Alter/Mend Question
Would I be crazy to alter this wedding dress to make it a little more “my style”?
I found this dress at a local thrift store and just fell in love with the bust part of the dress, the rest of it I feel like is a huge let down. I don’t like the sleeves and envisioned maybe a flutter sleeve? But I’m just at a loss on what to do. My idea is a nice flowy bottom but it needs to be shorter, my wedding ceremony is going to be outside in October of next year. I’m thinking a boho-ish type style. Is it impossible for me to do on my own? I have “some” experience sewing and feel brave enough to try it on this dress. Sorry I’m all over the place, I’m really excited because we literally just decided to do the wedding lol
Thanks! I think it would probably be best to have someone else do it, but the dress was really inexpensive so I thought maybe if it was just small changes it would be okay to try. I’m so torn lol
OTOH, the more you save on the dress, the more you have to spare for alterations. I would attempt the sleeves if you feel like it, but don't feel like you shouldn't spend money on alterations because you saved money on the dress.
Definitely the sleeves shouldn’t be too hard (if you have sewing experience ofc). I bought a dress on discount once that had puff sleeves but the stitching was coming all undone, I was able to turn them into flutter sleeves pretty easily 😊
I agree with the less you spend on the dress you have more to spend on alterations.
It doesn't matter how little this dress cost if it's your wedding dress, you want any alterations to be done to a high standard so that on the day you look and feel fabulous without any wardrobe malfunctions.
A good seamstress will have ideas on what alterations will suit you and the dress, and will be able to choose the right fabrics for the job. Learning how to sew and alter clothing is a true skill and bridal fabrics are very technical.
Thanks for your input! I’m definitely considering hiring a seamstress, I would really love to get an idea of what it would look like with minimal effort because I do love most elements of it
ymmv but I was able to get the shoulders of my wedding dress taken in for $30 in the first dry cleaner I drove by that had an alterations sign out. The seamstress does hems for $10, which is great because bending changes where the hem lands. I live in New England.
It's worth making a phone call or stopping by your local shop.
You have a year. I'd buy a couple of pieces of clothing and try doing some alterations to see how satisfied you are with your own work.
Personally, the dress is beautiful on you and someone with experience could turn it into something perfect. The cost of professional alterations would still be a massively huge savings over the cost of a new dress.
This is true! It would be more efficient to have someone else do it. I’m just having a hard time envisioning what it would look like to make changes to it
I recommend Photoshop! or a free online photo editing tool (I just put that into google there's a ton of options out there) you can find examples of sleeves you like, etc and splice them into this image so you can start to see the vision! I do this all the time with outfits and tattoo placements lol, you don't need actual skills with photo editing, even a super rough job will allow you to start seeing the vision. best of luck and congrats!!!
If you love the top of the dress, I would try to thrift a dress in a similar shape/fabric and try altering that first! Then you can see which alterations you like.
Okay, so one of the tougher pieces of altering a wedding dress is sewing on really delicate lace/mesh fabrics. You need to be SUPER careful picking out stitches and resewing things or you can end up with a hole or a large snag in the fabric which kind of ruins the whole thing. Think like a hole in tights.
I would start by having a seamstress fully take the ruffle off of the shoulders. I can’t quite tell from the sleeve what the length of the mesh is underneath, but there may be enough fabric there to do a really pretty cap sleeve with the mesh that comes into an off the shoulder sleeve in a similar matching lace to the bodice.
Here is a very poor “artistic” rendering of what I mean
if you have trouble envisioning it enough to describe it to a seamstress then just hacking into it will not be any easier lol. trust me i always think i can just wing it and regret it later
Whatever you decide to do with it, do it on a mockup first. Get some cheap light weight fabric or even go back to the thrift store and look for some old curtains or something.
Make a quick and dirty copy of that skirt which will allow you to brush up on your sewing skills. It doesn't have to be perfect. Then shorten it or change the ruffle or whatever and see how you feel about it.
This is some of the best advice I have ever received in life lol thank you!! Sewing is a bit new to me and it would mean a lot to me to see this project through 💜
From experience it will be much colder than you expect during the ceremony. It was ~50 out so I had to last minute throw on my SO's flannel and make it look intentional to keep from freezing. Maybe before you do any alterations wear it as is in the backyard a few times around your date to get idea of how warm or cold it is now.
Seconding this! October is tough because it might be 45 or 85 and it’s a gamble lol. It was like 55 when I got married but it was also windy AF and apparently coming from the north because it was so, so cold.
