Understanding how wedding dresses are made will help you become a more educated shopper. Being an educated shopper ensures you buy something of quality and that will be able to fit you. Knowing how to spot quality is extra important when you are planning on getting a dress that will need alterations. A gown with good support and extra fabric will allow for you to make the adjustments necessary. If key quality aspects are lacking it can make alterations challenging, costly, or even impossible. Below is a simple list of facts to keep in mind while shopping. Hope this helps.
Materials
The materials in a wedding dress are integral in determining how the dress looks and feels on you. Fabric can affect whether or not your gown is wrinkly, how it hangs on your body, and if it is breathable or not. All of these things are important because how your gown looks in photos and how it feels on you are both things that will stay with you. Your wedding day should be one in which you get to have both comfort and style. Any lace or beading should be tied on, or hand sewn on. Anything that looks or feels glued will be extremely hard too alter if you are planning on alterations. Fabric choice one of the easiest way to save money on a dress is to buy a dress made of cheap fabric. This is probably one of the most common mistakes though. Your gown is going to put through the ringer. You will be wearing it for over 10 hours most likely and will have to be able to look great and feel great the whole time. Cheap fabrics rip easy, are much harder to alter with out ripping and also are uncomfortable to wear. This is where you here the horror stories of someone buying a gown online and when they put it on and feel the cheap fabric they can break down and cry
When looking for a high quality gown that does both pay attention to fabric and how each fabric feels on your skin, how it looks when you put it on, and how it flows. Good fabric will do exactly what it's supposed to do. If it is a chiffon or tulle, it should be light and flow. If it is a more structured gown, the fabric should hold and not fall after a few minutes.
Construction
Understanding construction is important because the way a dress is made highly impacts its ability to support you, and be altered. Wedding dresses are a bit different than your typical semi-formal dress. Formal gowns differ from ready wear in their construction because they should support you. The goal for wedding dresses is to not have to wear a bra with them, but be supported nonetheless.
Quick education on the construction of a gown. There are three areas of the body that can anchor your gown: the shoulders, the waist, and the back. Shoulder straps have the ability to both hold the gown up and in towards the body. The backs main function is to hold the gown into the body. In other words a higher back dress can help pull things in and feel more secure. Then the waist will primarily hold things up. For example, low back dresses are very popular, yet the back is a key area of support. These kinds of dresses must draw their support from either the hips or the shoulders since they are unable to draw from the back. This is why it is not often that you find a low back, strapless dress. But if you are looking for a low back dress, being aware of the internal structure will be helpful in ensuring you find something that will fit you well and still support you. The next part of the construction of the gown involves the fabric and layers of fabric. Have you ever tried on an outfit and it looked great but it did not feel great? This is because some gowns do not have something called interfacing. Interfacing reinforces, stabilizes, prevents sagging, gives shape and neatens, edges. This adds both body and comfort to a dress. So if you have a dress that is uncomfortable or maybe even just not flowing well it could be do to the lack of interfacing.
In short, you should be able to feel the difference of the internal structure in a wedding dress. This usually contains cups and boning, or some sort of a built in bra or corset. Each dress is different, but they should all have some way to support you, otherwise you will have to deal with your gown falling down all night. A good rule to follow when looking for quality is "it should look as pretty on the inside as it is the outside". If this is true of a dress, you can almost be certain that it was made well, and the better the dresses are made, the easier they are to alter and the better they look and feel.
Labor
Wedding dresses are pretty similar to any other garment in the fact that outsourcing will forever be the cheapest way to get it made. A general rule: less than $1,000 means the wholesale is about $500, and therefore labor is very cheap. If you are looking to buy a gown that is ethically or sustainably made, you can always ask the consultant about the designer of the gown and where their designs are made. There are actually quite a few designers that make their gowns domestically, which is often a good step in the right direction if you are looking for something ethical. However, if you can, the most labor conscious way to buy a wedding dress is through a designer who also makes their gowns in US.
Undergarments
We all know that every time you buy an outfit, much less a formal one, you have to think about what you can and can’t wear under it. We believe that wedding dresses shouldn’t require a bra, but have all the support built in. If you however, believe you will need a bra, there are a few ways to work around a traditional one. Construction is highly important in determining what you need under your gown. If you pick a dress with a built in corset or bra, undergarments shouldn't be an issue.
Hopefully this information can help simplify the complexities that are wedding dresses, while helping you be more informed than ever. We truly believe that an informed buyer is the best kind. Because you deserve to know what is best, and get what you love. You deserve quality and a well made gown that will flatter your body, no matter the type. Here are Renee Grace Bridal we work to make your dreams a reality for you. We bring our expertise and understanding of the details to every bride and every bride's vision, so you feel and look great on your wedding day.