bridal alterations is timing. Alterations typically require 8 to 12 weeks to complete, so it’s essential to start this process early. This timeline allows your seamstress to make the necessary adjustments and ensures there’s ample time for any additional tweaks.

Keep in mind that most bridal alterations require 3 to 4 fittings. Each fitting is an opportunity for your seamstress to refine the details and make sure the gown fits beautifully. Booking your appointments well in advance will help you avoid last-minute stress and ensure that your alterations are completed on time.

What to Bring to Your Fittings

When heading to your bridal alterations appointments, it’s important to come prepared. Here’s a checklist of items to bring along:

Undergarments: Wear the same type of undergarments you plan to use on your wedding day. This includes bras and shapewear. These items can significantly impact how your gown fits and drapes, so it’s essential they are included in the fittings.
Shoes: Bring the exact shoes you plan to wear with your gown. The heel height will affect the length and overall fit of your gown, so your seamstress needs to see them to make the proper adjustments.
Accessories: If you have any accessories such as a veil, belt, or jewelry that you plan to wear, bring them along. Accessories can affect the look and fit of your gown, and incorporating them into the fittings will help ensure a cohesive look.

Staying Open-Minded and Trusting Your Seamstress

The process of altering a bridal gown is a collaborative effort between you and your seamstress. It’s natural to have a vision of how you want your gown to fit, but it’s also important to stay open-minded and trust your seamstress’s expertise. Bridal alterations often involve adjustments that may initially seem minor but make a significant difference in the overall fit and appearance of your gown.

It’s also worth noting that it’s perfectly normal for your gown to feel slightly large in certain areas during the early stages of the fitting process. Your seamstress will use these initial fittings to assess and make necessary changes, ensuring the final fit is impeccable.

Finding the Right Bridal Shop

When looking for a bridal shop, whether you’re searching for “bridal stores near me” or specifically “bridal shops in NJ,” choosing a reputable one is key. Opt for a luxury bridal shop or a store specializing in couture bridal gowns to receive high-quality service and expertise in handling intricate designs and fabrics.

Are You Ready?!

Preparing for your bridal alterations is a crucial step in ensuring your wedding gown fits perfectly on your special day. By understanding the importance of the alteration timeline, coming prepared with the right undergarments, shoes, and accessories, and trusting your seamstress, you can ensure a smooth alteration process. With a bit of preparation and patience, you’ll be able to enjoy your bridal gown fitting experience and walk down the aisle in a gown that fits you like a glove.

Happy planning and best wishes on your journey to the altar!

February 29, 2020June 25, 2020

How to Get Ready for Prom

What’s the most wonderful time of the year here at the Castle? That’s easy: it’s prom season! Prom season is in full effect for us and we want to have you join in on the fun. Here we are going to walk you through the steps necessary to help ensure you have the most amazing prom night!

Finding the Perfect Prom Dress

Prom dress shopping can certainly be overwhelming. There are thousands of gowns to choose from at Castle Couture and to be able to pick only one is super stressful (especially when all of them are so beautiful!) So, let’s start with our tips and tricks for finding the perfect gown.

At Castle Couture you do not make an appointment to shop for your prom dress. This is ideal because you can come at any time of the day and work around your schedule. Finding time to do anything as a junior or senior in high school is hard enough; finding a prom dress should be enjoyable and not at all add to your busy schedule. Because it is on a first-come, first-served basis, we always recommend coming first thing in the morning (even more so on weekends!). This way, you probably will not have to wait and can walk right into our prom boutique.

Research your prom gown style — *Research your prom style*

First, we suggest doing a little research online before you come to our store. This can be done by checking out our website or even our Instagram page to give you some ideas and show you different styles of prom gowns. When you arrive at our store, you will be matched with a prom stylist whom you can show your images to. This is extremely helpful for the stylist because she can begin by pulling prom gowns for you to try on that are similar to what you are showing her and then work from there. Our prom boutique has thousands of gowns in stock that can be purchased the day of your visit. This is fabulous because you get to take the gown you fall in love with home that day!

Second, we know it is a race within the schools to buy your gown first, due to the fact that you do not want someone else to have the same dress. We completely understand this, but, when it comes down to it, you should never settle for something you do not love. If the gown that you fell in love with happens to be someone else’s gown as well, that only means you both have amazing taste! Celebrities in Hollywood often wear the same gown, so totally do not stress over wearing the same gown as someone who is not even in your friend group!

Another major tip we always give our prom girls is to not worry about what others think or what others are wearing. Many times throughout a weekend we will hear our prom shoppers say they’re worried about what a friend group or boyfriend/girlfriend will think and we always remind them to wear whatever makes them feel beautiful! Prom is a time where you can wear something fun and different, so the only opinion that will matter when you look back at your photos in ten years is your own.

Add an Accessory!

Now that you have the most stunning prom dress in your high school, it’s time to top off the look with some accessories! Downstairs at Castle Couture, we offer an array of beautiful prom accessories that will pull your entire look together. Accessories are something that can be purchased anytime before the big day, but we recommend shopping the same day you bought your prom gown as you have the gown right in your hand! Accessories can range from a beautiful evening bag, which is glamorous and the perfect size for the necessities of prom night, to jewelry that will allow the lights from the hall to dance off of your gems all night long.

Let’s Get Glammed!

