Ready-to-wear or made-to-measure wedding dress: what changes in practice

You try a ready-to-wear dress on yourself, with the fabric in your hands and in the light of the showroom. You judge a made-to-measure dress first from a sketch, a few swatches and a set of measurements. Almost every other difference follows from this. Understanding those differences will stop you choosing only on the assumption that “made to measure means better” or “ready to wear means simpler”.

What you can check on the spot, and what you have to imagine

With a ready-to-wear dress, you see exactly how the skirt falls as you move and how heavy the fabric is. You see how the bodice settles when you raise your arms and how the waist feels after an hour. You can take a few steps, sit down, climb a stair. These are simple checks, but they tell you more than any photograph.

With made to measure, some of these answers come later. A fabric swatch shows you the colour and texture, but not the volume of a full skirt. A sketch shows the line, not the weight. So when you order made to measure, ask for large swatches, handle the fabrics proposed and ask how they behave in a cut like yours. If there is a similar dress in the showroom, try it on: it gives you a real point of reference for the silhouette and for the way the fabric sits.

What “the size in stock” means

Each ready-to-wear dress comes in one particular size, and what is available can change; the sizes I mention below are those in the shop at the time of writing. If your size is not in stock, that does not automatically mean the design cannot be made. Some descriptions state explicitly that the design can be made to measure in other sizes; others say nothing on the matter.

One example: Love A44 is a long A-line dress in duchess taffeta with a V-neckline and a pleated skirt with pockets. It is in stock in a size 42 at 2000 lei, and its description notes that it can be made to measure in other sizes or shades. For Love A48 (2500 lei), a one-of-a-kind design in barbie crepe with hand-embellished embroidery, a train and long cuffed sleeves, the listing gives only a size 38. If you would like it in another size, ask the atelier directly what is possible rather than assuming.

Alterations: what can be done to a finished dress

You do not have to wear a ready-to-wear dress exactly as you find it. Bridal alterations usually cover things such as the hem length, the position of the straps, or taking in or letting out the waist and bust. How much can be altered depends on the cut, on how the seams are constructed and on how much fabric there is inside. Embroidery, lace and lining also affect what is possible: a design with hand-worked appliqués is altered differently from one in plain taffeta.

Say from the outset that you want to know what can and cannot be altered on that particular dress. A clear answer now is better than a surprise at the second fitting. For any specific design, the atelier will confirm this; I cannot tell from a photograph what alterations a dress will take.

The made-to-measure dress: what you decide

Ordering made to measure gives you control over the size, the shade and, on some designs, the details. It is not, however, a dress conjured out of nothing: you usually start from an existing cut and discuss what to change. The more clearly you know what you want (the neckline, the sleeves, the fullness of the skirt, whether there is a train), the shorter and more focused the conversation will be. I have described the stages of such a dress in the article on how a made-to-measure dress comes to life; here I will keep to what matters when you are choosing.

One thing worth bearing in mind is that there is no standard timescale. It depends on the design, the fabric, how many changes you ask for and the atelier’s schedule. Treat any figure you read elsewhere as a rough guide only. Ask when you book, then compare the answer with your wedding date, not the other way round.

Useful questions at the fitting

Whichever way you are leaning, these questions will help:

• What can be altered on this dress, and how would altering it change the look of the design?
• If my size is not in stock, can it be made to my measurements? If there is a difference in price, how is it handled?
• Which fabrics or shades can I choose from, and can I see the swatches in natural light?
• How many fittings are needed, and what do we check at each one?
• How does the dress wear over a whole day: sitting down, dancing, getting into a car?

If the dress has a corset, it is also worth reading what a corset supports and where it tightens, because support is one of the things you only really feel once you are moving.

How to choose between the two

There is no single right option for every bride. Ready to wear suits you if you have found a dress you love that fits you well on the spot, with only small alterations left to make. Made to measure makes sense if the size or shade you want is not available, or if you would like to change a few details of a design you already love. There is also a middle ground: a dress tried on in the showroom, then made to your measurements.

Start with what you will not compromise on: a particular neckline, the sleeves, the way the skirt moves. Everything else is open to discussion. Among the wedding dresses in the showroom, the descriptions say different things about made-to-measure orders. Read them as a starting point for your questions, not as a rule.

If you would like to see how a dress looks on you and what could be discussed with the atelier, you can book a fitting. There we will answer each of the questions above, dress by dress.