Your Top Prom Dress Alterations Questions — Answered!
Sequins & glitter & tulle, oh my!
But unlike Dorothy, we don’t feel lost in a wood.
Prom season is in fuller than full swing and we’re getting a lot of questions about all things prom alts.
So we thought we’d take a minute to go through some of the biggest questions and give a thorough answer to each of them!
Do all prom dresses need alterations?
How long do prom dress alterations take?
What can a seamstress change about my prom dress?
How does the process for prom dress alterations work?
How much do prom dress alterations cost?
What if I don’t like it when it’s finished?
Good questions, right? Scroll on down to get the scoop!
But first…
Wearing a suit to prom?
Take a look at our previous 2 part series about all the different suit alterations and what they mean!
Now without further ado!
Do all prom dresses need alterations?
Alright, you initially might be thinking, “will I even need prom dress alterations?” And you might not! But you would be one of the lucky ones! Most likely, there will be something about the dress that’s not quite perfect, and you’ll need a seamstress’s touch.
First off all, we don’t always perfectly fit the standard manufactured dress sizes. Or, not every part of us does. Maybe the waist fits, but the chest is too big. Or the chest fits nicely, but the straps are too long so the bodice is hitting you in a funny place. Or maybe you adore the dress overall, but there’s just one detail you’d prefer to be different.
Very likely, there will be something that needs altering. And even if everything about the dress is exactly as you dreamed and it fits you like a glove… it’s probably too long. In fact if there is just one thing we’re altering on a prom dress, nine times out of ten, it’s the length.
So unless you opt for taller shoes (at 4’ 11”, I’d need stilts for most standard dress lengths!), you’ll want to trim that up. Maybe even bustle it! And what is a bustle you ask? We’ll get into that in a following section.
If there isn’t anything aesthetically you want to change about your dress, how do you know if it fits you well?
Other than the obvious “too big” or “too small”, there may be some less-obvious fit adjustments you’ll want to make.
A great strategy is to simply spend some time in your dress at home, and do all the things you would do on the day of prom. Try sitting for a bit, walking more than a couple steps, raising your arms, and even a little dancing! Is anything uncomfortable when you do these things? Does anything move out of place? It’s quite likely all these issues can be fixed by a tailor.
How long do prom alterations take?
The amount of time a seamstress or tailor will need to complete you prom dress alterations, at least in our Cedar Rapids alterations shop, comes down two things:
How busy the shop is
If you pay a rush fee
Clothing alterations is a seasonal industry, especially if you work on formalwear. For us, we start to get busy with both prom and wedding alterations starting as early as mid February. The warmer the weather gets, the busier we continue to get. So as we continue through March and into April and May, our lead time continues to grow due to the amount of work we need to get through.
If you are mega-on top of your prom attire and already have your dress in January or early February, you may only need to wait 2 weeks to have your dress finished. Now in mid-March we’re quoting 3 weeks. Once April comes, we might be quoting 4 weeks. That starts to get tight if you have an early May prom date.
Does that mean if you don’t have your initial fitting by the end of March that you’re stuck? Not at all!
That is where the rush option comes in.
For an additional fee, we can get your prom alterations done in as little as a couple days or up to a week. We have come to the rescue on quite a few occasions!
What can a seamstress change about my prom dress?
So we already mentioned shortening the length, adjusting straps, and resizing. But there are many more changes and alterations you could make to your prom dress.
Some more common prom dress alterations:
Adding bust cups
Changing a zipper to a corset back
Tacking a neckline in place
Adding a privacy screen
Lowering arm holes
And a few less-common alterations:
Changing a lining layer
Reshaping the bust
Shortening the bodice
Adding a bustle
We told you we’d get back to the bustle 😉
A bustle is the inconspicuous and sometimes artistic style of temporarily drawing up the train of a gown using a system of buttons, snaps, and/or ties. This allows you to have your cake and eat it too. Or rather, have your train and not trip on it. Now a bustle is something that is usually exclusively associated with wedding dresses, as they are quite famous for having long trains trailing behind the dress.
However, more and more prom dresses over the past few years have been coming with a train! So with a bustle, you can enjoy the elegant train of prom dress for, say, photos and grand march, but then also enjoy the convenience of keeping that train out of the way when it’s time to dance. So yes, that’s right, bustles are not only for wedding dresses!
And of course there are still many more alterations that a seamstress can do for you. We actually have a whole dedicated blog post outlining all the possible alterations for prom dresses! Give that a read to become more familiar with all the changes your seamstress can make for you.
