Pennsylvania-Pittsburgh

David's Bridal

I just called to ask about alterations.  The gown fits -- right now, except the length.  Since I'm looking at approximately 2 weeks time between baby and wedding, I had some questions.  The person I talked to talked a million miles a minute with an accent, no offense meant, but she was hard to understand.  She wants me to wait until after the baby to see how the dress fits and then have me pay a rush charge to get the length done, and possibly any other needed alterations.  What do yinz think of this?
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Re: David's Bridal

  • LaFemmeRousseLaFemmeRousse member
    2500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Hmmm, I think she's right.  It seems impossible to tell what your body will be like two weeks after giving birth, so you'll probably have to wait and see.  The only thing, though, is what happens if you need to remain hospitalized for a time after the baby comes?  How fast can they do alterations?  Could you get the length done now and worry about the rest afterwards?
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  • edited December 2011
    I honestly think you are crazy for trying to get married 2 weeks after having a baby.  

    That being said, I heard you can expect to be down 12 pounds when you leave the hospital and about another 8 pounds 2 weeks later.  How quickly did you lose the weight with your daughter?

    Assuming they need a few days to complete the alterations, are you really going to be able to go get alterations done on your gown the week after you give birth?  
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  • elishanbelishanb member
    1000 Comments Fourth Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    I (having never had a child) have no idea what it would be like to deal with a wedding so soon after giving birth. That being said I don't think it's going to be smooth sailing. So getting as much taken care of now would be a good idea. I agree with Lafem when she said taking care of the length now. I mean your height isn't going to change.

    With everything else all I can say is GL. Smile
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  • edited December 2011
    Eh, I'd look into alterations elsewhere. I bought my dress at David's in Monroeville, and while I had a great experience buying, I heard not so great things about their alterations. I ended up getting mine altered by a private seamstress here in VA, since it was more convenient. There are a few alterations recommendations listed in the recommended vendors list posted in the "Welcome to the Pittsburgh board" post. Hope this helps some!

    Edit: I also have no experience in the pregnancy dept., so no input on waiting for alterations, etc. I just wanted to suggest checking out some other seamstresses to compare before just going with David's.
  • edited December 2011
    Her height won't change, but if she still has a bump, it would definitely make the dress shorter.  I can still fit into some of my non maternity shirts or dresses without a problem, but they are shorter in the front than in the back.  :P

    Jez, do you have a picture of your gown?  Knowing the style might help.
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  • elishanbelishanb member
    1000 Comments Fourth Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    KR- You know, I did't even think of that! But I can def see how that would be an issue.
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  • jrsygrl10jrsygrl10 member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011

    consider making an appt with mary lou cortese-the independent seamstress for CK bridal. she did my alterations and she was unbelievably fast. it may be possible for a seamstress to at least do the buttons for the bustle and then only have the length and possible a few other alterations to do.

  • jezebelljezebell member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011

    That's what I thought, that my height isn't going to change.  She said the size of the rest of me will affect the fit of the length.  I'm looking at maybe closer to a month between baby and wedding but trying to get some things done now. 


    I have gestational diabetes (as I did with my daughter) and fully expect my size to change.  It changes from year to year anyway as I am a yo-yo in that department.  After she was born I kept losing weight because of the breastfeeding. 


    It's easier for me to accomodate the original wedding date than change it.  I appreciate everyone's feedback.  I don't have a picture of the dress saved here at work.  I'm thinking the private seamstress may be something worth looking into. 

    Thank you!

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  • LaFemmeRousseLaFemmeRousse member
    2500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_pennsylvania-pittsburgh_davids-bridal?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:116Discussion:3cb2db8b-331c-435c-9c79-87f9595e2bf2Post:b38bc1c6-d597-474e-99de-130077533a89">Re: David's Bridal</a>:
    [QUOTE]Her height won't change, but if she still has a bump, it would definitely make the dress shorter.  I can still fit into some of my non maternity shirts or dresses without a problem, but they are shorter in the front than in the back.
    Posted by .KRM.[/QUOTE]

    I never even thought of that!  I am officially out of solutions here ;)
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  • edited December 2011
    I would honestly wait on the alterations. A dress isn't just altered in one spot, sometimes they have to take it up proportionally in other areas.

