Everything you need to understand alterations at Bridesmaid by JB, why they may be required, how to re-check your fit at home, what information our production team needs to assess your dress, and what happens next.
If something does not feel quite right when you try on your dress, please do not panic or arrange independent alterations before contacting us. There is always a solution and we are here to help you through to the wedding day. Start by following our at-home assessment process below so our production team can understand exactly what you are seeing and advise you properly.
An alteration is a specialist adjustment made to an existing garment to improve its fit. Our experienced production team carefully reconstructs the required area before re-sewing the dress using the same methods as its original manufacture, ensuring the finished garment retains the same appearance, construction and quality as when it was first made.
Read the full guideMade-to-measure significantly reduces the need for major alterations, but it cannot account for changes that naturally occur after your measurements have been signed off. Throughout our 14–16 week production lead time, it is perfectly normal for body measurements to fluctuate. Weight loss or gain, hormonal changes, pregnancy, changes in shoe height and natural changes to the female body can all influence how your dress fits by the time it is delivered, despite it being handcrafted to your confirmed measurements.
Learn moreOur alteration process begins with a simple at-home assessment. Before contacting our production team, please refer to your Aftercare Brochure, compare todays body measurements with your signed-off production measurements, and then please submit clear photographs and/or videos of any areas of concern. This enables us to accurately assess your dress and recommend the most appropriate next steps..
View the processAlteration pricing reflects skilled labour, garment construction, unpicking, recutting, rebuilding, pressing, fitting and quality control. Some adjustments require several stages before the dress is finished again.
Understand pricingTry the dress on correctly with the exact shoes you were measured in, re-measure the relevant areas and take clear photographs or videos showing exactly what you would like us to assess.
What we need from youAnswers to the most common questions about the alterations process, leadtimes, weight loss, pregnancy, stretch allowance, seam allowance, using an external seamstress and much more.
Browse FAQsAn alteration isn't just taking something in or up. It's reconstructing part of a handmade garment and then rebuilding it to the same standard it was originally made. Unlike many companies who outsource alterations to external seamstresses, every Bridesmaid by JB alteration is completed by the same specialist production team who handmake our dresses from scratch. This means we understand exactly how each garment has been constructed, allowing us to reconstruct and re-sew it using the same techniques and standards as its original manufacture.
A made-to-measure garment is produced using the measurements supplied and agreed at the relevant point in your order journey. It is not the same as a live body casting, and it cannot account for changes that may occur after measurements are confirmed.
Because every Bridesmaid by JB gown is handmade in-house to the measurements confirmed on your order, our first step is to understand what has changed, where the fit concern is and how the dress is performing on the body.
Before assessing the fit of your dress, it is important that it is worn exactly as intended. Wear the underwear and shoes that you were measured in. Step into the dress rather than pulling it over your head, then gently pull it into position using the side seams. Ensure the waistline sits in the correct position, the skirt sits evenly with the side seams aligned with the side of your body (fitted skirt shapes), and the shoulders are sitting comfortably. Take a few moments to adjust and settle the garment on your body before assessing the fit, as the correct positioning of the dress can make a significant difference to how it looks and feels.
If you have a concern about the fit of your dress, compare your current measurements with the signed-off production measurements used to handmake your garment. Re-measure the relevant area(s), referring to our Measuring Guide if required. This allows our production team to accurately assess any differences and determine the most appropriate next steps.
Show the full dress as well as detailed close-up photographs of the area(s) of concern. Where possible, include front, side and back views, together with a short video showing how the dress fits and moves when worn. Combined with your updated measurements from Step 2
Complete our Alterations Request Form within 28 days of delivery or collection of your order. Upload your measurements as of todays date, photographs and/or videos, and explain exactly what you would like us to assess.
Providing this information allows our production team to complete a comprehensive assessment using your signed-off production measurements, order details, and the photographs and measurements you have submitted. This enables us to accurately identify the cause of any fit concerns and recommend the most appropriate solution. Please allow up to 48 working hours for your submission to be reviewed. Once our assessment is complete, we will contact you with our findings and the recommended next steps..
Once your request has been reviewed, we will tell you whether the garment needs to be returned to us, what we believe is required and how to proceed. This means the correct team can review the issue before any alteration work begins.
