In this episode of Now That I'm Engaged, How Do I Get Married?, Kevin Dennis and August Yocher sit down with Nadine Bozeman, owner of Sweet Francis Sewing Co. and founder of Secrets of a Bridal Seamstress Podcast, to discuss what every bride should know before wedding dress shopping.

Nadine shares expert advice on when to start shopping, how to prepare for appointments, what to expect from the alterations process, and how to find a gown that fits both your vision and your body. She also breaks down common misconceptions about wedding dress sizing, timelines, and alterations.

If you're getting ready to shop for your wedding dress, this episode is filled with practical tips to help you feel confident and prepared every step of the way.

Nadine Bozeman is the founder of Secrets of a Bridal Seamstress, a podcast and membership community that helps bridal sewists build profitable alterations businesses. Through her own bridal studio, Sweet Francis Sewing Co., Nadine has helped countless brides achieve the perfect fit while navigating the wedding dress journey with confidence.

Highlights:

• When to start wedding dress shopping

• What to expect during bridal appointments

• Common wedding dress shopping misconceptions

• Understanding alterations timelines and costs

• Why fit matters more than size

• How to choose the right silhouette

• Tips for a stress-free dress shopping experience

Connect with Nadine:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Connect with Kevin & August:

Website

Instagram

Youtube

TikTok

Pinterest

LinkedIn

All right, folks, welcome to another episode of Now That I'm Engaged How Do I Get Married. And we're with Nadine Bozeman. she's with the Secrets of Bridal Seamstress podcast and membership. And she's gonna be talking to us today what to know before you shop for a gown, which is all good stuff because I know I've not bought a wedding dress, and I know so far August has not bought a wedding dress.

Yes.

And I don't think

we've had this topic yet. Like nothing, wedding dress related- which is so surprising, right? Like we're seventy s- sixty something episodes in, but I'm really glad that we're finally talking about it.

No, I don't think so either. So

And there are so many different avenues that we could take about wedding, but this is a good one to start with. Yeah.

I know.

All

right. So before we start though, Nadine, can you ⁓ tell our audience a little bit about yourself and how we got you here today?

Yeah. So I started ⁓ my business, Sweet Frances Sewing Co. here in the Pacific Northwest. I'm a bridal seamstress. So that means once you purchase your dress, you want to take it to a tailor or a seamstress that can custom fit the gown to you. And that's what really, you know, takes the dress to the next level so that you're not just wearing something that's too long or too big in some places, but it really fits you beautifully. And when you look at these photos of couples that have like beautiful wedding pictures, ⁓

Mm-hmm.

Mm.

the dress did not come that way. You know, most even if the dress is ordered, it needs to be fitted to your body. So that's what I get to do every day. I work with brides. I love working with brides. I love working with couples and talking about weddings all the time. And then I also work with bridal seamstresses around the country and in English speaking ⁓ countries around the world to help them build their own bridal alterations business. So I love this topic. Yes. Yeah.

Ha ha ha ⁓

Wow.

All right. So the

I I'm imagining when you first look at a a wedding photo, you're immediately looking at the dress to make sure it's Yeah, I was gonna say that. Yes.

Well yeah. Yes. Yes. And if it's done

correctly, you can't even tell that anything was altered, right? The dress should look just like it wasn't even touched. Yeah. Exactly.

Yeah. It's seamless. Yeah. All right.

Like a glove.

So again, August and I have never bought a wedding dress, so where do we even begin?

Yeah. Well,

I think you kinda wanna think about the timeline. Okay, you get engaged, you're thinking of the date of your wedding, and before you start shopping, you don't need to know what style you want or like what color or what design you want, because if you go to bridal shops, the stylists know how to pick the right dresses for you, right? Like they know more about bridal fashion than you do, even if you have like a totally poppin Pinterest board. Do brides still use Pinterest or is that like not a thing anymore?

Mm.

Mm.

Yes,

It's still

a still a thing.

s still very big, yeah.

Okay, okay, okay, okay. So

even if you have a full Pinterest board, bridal stylists just they know how to take care of you and they know how to give you gowns that are probably beyond your own imagination. So what you do wanna focus on is think about how you want to feel on your wedding day or what is your wedding day vibe, right? So some brides wanna feel like I wanna feel super sexy, like this is my like coming out stage, like I want to be the star of the show.

Mm.

Yeah.

Other brides wanna feel timeless, classic. ⁓ maybe you just want to feel beautiful, and that is for me, it's different than feeling sexy, right? Or maybe you want to have more of like a whimsical, playful feel. If you're getting married at Disney World, the gown should have a different feel than if you're getting married in Vegas or whatever. So just think about how do you wanna feel on the wedding day because that's something that nobody can tell you, only you know, right?