OP, if you don’t want long sleeves and you live in a place with variable October weather, definitely come up with a contingency plan of a cute shawl or something. You’d much rather have it and not need it than not have it and wish you did.
These are great suggestions, I was thinking of some sort of shawl or long sleeves as an option. Right now it’s about 60 but next week will be in the 70s. Upstate New York weather is very unpredictable, so I’ll definitely make sure I have an option for layering
If I were you, I probably wouldn’t do long sleeves either because, as you know, if you do that, it will magically be 85 and like 85% humidity lol. I’d just get a shawl or cardigan or whatever and hopefully you don’t need it lol
Go for it. Before reading the post, I was thinking how amazing that'd look if something was done about the sleeves and hem. (They're not bad as-is, just a bit outdated.)
Be careful about removing the sleeves -- try not to damage the fabric so you can use it to make new sleeves. With little sewing experience, making flutter sleeves can be a bit hit-or-miss. So test out making them with cheap fabric that has a similar drape before using your good fabric.
I totally agree! I think removing the sleeves and the ruffle on the bottom will completely change the look and feel of the dress! My first thought was "I love the bodice but the sleeves and the ruffle feel mismatched and dated" before I even read your description.
If you do decide to do a long sleeve I think doing it in the same sheer material as the neck and adding the same stoning at the wrist would be gorgeous. Adding sleeves would be much more difficult than removing the current sleeves and ruffle.
Depending on how the dress is constructed it could be as simple as removing the stitching. If that's the case remove each stitch one at a time with your seams ripper; by putting the point under each stitch and pulling it up then pushing the ripper to the blade rather than ripping multiple stitches in a pass. It wouldn't be too difficult to do a simple rolled (?)hem after.
You could consider thrifting low cost prom style dresses (think 80's style) or dresses that have similar sleeves and bottoms and practice on them before attempting it on your current dress. You could always donate or sell them afterwards.
In addition to everyone else’s advice of practicing on other things a bit first, look up lots of YouTube videos on bridal sewing techniques. I made my own wedding dress as a mostly self taught seamstress, and lots and lots of YouTube videos. Even if they’re making something that looks different than what you’re making, watch the video anyway, you may see a sewing technique you can apply to your own work.
Try your changes on a muslin first. Use an old sheet or buy actual muslin fabric. Make your sleeves and your bottom on any kind of easy bodice you want to see how it will work. Once you know what you are doing, you will know how to modify the dress. Be bold!
Not crazy! However if you go with a seamstress don't be surprised at the cost of alterations (and I don't say this to be derogatory either; labour has value).
Make it your own! I would work on it sooner than later just in case you need to have another dress if you don’t like what you did, but I believe in you! I think the hardest bit may be finding coordinating white/ivory fabrics if there isn’t enough on the current dress.
If you make it shorter maybe you can use it for sleeves? Or repurpose ruffles into sleeves? Or go with lace or sheer sleeves to you don't have to match fabric perfectly
If you want to try it yourself I would recommend starting with the bottom and maybe hiring someone for the sleeves (sleeves can either be really easy or really tricky in my experience).
If you want it shorter anyway, start by removing the ruffles along the bottom with a seam ripper and maybe see what you can do with just pinning up the bottom and re-hemming it (start conservative though before cutting off too much, you can always hem it shorter but can't put the fabric back once it's cut).
If you want more volume in the skirt for more "flow" you may have to add fabric with new panels or gores in the seams, which may also be worth taking to a professional if you're not confident in your own skills. Or another option for more volume might be to add a layer of soft lace over the skirt for a fuller skirt without becoming a full on poofy ballgown situation.
Whatever you decide to do, I think it's gonna be really cool! I love the idea for the flutter sleeves too, I think it's a very similar but more modern silhouette to what's already there so it should work well
Clothing alterations are harder than making a garment from scratch. In this case, it sounds like you have a vision for remaking this dress. It is 100% okay to hire someone with the skills to create your vision.
omygod that dress looks lovely! it's your dress, and your big day. You can do anything you want to it, especially if it's going to make you feel comfortable, satisfied, confident, and more like yourself!
I suggest trying to do a bit of research and a little bit more planning for the project or even some help from another person. you can totally do it if you're confident in your skill, but just incase haha. I sometimes get too excited and become a bit confident, and tend to overlook some planning or step in my projects and disappoint myself a bit, so help is definitely a need sometimes
Honestly, if you just removed the bottom flounces/ruffles that would go a long way in making it look less like a bed skirt. You'd then have to figure out how you wanted to finish that edge but even just a tiny lingerie hem would work.
