Wedding dress alterations

Your fittings with Debella

Debella will fit, pin and alter your dress herself, so you deal with the same person throughout.

You are welcome to bring someone with you — your mum, a bridesmaid, or whoever you would like there.

• A fitting or consultation normally takes around 1 hour.
• There are normally two separate fittings.
• Please bring the shoes you intend to wear with the dress, or a pair of a similar height. The heel height changes where the hem falls, so this is what lets the finished length be judged accurately. If you can, also wear or bring the underwear or shapewear you plan to wear on the day — it changes how the bodice sits, and it is the difference between a bodice pinned to the dress and one pinned to you.
• The dress is tried on, pinned or marked while you are wearing it, and assessed in person.
• We will give you an expected completion date at your consultation, once we have seen the garment and assessed the work required.

These are the normal arrangements rather than a fixed programme — individual dresses vary, and some need more or less than others.

Planning your alterations

• How far ahead to book: at least one month in advance
• Typical turnaround: around 2 weeks
• Your completion date: confirmed at the consultation, once the dress has been seen and the work assessed.

If your wedding is sooner than that, please get in touch anyway. Debella will look at the diary and tell you honestly what is possible.

Wedding suits are altered here too — grooms and groomsmen, including groups.

Booking ahead is about having room to fit the dress and do the work before the day — it is not how long the alteration itself takes.

What if my size changes?

Debella aims to complete the final alterations close enough to your wedding date to reduce the chance of the fit changing significantly. If you are concerned about a change in size, mention it at your fitting so it can be taken into account.

How we look after your dress

Your dress stays with us between fittings, so how it is looked after matters as much as how it is altered.

• The studio is insured, and garments are kept covered and securely stored while in our care.
• The studio is protected by intruder and smoke alarms and camera monitoring.

Final fitting and collection

When your dress is ready, you will normally be asked to try it on before taking it away. This allows the finished fit to be checked and gives us the opportunity to make any small tweaks if needed.