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

And if you have that really strong sense of how you want to feel, you won't feel like you're playing dress-up. I think that's what comes up a lot with brides is they put on like a formal dress. You we don't wear formal wear every day. So you put on this like gorgeous gown and then you're like, I feel like I'm playing dress up. But if it matches the vibe that you want, right, and if it really plays into that vision that you have for your wedding day, you're not gonna feel like you're playing make-believe. It's gonna feel like it fits into your wedding day theme.

Mm.

Mm-hmm.

So just think about the vibe of your wedding and how do you want to feel and have that be like your North Star when you're trying on all these dresses. So you might put on a ball gown or you might put on this like mermaid style. It doesn't matter about the style, but it matters about how you feel and how you're able to describe that feeling to people shopping with you, right? So just come into the experience with a vibe, right? That's the

Mm.

Mm.

Yeah.

The

only thing I can add to that is you should have a dress that bustles pretty easily. So, and that's as someone, someone that has bustled more than my fair share of dresses, because I once had a dr and this sounds crazy, but I we once had a dress that had 37 little ⁓ yeah, little little buttons that we had to go, and it was it was because I don't know if it's a mermaid style dress, but it was very form fitting with a light little little flow behind it.

no.

⁓

And we

had to take everything up and snap it and we'd get all the way around and realize we missed the first like and it was undo, undo, and do it. It was the it was the hardest wedding dress I've ever been a part of the bustling of. And then there's the one the ones that you just take the one and hook on the back, but those tend to break. Yeah, though but those t tend to break and not make it. So I'm sorry. I I I derailed the podcast already with

No.

I love those.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, and I think I mean just time over. No. Hopefully your

Yeah.

seamstress will help you 'cause I think about that too, where it's like, Hey, do you want to be bustling all night or do you just want to get this like up and get ready for your picture? Hell yeah. So I would say come in with a vibe and then an open mind because bridal stylists are so good at being like, you want a ball gown? Let me put on this fit and flare and blow your mind, you know what I mean? So they know how to get you outside your comfort zone. ⁓ and then think about your timeline too. We've

Yeah.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Earlier you and I had talked about how ⁓ this year there seems to be a trend of like kind of some last minute plans coming together, right? And so ⁓ you wanna consider if you are gonna be ordering a new dress or purchasing a new gown as opposed to buying consignment, you're gonna have to order your dress. And some some of you don't know that it takes like six to nine months for this dress

Really

Yes.

So say if you're getting married, you know, in September, you want to start shopping before January. You know what I'm saying? So that that dress is ordered because it's going to have to come in. And then you want your bridal alterations to start at least three months before the wedding date. So ordering your dress, this timeline starts so much earlier than some brides consider. So think about that like earlier than you think. some stores do sell, you know, their sample gowns or their floor models.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

⁓ and a lot of times stores will have like twice a year these big sample sales to clear the floor and make room for some brand new gowns. Yeah. so if you can get up in those sales, that would be ideal. but really give yourself a cushion with that timeline so that say if production is running behind or there's something wrong with the shipping, that you have that peace of mind that it's on its way and it's gonna make it in time. So once you get the ring, it's like you book your venue and then get that dress.

Mm-hmm.

And get the new ones. Yeah.

Mm.

Wow, I

didn't realize it was so early. That's crazy.

Yeah, and I think a lot of people are realizing that this year because I have so many last minute brides requesting alterations because they didn't realize it took so long to order the dress and then the dress is coming in late and all the things. So start the shopping for the gown earlier than you think. I'd also add also like feel free to interrupt me with your questions that come up. If you want to talk about bustles, we can do that too. Yeah.

Mm.

That's okay.

One for you, yeah. Well, yeah, well, I mean,

I mean especially because I mean obviously most couples and brides, this is their first time coming in, like, how can they avoid feeling overwhelmed? Cause I know already it's like, wow, we have to start so early, and there's so many different styles, and they're trying to figure out what their vibe is. How can they avoid feeling stressed out?

What's your

⁓ this

is such a good question. And there is a point probably where like every dress looks the same and you just feel like a white blob. You know? It's like it all feels the same. probably by telling yourself it's okay to buy your dress at the first store. I think there's this trend. I haven't seen it, but I've heard about it. I've heard complaints from wedding store owners about this trend that it's on TikTok where like you

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Mm.

you show all the dresses that you did not say yes to, you know? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so there's kind of this pressure to if you say yes to at the first store, you're gonna miss out on all these other styles or or what could possibly be the better option. And sometimes that's true, but a lot of times that's just putting more pressure on you to get in more dresses and make more decisions.

Yes, I've seen that. I've seen that.

Yeah.

and if you feel good in one dress, it matches that wedding day vibe, it matches your budget or your timeline, say yes at the first store.