Further reading: All the Prom Dress Alterations and What They Mean
Ready for your prom dress consultation?
Schedule your fist appointment with us by calling 319-377-0751, or sending us a message on Facebook.
How does the process for prom dress alterations work?
The process that you’ll go through for your alterations will differ slightly from seamstress to seamstress
But to give a summary, here are the steps* you can expect to go through when getting your dress altered:
*NOTE: These steps are specific to our own tailoring shop, Merci’s Tailoring, because that is what we know. Be sure to ask your own seamstress or tailor what their specific process is, but it’s likely similar.
Choose your seamstress
Schedule your first appointment in time
Collect everything you need for your first appointment
the specific shoes & supporting garments you plan to wear with your dress
a list of what you want to change or achieve — print out any inspo photos
any extra adornments you want to add to your dress
any relevant consultation and/or rush fees (cash, check or card)
a deposit of $50-$100+ (cash, check or card)
Have your prom consultation
Have additional fittings as needed
Take your dress home!
We break into each of these steps in more detail in our last blog post. So go give that a read if you want all the nitty-gritty details!
Further reading: Prom Dress Alterations — What to Expect
And if you’re ready to schedule your own prom dress consultation, give us a call at 319-377-0751, or send us a message on Facebook.
How much do prom dress alterations cost?
Ah yes, the real question everyone wants answered. And yet, the question that seems the hardest to get a clear answer to!
This is because the cost can vary a lot, so it’s really difficult to give an answer that applies to everyone. We don’t want to give an answer that’s too high and scare someone away who only needs some straps altered. And we don’t want to give an answer that’s too low and someone with a large customization for their dress gets sticker shock at the register.
This means that we can only give an accurate estimate for the cost of prom dress alterations after we’ve seen the dress itself and how it’s constructed and we’ve discussed all the changes you want to make.
What we can do is give some averages and ranges.
These averages and ranges are specific to our shop in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, so of course, results may vary.
The average cost of prom dress alterations in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
On average, someone getting prom dress alterations will spend $140 in total at our shop
The lowest cost of altering a prom dress in our shop has been $25
The highest cost of altering a prom dress in our shop has been $450
The average cost of shortening a prom dress without applique is $82, and starts at $30
The average cost of shortening a prom dress with applique is $116, and starts at $100
The average cost of shortening a prom dress with horse hair braid is $135, and starts at $120
The average cost of taking in a prom dress is $65
*these totals reflect averages and ranges exclusively in our shop, Merci’s Tailoring for the 2023 prom season. These amounts are in no way an indication of how much your specific prom dress alterations may cost. Always schedule a consultation for pricing information specific to you and your alteration needs.
Lower cost prom dress alterations include simpler changes like shortening straps, adding a tack to a neckline, and a simple hem with few layers.
Higher cost prom dress alterations include more complex or custom alterations like replacing a zipper close back with a lace-up corset back, a wide and complex hem with many layers, or exchanging a lining layer for a different fabric.
For a full list of prom dress alterations and how their costs stack up against one another, check out this previous blog post where we do just that!
Further reading: All the Prom Dress Alterations and What They Mean
You may also find this blog post helpful where we break down two different wedding dress alterations and their costs. The variety of complexity in altering wedding dresses and how that impacts the cost at the tailor’s can be easily applied to prom dresses!
What if I don’t like it when it’s finished?
We can definitely understand this fear!
You spend all this time looking for the perfect dress, you go and alter it… and if you don’t like it?
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
This is why we start each project with a prom dress consultation. You come in, try on the dress with applicable shoes and support wear, we have a nice chit-chat about everything you want to change, we offer our advice, and do a full fitting.
We’ve been at this game a long time (over 30 years here in Cedar Rapids, in fact!), so we know all the right questions to ask to make sure we are clear on your vision. And equally importantly, we know what can and can’t be done, although we can do a lot. We’re not afraid to be honest and tell you something isn’t possible, or that it simply will not look ideal or match your vision. But we always leave the final choice up to you when it comes to the latter. If something isn’t possible, we will brainstorm with you and use our creativity to find a solution you’re happy with.
And we always do as many tweaks as are needed for it to fit you perfectly. We even have a guarantee. That’s how confident we are that you’ll feel like your dress was custom made for you!
*A couple limitations of note: 1) you must have the specific shoes and support wear for each of your fittings to ensure an accurate fit and to be eligible for our guarantee, 2) if we’ve completed all your alterations and you choose to go in a different stylistic direction, these will be considered additional alterations and come at an additional cost.
Do you have additional questions we didn’t address here? Give us a call at 319-377-0751 or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram!
