Cheaper Dress Alterations for Maid of Honor and Bridesmaid Dresses

After the Maid of Honor has already shelled out vast amounts of cash for her dress, it just compounds the financial strain to then have to pay for alterations. And for some mysterious reason, almost every single Bridesmaid dress requires at least a minor alteration. Fortunately, there are a few tricks you can use to keep the cost of Maid of Honor dress alterations to a minimum.

Try to Avoid Alterations on the Maid of Honor Dress Altogether

There are a few things you can do to avoid having to do any alterations on the Maid of Honor dress. If successful, this is obviously your most budget-friendly option!

Order the right dress size. Bridesmaid dress stores are correct that it's much harder to alter a dress that's too small. As a result, Maids of Honor notoriously order one size too large and need to have several alterations made. As long as you're not just barely fitting into a given size, why order a larger dress than you need just to pay for alterations later on? On the other hand, be careful. It is harder to make a dress larger since there's just not enough fabric. If in doubt, get the bigger dress size.

Be careful with plans to diet. If you lose more weight than you expected, or if you gain weight, you may find yourself having the dress altered more than once.

Avoid having the Maid of Honor dress shortened by buying shoes with the appropriate size heel after you have the dress. If it's a bit too long, get bigger heels and vice versa.

Use a bra to make the dress fit better. If the Maid of Honor finds that the top of the dress is too small, skip the bra (if that works for her body type). If it's too big, why not get a slightly padded brassiere?

If you're really pressed for money, or time, using strategically placed safety pins on the dress can go a long way.

Remember, the Maid of Honor only needs to wear this dress for part of one day (and probably never again!). It doesn't need to fit perfectly.

If the Maid of Honor or Bridesmaid Dress Does Need Alterations...

While I wouldn't recommend this for the Bride whose dress is probably made of much more sensitive materials, of a more complex design, and of greater importance, the Maid of Honor can opt to have cheaper alterations done. If the dress absolutely needs alterations, skip the wedding boutique and find a local dry cleaners. Often they'll do alterations at a much more reasonable price. If you just need the dress shortened, for instance, this is a great option.

If the Maid of Honor dress does need to be altered, make sure that whatever the alterer is to do and approximately how much it will cost is clear up front. And please, don't wait too long to get the dress altered! The Maid of Honor has plenty to worry about without stressing over the dress not being ready for the wedding!

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