You know what's so funny is we

one of our segments we have on the podcast is now that I'm engaged, how can I help others, where we interview couples who just got married and their process. And the first time we did it was with my friend Meg. And when she picked out her wedding dress, we were asking her some questions about the dress selection process. And it's so funny, she said the exact same thing. She was like, don't overthink it. If you like the dress, get it.

Yeah, yeah.

Yes.

If it you feel pretty in it, just get it. Because like you're just gonna

get more stressed out. And yeah, like so many options. Like you're probably like, oh my god, like how do I choose? Or you know, maybe there's that like scarcity mentality and whatnot. But if you feel good, just just go for it.

Hopefully.

Yeah.

Right.

Like I can find this cheaper somewhere else, or I can find a better style, or it can be better, can be better. Instead of just like enjoying the moment for what it is, and you look good and you feel good and it's there. And also also consider like if your stylist did a great job picking out a dress for you, you might have that same connection with the next store, with the next stylist. You know what I mean? And like that's something to celebrate too, to honor their time. So I would give yourself the freedom to say yes at the first.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

store and that's also something to celebrate. Go to lunch, okay, celebrate and okay, get the dress order. Yes.

I love that. Yeah.

Yeah, then it's check, we're done. Like, yeah.

Yeah.

Set yes to the dress and move on. Yeah. So

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, exactly. So

okay, we got your vibe, we got your timeline, ⁓ we got the permission slip to say yes at the first stop.

Yes.

what about narrowing down the dress styles when there's so many options? Like how do you I know you said venue should be booked before you're doing that. You got a ring. Then how do you narrow down the style?

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

That's I mean, you kind of don't know until you put dresses on. I remember when I was engaged, I thought that I wanted to wear a ball gown because I wanted to feel like a princess, obviously. But I'm five two. So as soon as I put on this ball gown, I was like, like a cupcake. Like it was not It was like, okay. I look like a cartoon. I'm like, oh my goodness. So I ended up with a pretty simple A line that I would not have picked out. It would not have been on my

⁓

Mm.

Yeah.

Like you're

being swallowed by it, yeah.

Engulfed.

Mm.

vision board. But ⁓ and even like really fitted dresses, I I just wanted to, I think, look taller than I really was. I mean that wasn't my vibe word, but at the end of the day, I wanted to look tall. And these other dresses were making me look so short. So you kind of don't know until you put the dresses on. So having a bridal stylist, that's their job is they are trained to pick out gowns that are outside your comfort zone just enough.

Mm.

Mm-hmm.

You know, ⁓ so that you have like a a a scope of all the different styles and you'll know as soon as you put a dress on, like, I literally don't even want to go out and show people this dress, 'cause like, no, you know, or like, oh my gosh, something about it. I don't know. And I think if very like working with brides every day, it is uncommon to hear that brides ended up purchasing the dress that they thought they were gonna purchase. You know, they go in

Mm-hmm.

Mm.

⁓ I've heard

that too.

Yeah, they go in with these pictures, like, I want this one, do you have this style number? And they put the dress on and they're like, ooh, what else you got? You know? So an open mind is probably the best way to go into this. And I mean you can certainly if you know that you don't want any illusion, like you don't want any like anything to look bare, you can say that's your stylist, like everything's or whatever, like you can have parameters, but ⁓

Mm-hmm.

Mm.

Right, right.

Having an open mind is a gift to yourself and also to your bridal stylist because it lets them play more and then it makes the appointment a little more fun, you know? So yeah, you can take the pressure off yourself from having to make that decision before you start shopping. Because that's again, try and make this stress free, you know.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. So do you feel like that happens a lot where like,

you know, couples are just getting inundated with social media pictures and Pinterest pictures and like do you feel like that hurts the process a little bit when brides are like researching what type of dress they want?

Yeah.

Yeah. I mean, it's a gift and a curse, right? Because it's so fun. Again, I got I was engaged in twenty eleven, so I literally had like magazines. Okay. So the photos were limited to what I could purchase at Barnes and Noble, you know? And ⁓ I think you know, now we have so many options, but then there's also so much pressure because everybody is different. So you see a model wearing this style dress and

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Right.

It's already, I think, just I mean, I I hate shopping. I hate going to a dressing room. I love that we live in the age of online shopping where it's like stuff can get delivered. I can try it on at home. I don't have to be in a, you know, super bright dressing room, whatever. So imagine that when you are now shopping for like one of the most important outfits of your life and you have this vision of how these styles should look on this body type, but you have this other body type. And ⁓

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

you know, it looking at the pictures can be so fun to get you excited, but then it kind of g like sets you up for unrealistic expectations. So I that's why I just say like having an open mind and being willing to try on these different styles that you wouldn't have picked for yourself, but your bridal stylist is like, I know what is gonna highlight your shoulders because that's one of your best features. Or like you feel so good about like this part of your body. So this style gown is going to help highlight that.