Customers often see the final visible cost rather than the specialist craftsmanship required to achieve it. The amount being altered does not reflect the amount of work involved. Even reducing a hem by just 1.5cm requires the garment to be carefully dismantled, reconstructed and re-finished using the same methods as its original manufacture, ensuring it is returned looking exactly as it did before the alterationk
Pricing is based on the actual garment construction and work required, not simply the number of cm/inches being changed.
To carry out a fair and accurate assessment, we rely entirely on the information submitted to us. If measurements, photographs or other details are inaccurate or do not reflect the dress as it is currently being worn, this may result in an incorrect assessment, unnecessary delays or avoidable return costs. We therefore ask that all information provided is honest, accurate and completed carefully so that our production team can recommend the most appropriate solution. Our assessment is based on objective measurements, not assumptions. By comparing your current measurements with the signed-off production measurements used to handmake your dress, we can accurately determine whether the fit has been affected by a change in body measurements or whether further investigation into the garment itself is required. The more clearly we can see and understand the concern, the more accurately our production team can advise you. Please work through the points below before submitting your request.
Step into the dress rather than pulling it over your head, then gently pull it into position using the side seams. Ensure the waistline sits in the correct position, the skirt sits evenly with the side seams aligned with the side of your body (fitted skirt shapes), and the shoulders are sitting comfortably. Take a few moments to adjust and settle the garment on your body before assessing the fit, as the correct positioning of the dress can make a significant difference to how it looks and feels
If the concern relates to the bust, waist or upper body, wear the bra, shapewear or underwear you expect to wear on the wedding day. Different underwear can considerably change how a made-to-measure dress sits.
Please re-measure the relevant area(s) rather than estimating or copying the measurements from your Aftercare Brochure. Providing accurate and up-to-date measurements is essential for our production team to carry out a fair and accurate assessment. Incorrect information may result in an inaccurate assessment, additional costs or delays in resolving your alteration request. Follow our measuring guide and keep the tape level and comfortably against the body.
Stand naturally and ask somebody else to take the photographs where possible. Include a full-length front, side and back view, followed by close-up images showing the exact area you are concerned about.
A video is extremely helpful where you might find the issue you have is difficult to demonstrate in a still image. Show us how the dress sits while standing naturally and, where relevant, what happens when you walk, sit or move and explain to us what would make the dress feel better.
Tell us exactly what feels wrong rather than simply writing “it doesn’t fit”. For example: You feel like it is loose at the waist, pulling across the hip, the straps are falling down, the bust gaping on the underarm, the dress feels too long or a particular area feeling too tight.
Alteration suitability depends on the design, seam allowance, stretch allowance, construction and how much change is required.
These answers are designed to help you understand what is technically possible and what can affect your final fit.
If you're unhappy with the fit of your dress, you'll naturally want to understand why and, more importantly, how it can be resolved. Providing your current measurements allows our production team to compare them against the signed-off production measurements used to handmake your dress, giving us the information needed to accurately identify the cause of your concerns. This comparison helps us determine whether the garment requires an alteration due to measurement fluctuation, whether the concern relates to personal fit preference, or, quite commonly, whether the dress simply requires repositioning on the body, avoiding an unnecessary alteration altogether. Your dress was individually handcrafted using the measurements confirmed for production, often up to five months before delivery. During this time, it is perfectly normal for body measurements to change. By comparing your measurements today with those originally used to make your dress, we can provide clear answers, appropriate guidance and recommend the most suitable solution for you
Please include clear, well-lit photographs of the dress being worn naturally. A full-length front, side and back photograph is helpful, followed by closer images showing the specific concern. Avoid holding, pinching or pulling the fabric unless you are also showing us what you believe needs changing, as we need to see how the garment sits naturally.
No. Please submit your alteration request first and wait for our instructions. Once the production team has reviewed your measurements and images, we will tell you whether the dress needs to be returned and provide the appropriate return guidance. We want to give you clarity and explinations regarding your concerns for peace of mind before you send your dress back to us
No. Most dresses can be altered to some extent, but there are limits. The available seam & stretch allowance, fabric type, style lines, all affect what is technically possible. A small adjustment may be straightforward while a large size change can require substantial reconstruction or may become a replacement.
No, unfortunately any area of a dress that requires to be bigger than was made would be a replacement. Some dresses can be partially replaced if there is a single area of concern, but if there is an overall fit concern then we would need to discuss a replacement dress. A remake or replacement may be safer than trying to force the original dress beyond its construction limits.