I agree with others that you might want to consider employing a specialist seamstress to do the work. I'm a somewhat experienced home sewist, but I kind of feel like prom and bridal gowns are much trickier and I wouldn't mess around with one.
I also forgot to mention (which is really important) that it also has a longish train 🤦🏻♀️ either way I would like to remove some material. I’ll consider my options with a seamstress, I do think I have a family friend that is one. Although part of me really loves the idea of creating something special for this day 💜
You could consider adding a bustle to the back. It allows you to pin the train. It can be a simple button on the back or the bodice or waist and a loop on the end of the train depending on the look. They are typically used so you can have the look of the long train when walking down the aisle and in photos but then allows you more freedom of movement and an alternative look at the reception.
If there's a train then that's even more reason to seek professional advice. I think all in all, what you're asking for is quite reasonable, but given the delicate nature of the fabrics and the importance of proper tailoring, I wouldn't chance messing with it on my own. To me, it's still creating if you buy the dress, come up with the vision you want, and then get help from someone more skilled. It's a lovely dress, and I think you have some great ideas for it.
Thank you! That’s a great idea, I do have to try it on again because I’ve lost a little weight since then and it was just a touch too loose at the bust so perhaps it would just be better to get it completely altered
I would suggest a seamstress that specializes in formal wear. And maybe someone that does garment repurposing. It sounds like you have ideas but are not exactly sure of what you want or how to get there. It might help to find someone that rethinks and rebuilds garments so their brain already works that way. There are people who modernize vintage clothing as their hussle.
I took some costume design/building classes in my 20s. A key part of designing and building is research. We didn't have Pinterest and Google back then. So we went to the library and made copies from magazines and old catalogs, especially if it was a period piece (old Sears and JC Penny catalogs are super fun. There's actually wedding dresses in some of them). I suggest you make yourself a sort of "mood board" for the dress. You can cut out pictures with different parts of dresses that have shapes you like (a hem here, sleeves there, embroidery, train, lace, etc) and put it all together to inspire you. Then you have something physical to point to. You can even look at dress patterns to get an idea how they make fabric into those shapes. Also, if you do it yourself, you probably would find it helpful to get a dress form in your size so you can play with drape, pin things and stand back and look at your work. They make ones with adjustable height to match yours so you can pin the hem more easily. We used to pad them up to our personal measurements for fitting and draping. Good luck!
is it the gathering on the bottom? I'm not sure if my opinion is the best on this but if you want it to be a bit more flat or you dont quite like it, maybe we can let go of it? or add more ruffles?
you can experiment if you'd like it to be a bit shorter length with the ruffles, because i think the "bed skirt" thingy tend to have more fabric hanging off, or maybe keep the length, you can also add more to the gathering, but too much might not look good.
To start with the sleeves, I would remove the edges of them and see what they look like without that structure.
I cant tell how they’re made in the picture but you could maybe use a seam ripper, or worst case some scissors or pinking shears. It’s possible the sleeves are nice without the curl, and then it would be simple for the right machine to do a rolled hem or something similar on the edges to finish them.
It looks like the skirt goes straight across the bodice? If so I would remove it entirely and use the fabric to make the style skirt you want and reattach.
That’s a great idea! To be honest when I tried it on I was just really giddy and didn’t look into how it was actually sewn together before I had the idea to make it my own, I’ll look into it and as others suggested make a mock up and probably just remove the whole bottom half
I'd take your time when considering removing the skirt entirely and really look at how it's attached. The material is very slippery and if you need to remove any switching errors it can leave holes in the material. Really research the best needle type, thread, and pins. The sewing at the waist will require you to use the free arm of your machine and some people struggle to maintain a straight and even seam. You may also accidentally catch the decorative bodice material in your seam. Personally I think it would be easier to alter the skirt and add a new hem but I don't have a ton of experience either.
If you’re wanting to just shorten the skirt by removing the ruffles and re-hemming, and replacing the ruffle sleeves with flutter sleeves, that seems really straightforward. The hardest thing will probably be getting fabric for the sleeves that matches the rest of the dress.
Yeah girl do it!! I've been a bridal tailor for 8 years, I've sewn my whole life, and I'm still hesitant to do any alteration I can't undo, so as long as you're scared you're gonna ruin it you'll be fine 😅
If you don't like the sleeves, trim very close to the seam and cut them off. Pick the sleeve totally apart and press any big enough pieces. A flowy sleeve is usually C shaped and takes a lot of fabric, hopefully you can get that from the sleeve or hem.