Now that you found the perfect prom dress and accessories, let’s talk about how to get the perfect hair and makeup. You should try and book an appointment with your hair and makeup artist about three months in advance to ensure you get the date and time that you’d like. You must remember that hundreds of girls will be looking to book the same date and approximate time that you want. To ensure you get first pick, the earlier to call is the better!

Some of our favorite looks for prom would include a neutral, smoky eye and a beautiful, glossy lip. A neutral, smoky eye will give you that full glam look that, perhaps, your favorite influencers look to accomplish but without looking too much out of your element! As for hair, it really depends on your gown. A high-neck gown pairs beautifully with a slicked-back ponytail while a strapless dress and huge Hollywood curls are a lovely match.

Fitted to Perfection

Now that you have your gown and your hair and makeup appointment is booked, it’s time to get fitted! We recommend booking an alterations appointment for your prom dress as soon as possible. Because hundreds of girls are getting their gowns fitted to them around the same time, seamstresses and tailors will be booking up fairly quickly. Once you have your alterations appointment, bring your shoes and undergarments to your first fitting! When you arrive prepared, you can be taken care of immediately and have your gorgeous gown fitted to your body perfectly.

Don’t Forget About the Flowers!

Flowers always seem to be the one thing people tend to overlook. Whether it is for a day as large as their wedding or as exciting as their prom, it seems to be a detail easy to neglect. We suggest finding a corsage and boutonniere that will complement your and your date’s attire. Placing this order a few weeks before the date of your prom is the safest bet so you can make sure the florist has enough time to fulfill your and your date’s order.

Happy Prom Day!

The key to having the perfect prom day is to relax and prep everything beforehand. When the day comes there is only so much you can alter, so you have to go with the flow and enjoy your day! Make sure to leave yourself with lots of time so you can soak everything in and remember this day for the rest of your life. We sat down with Nicole Brain from our prom department and asked her what tips she would give to someone in order to ensure a smooth prom day. “Leave all your stress and negativity at home. This is supposed to be an effortless and most amazing time of your life. You only have a junior/senior prom once, so make sure to make the most of it! Take lots of photos. This way, you can look back at all the great memories you have made.”

Send all your prom looks over to our Instagram page @castlecouture and tell us how you will be prepping for prom.

February 22, 2020June 25, 2020

Wedding Dress Timeline: From Shopping to Alterations

Your designer bridal gown will be custom-made for you

Wedding Dress Timeline: I’m Ready to Buy My Gown, What’s Next?

Congratulations! You are finally shopping for the wedding dress of your dreams. We’re sure you have a million questions, but, no worries, we have your back. This week we’re going to go over everything you need to know when it comes to the time frame of dress shopping.

When Do I Start Wedding Dress Shopping?

The ideal time to begin wedding dress shopping would be about one year before you tie the knot. Now, this may sound like it is too soon, but you’ll understand why shortly. Gowns can take about nine months to arrive and you still need time for slight alterations as well as steaming and pressing of your bridal gown. Brides come to Castle Couture to find the wedding gown of their dreams and these gowns are created by some of the most fabulous – and busy – bridal gown designers in the world, like Matthew Christopher, Allure Bridals, and Stephen Yearick. After you fall in love with one of our designers’ gowns, we will place the order straight to the designer’s warehouse.

Each gown order we place is custom-made for you. This means the fabric is cut based on your body measurements and in the colors you requested (which is why our bridal gowns are considered final sale). It takes time to cut the fabrics, create the gown, and add any custom beading or appliques the bride may have requested. Most gowns (not all!) are made overseas, so once you factor shipping into this process that can easily be an additional four to six weeks.

Bring your shoes and undergarments to your Try on Gown appointment

My Dress Came In, Now What?

So exciting! The gown in which you will be starting your “happily ever after” has arrived. The next step would be to set up your “Try On Gown” appointment, commonly known as your TOG. This appointment is your chance to check out your beautiful gown, show your family, and make sure that everything is perfect. At this appointment, we suggest bringing the undergarments that you plan on wearing the day of your wedding as well as your heels. This is not an alterations appointment, but it is an opportunity to meet with our fabulous seamstresses who have worked on endless couture gowns and have years upon years of experience! At your TOG, a seamstress can give you a quote as to how much your alterations may be, based on the gown, beadwork, and any custom work you may want to be done to the dress.

Let the Alterations Begin!

Starting alterations means you are that much closer to the big day! Alterations should be started about three months before you say, “I do.” The reason is that this is most likely the closest your body is going to be to how it will look the day of your wedding, yet still allow for the alterations to be finished in time. Be prepared to have an average of three to five fittings. This is because your first appointment is simply to chat with the seamstress, get pinned, and explain what your goals are for the gown. We chatted with one of our alterations department supervisors, Jess Tolwinski, to get her advice for any brides that are about to begin the alterations process. “I always recommend bringing a friend or family member with you that you really trust. There are a lot of decisions that need to be made when it comes to how the gown will look and having someone help you is always a great feeling. This is your big day and making sure you look absolutely perfect is always our goal,” explained Tolwinski.

Once alterations are complete, the bride will typically pick up her gown about two to three days before the wedding. This is so the gown is steamed and stuffed to perfection and will be flawless when removed from the white garment bag on the wedding day!

If you enjoy informational blogs like this let us know! Email us at PR@castlecouturenj.com and tell us what you want to learn about next.