    If it fits right now, there is a chance that it will be too small two weeks after you give birth. Have you thought about getting a second gown just in case? I think the average dress is harder to take out than let in, especially depending on how much is in the seams.

    Maybe switching to an empire waisted style might be a good solution as well.
  • edited December 2011
    I've been thinking about something, and I don't want to be snarky at all, but I am concerned you could be potentially out a ton of money and have a lot of heartache/stress leading up to your big day with these plans.

    I don't want to be a mean girl or offer advice where it wasn't asked for, but I really am concerned. I also have never been pregnant, so I may be completely uninformed.

    Have you talked to your doctor about your wedding plans? If he/she says you will be ready, then I would do it. I think an OB/GYN has probably had women in this situation before and knows best.

    But if you have to unfortunately cancel the month before or with less than 30 days even, you could lose thousands of dollars. Have you talked to your venue to see if they can work with you? What do your contracts say?

    Reading through your post, you mention the rush charge to possibly have the dress altered in time. Have you considered the other expensive charges you may incur? And the other stress that may result with having a newborn and trying to get everything done at the last minute?

    You can do a lot of things upfront, I agree, like pick out the flowers, plan the menu, have all DIY projects done. But what if your baby doesn't come on the due date? (Unless you are having an induction) And what if you have a c-section and are really limited in mobility? What if you end up hospitalized for any period of time following the delivery?

    Like I said, I've never been a mom. I am just basing this on the experiences of my friends who have had babies. I just wanted to throw some stuff out there that you may not have thought of, or at least encourage you to ask your doctor for his or her opinion.

    You might also want to consider wedding insurance from WedSafe. That way, you wouldn't lose a ton of money if you had to cancel, hopefully. I can't see vendors returning deposits if you cancel with short notice.

    I hope this doesn't step on your toes or anything. If you've already thought of all this, then I apologize. I just wanted to throw it out there. And I truly do hope that everything turns out just fine for you all and that everything works out perfectly!

    JMO!


  • jezebelljezebell member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Kwynn, I do not consider you being snarky at all.  I put it out there to get the opinions of fellow knotties. 

    Yes, I have spoken to the doctor about this.  I have deposits and some balances paid on everything but the florist already.  I hate flowers, they die.  I've just been putting it off because they suck.  Apparently there's something about having to carry something down the aisle...  Anyway Doctor has advised that changing the date isn't necessary.  He said generally you go early with the second child and he said he was willing to schedule an induction in early September to make sure I was "ready to party come wedding time!"  If anything they suggested I'll be smaller not bigger if my size changes after baby--just like last time.  He also said there's no reason to think a c-section would be necessary.  So I was just trying to see what I could get done now and apparently the alterations have to wait.  I am actually considering another gown.  If I'm having to wait until weeks before the wedding to get the alterations, buying a better fitting gown for my size at that time may be a plan. 

    BUT the show must go on. 
    Appreciate your concern, Kwynn.  I think I just need to ride this out and do the best I can. 
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  • edited December 2011
    Oh, I missed the part where he was willing to do an induction for you. That's cool of him; I know some doctors will and some won't. I'm glad then you will have a little more wiggle room in the timeline.

    I would go with a private alterations/seamstress lady rather than David's like others have mentioned. I have used the Boston Stitchery before with success if you end up looking for someone. An independent person probably wouldn't charge as much to rush it.

    If you don't want to waste money on flowers, why not do some fake bouquets that don't die? It might be more economical and you can make them in advance too!

    I will say that I saw an episode of "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" and the girl gave birth two weeks before her wedding, never knowing she was pregnant. And the wedding still went as planned, and she still fit into her dress, because she already had the money paid, so they went ahead and did it. So I do think it can be done.

    *fingers crossed for you*
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