Seam allowance is the small amount of fabric that sits inside a garment beyond the visible stitch line, allowing the individual pieces of the dress to be professionally sewn together. Whilst every Bridesmaid by JB dress includes a ½" seam allowance as part of its original construction, this is a manufacturing requirement—not spare fabric designed to increase the size of the garment. Our dresses are handcrafted specifically to your signed-off measurements, and the seam allowance is carefully calculated against each individual pattern piece made for your order to achieve the correct fit, shape and construction of each design.
Our dresses are handcrafted from premium scuba crepe stretch fabric and are intentionally made smaller than the measurements (form fitting styles). This is known as stretch allowance (sometimes referred to as negative ease) and is what allows the fabric to gently stretch and sculpt to your body when worn. Depending on the design, silhouette and area of the garment, our patterns are carefully engineered with approximately 2–4 inches of stretch allowance. As a result, if you measure any area across the body horizontally with the finished dress laid flat, it will appear smaller than the body measurements it was made to. This is completely normal and is an essential part of how our made-to-measure dresses are designed to fit. For this reason, the finished garment measurements should not be directly compared with your body measurements, as the dress has been engineered to fit correctly when worn, not when measured flat.
If your body becomes smaller after measurements have been confirmed, the dress may require taking in. How much work is needed depends on where the change has occurred. Bust, waist and hip reductions do not always happen evenly, so the dress may require adjustment in more than one area.
Medication that results in significant or continued weight loss can materially change how a made-to-measure dress fits between measurement confirmation and the wedding. If you expect ongoing body change, please tell us as early as possible..
Pregnancy can change the bust, ribcage, waist, hip and abdomen, and the rate of change varies significantly from person to person and how far along you will be at the wedding. Please contact us as soon as you know that pregnancy may affect the fit of the dress we have made for you. Depending on timing and design, the safest option may be a skirt replacement to updated measurements and pregnancy ruching over the stomach or a full dress replacement.
A dress hem is measured relative to the floor. Even a small change in heel height can change whether the hem appears too long or too short. For that reason, the correct shoes or an identical heel height should be worn..
Underwear changes the body underneath the dress. A bra can lift or alter the bust position, shapewear can change waist and hip measurements, and padded or structured undergarments can affect the entire upper-body fit. Wear the intended underwear to any fitting where fit decisions are being made.
Yes. You are welcome to use an independent seamstress if you wish. However, once another person has altered, cut or unpicked the garment, responsibility for that alteration work rests with the person carrying it out. As the original designers and manufacturers of every Bridesmaid by JB dress, our production team understands exactly how each garment has been constructed. This enables us to carefully reconstruct and re-sew your dress using the same techniques and construction methods as its original manufacture, helping to preserve its original appearance, finish and quality wherever possible. If you choose to use an independent seamstress, we recommend selecting someone with experience in bridal and occasionwear who is able to assess the garment's construction before making any irreversible alterations.
Once you have submitted your measurements, photographs and/or videos, please allow up to 48 working hours for our team to review the information and get back to you. If we need the dress returned to us, we will provide the next steps after the initial assessment. The time required for any physical alteration will depend on the work involved and our current production schedule.
If you believe your dress requires alteration or there is a fit issue that you would like us to assess, you must notify us within 28 days of delivery or collection by completing our Alterations Request Form. Please do not wait until immediately before the 28 day period to contact us, as late notification may restrict the options available as we have a rolling 28 day alterations scheule within our production capacity.
Because the visible change is only one part of the job. To move a seam or shorten a hem, the garment may first need to be opened, internal layers removed, fabric reshaped, edges refinished, lining reset and the area rebuilt. Pricing reflects the labour and construction required, not simply the centimetres being changed.
Minor style adjustments may be possible, but changing a garment's fundamental design is different from a standard alteration. Turning one neckline into another, rebuilding a bodice or creating a substantially different silhouette may become a bespoke reconstruction and will be priced and assessed accordingly.
Keep the dress clean, dry and protected, ideally hung and away from direct sunlight, damp, pets, strong odours and anything that may snag the delicate fabric.
Heat should always be used cautiously, but our fabrics can be ironed carefully and steamed. Test from a distance, avoid prolonged direct heat and be especially careful when steaming with a hand held steamer on the wedding morning, water can spit out causing water stains
Transport the dress in a protective bag, avoid tightly compressing it for long periods and allow time after arrival for the fabric to relax by hanging it as soon as you arrive at your accomodation. Carry the dress with you where practical rather than placing it in checked luggage, especially for weddings abroad.