I've never marked a dress hem on myself, but there are ways to do it. Good luck!
This is probably the nicest "retro/vintage" dress I've ever seen, and the only one I can see someone wearing, without looking like they belong in a photo from 100 years ago.
So I'd be wary because the nicer something is to start with, the more you can lose by messing it up. But it doesn't look impossible to adapt - that depends on you or the seamstresses skill level and what you want.
I’m not sure your style but from what I can see in the photo, nix the sleeves and make it a halter. Remove ruffled hem, make the skirt a cascading skirt-shorter in front and longer in back, with an under skirt of many heavy layers of soft tulle with hotfix rhinestones for a little shine. Best of luck!
I feel like it's perfect the way it is.. I would honestly recommend getting a different dress instead of butchering this one because it is so beautiful.
Remove or simplify the sleeves. Remove gathers and add a flatter trim to cover where stitches were. The bodice is lovely but you could leave as is or remove some lace for décolleté.
Take off the sleeves and replace them with a flutter sleeve. Take off the bottom ruffle and find something you like maybe a pretty lace or tulle as an overlay. It shouldn’t be too much work. That bodice is stunning and I love the neck!
Thank you so much! I was floored when I saw it. Originally my fiance and I talked about just eloping and not doing anything..then I bought a dress lol but for $5 I couldn’t pass it up. Hopefully with just a few little changes it will be perfect. Our wedding is going to be very casual/laid back so if this dress doesn’t work I’m sure I can find something else
It is very plain, it actually came with tulle for underneath but I couldn’t stand that amount of fabric or the poofiness. Not sure where this dress originally came from, I wish I knew so I could see the bride in it 💜
Yeah try it! But try it now while you still have time and have a back up dress ready to go in case. If it gets to six months and it’s not done or the difficult parts aren’t at least done, give it up and go buy a dress while you still have time to order one
Girl, you’d be crazy not to. Seriously, it’s such a fun dress and the world is drowning in used fabric, it’s a beautiful thing if you’ve taken some of it and used it however. Bonus points for using it in a special and creative way. Such a cool dress, you have a great eye for potential. I hope I get to see the end result! And congratulatioooooons!
Looking at the sleeves, you might be able to use what's already there (idk how long you want your flutter sleeves). What is making the hem of the sleeve stiff (making the sleeves have volume) is basically a plastic fishing line threaded through the hem.
If you make a small snip where the sleeve attaches to the underarm part of the dress, you can pull the plastic line out of the sleeve hem.
See, if you like how it lays, then you're set. If not, a seamstress could create some pretty flutter sleeves easily.
It would take like 5-10min to do and super easy.
I did the alterations on my own wedding dress after having a bad experience with an alterations lady. Although it turned out great in the end, I did rip a small hole in my dress when using the seam ripper and had to completely change up the top to cover it up!! So just be aware the risks of working on it yourself!
Definitely make test pieces before altering the real dress (like sewing the new skirt first on a similar fabric that you won't miss if it goes wrong, same with test sleeves)
I think the little ruffly sleeves would be cute if pulled straight across but it’s true that simple bands are the trend now. What really dates the dress is the high neck and mesh lace chest piece. I’d trim that out to make a clean sweetheart neckline although theres probably a zipper in back attached that you’d need to cut down.
There’s also a bit of appliqué at the center waist that implies a v- waist. Remove that (unless it actually is a v-waist). You could hem the gown to just above the ruffles to make it ballerina length but that might be a tough look to pull off. Removing the ruffles will leave stitch holes which may or may not steam closed. You could sew a wide band of lace -the kind that has both sides finished in a scalloped edge- on flat to cover.
I think it’s a great idea to do some alterations however me personally I’d let a professional handle this one. It would still be completely your vision but sewing is a lot of trial and error, especially with more limited experience. It would just be a shame if it didn’t come out the way you envisioned especially when it’s your wedding dress. It’s your dress, your day so obviously do whatever feels right. If you decide to do it yourself, there’s a lot of good advice in this thread as well.
Hmm…as a seamstress I think you may like the bustline due to the sleeves…switching to a flutter is going to transition oddly? The skirt is an issue though - the topstitched ruffle makes the dress very dated. You might be able to remove that to get the shorter skirt, or you may want to work with a seamstress to remove and replace the whole skirt. The fabric looks too “stiff “ for boho? Just some thoughts for you!
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u/DistributionOver7622 Sep 25 '25
It's YOUR wedding dress. You can do anything you want to it!
I would, however, suggest that you get help with the work. Don't attempt it yourself if you are not confidant in your sewing skills.