PHOTOGRAPHER | Anya Kernes Photography

5. Trust but verify.

“When I bought my gown I was advised to order a size that seemed too big, but I trusted their judgment. When the gowns arrived my original suspicions were correct and they were too big! The seamstress told me that the gown couldn’t be altered properly without drastically changing the neckline because of the sleeves. It was now weeks before I left for my wedding and I was freaking out, to say the least.

I was sobbing with the seamstress in the dressing room. She was so kind and saw how upset I was. She told me that she had a friend who worked in manufacturing for this specific designer.

We met at a Starbucks and she told me that there was a gown in my size but it was meant for another bride. I hesitated because I just didn’t feel right taking another bride’s gown. The seamstress looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘They will make that bride a new one! You don’t have time!’ I took her advice and she had her friend swap the two gowns.

All-in-all, everything turned out fine in the end, but if it wasn’t for that amazing seamstress going above and beyond to help out a frazzled bride, my wedding day could have looked a lot different than I had imagined.” - Jacqueline married October 2015

OMG, this has to be one of the craziest mishaps we’ve ever heard! Going gown shopping can be overwhelming and of course, you would be inclined to trust the person helping you place the order. Our advice in this sticky situation is to trust but verify. It’s true that bridal sizing is different than regular ready-to-wear sizing, but inches don’t lie. Do the research yourself and compare your measurements to the designer’s size chart (which is normally available on their website or upon request) to determine which size you should order.

This story also teaches us another valuable lesson, be nice to your vendors...you never know who could be the one to save your big day!