Yeah.

You know, ⁓ because I think when we get so fixated on how we think we should look in a dress or like what we think we're gonna end up with, that's what can lead to more disappointment, you know? Speaking from experience.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, no, it makes sense.

It makes a lot of sense. So

Yeah. I think another disappointment that comes up is the price. Okay. so when you're talking with these couples, I'd I'd love to hear from you. You're interviewing couples that have they're going through a live engagement, like in real time. what are their budgets for like the attire piece?

⁓

Yeah,

yeah.

So they I I bet you they they focus more on the reception and the party and all that other part, but not the ancillary stuff that comes along with it that yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yes. Yeah.

So say if you say you know, in your budget line you have, okay, five thousand dollars. That might seem like a lot for some listeners. That might seem like a median range for some listeners or but say if you have five thousand dollars set aside for your gown, you want to consider in addition to the dress, you want to consider the tax that'll be added, right? Tax is pretty steep when you're talking about something that's a few thousand dollars, right?

Mm.

Yeah.

your accessories. So do you want a veil? Veils run between like $300 to $600 on average, right? if you want any other kind of hair pieces or jewelry. And your alterations, the cost of alterations doesn't depend on the cost of your dress. It has to do with the amount of work that's done. So yeah, so when you're purchasing a dress, you are walking into a retail experience, right? So

Я

That makes sense.

The store owner goes to bridal market, they they work with designers, they buy gowns that work specifically with their own collection, and ⁓ they buy it at what's called market cost, and then they sell the dresses ⁓ at their own store in a way that makes sense for their local demographics, so that they're ⁓ in fair competition, you know, with other stores and that they can pay their bills, right? So you are going into a retail experience that

Is really similar to any other retail experience. Whenever you buy another product, when you walk into the alterations department or take it to your local seamstress, now you're walking into a service-based industry with American wages, right? So this gown that you purchased, it was most likely made overseas. So the store owner was able to purchase it at one price point and then change the price to

No.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

you know, make a profit. and your service provider, as you know, your seamstress or ⁓ yeah, wherever you go for your alterations, they are charging like local wages for themselves, right? So you're gonna be paying an hourly rate that is not at all comparable to the hourly rate of the people who made the dress. Is this making sense? Well so I think that's kind of where some of the sticker shock comes in because some

No, it makes sense. No, yeah, I'm sure and and if someone Yeah.

Yes, no absolutely.

Prides like, Wait, I paid three thousand dollars for the stress and now I have to pay fifteen hundred and alterations. It's because of the you know, the hourly raid wages that your seamstress needs to be paid fairly in America. You know what I mean? Right.

Yeah. Yeah. Well no, and it just and it's time is money. It's like anything

you do. So if it's a lot of alterations, it's gonna cost more. And if it's not that much, it's gonna cost a whole lot less. So you know, so

Yes. Right, right. And it really doesn't

have anything to do with the cost of the gown itself. so things to look out for if you have you want to count the layers in your hem because we do charge by layer. So you know if you have like three linings and then a bunch of those layers of tool and then there's a final top layer of lace, kind of count those up.

Yeah.

Mm.

and for lace hems, a bridal seamstress will remove that like beautiful applique and then sew it on top again at the right length. So it takes hours, you know. beading is also pretty time consuming because you can't make any shortcuts with the beads, you know what I'm saying? and then also when you think about like those super classic simple gowns that like don't have anything on them, like it's just like Mikado satin or

Well

⁓ yeah. Wow. Yeah.

Yeah.

like crispy clean gowns. You know what I'm saying? We have to be so careful with those because there's like no room for error. You can't hide under lace, you can't hide under like a cluster of beads. It's like everything is on full display. So there's that could be more expensive than you think just because there's zero room for error and the work has to be so precise with those, you know, classic clean gowns. ⁓ If you're really concerned about like, I don't know what my budget should be

Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah.

It 'cause it does vary depending on where you are on the country, right? So like where I ⁓

Yeah, no makes sense.

Yeah, 'cause I was gonna

ask, like, what's the range, but I guess it's kinda hard to pinpoint that, so

Yeah. So I think like I've had brides who they'll come down from Seattle and they're quoted twenty five hundred dollars for alterations and then I will provide the same work for like fourteen hundred just because there's a difference in price. If you are in, you know, a smaller town, I don't know. I mean, it really is so specific to your area. so it's totally fine to ask for quotes before you even start

Yeah.

shopping like shopping for the yeah, you know what I mean? Like, okay, you can reach out to a a local tailor or seamstress and be like, I just want to make sure I budget enough. What is your average ticket? So my average ticket in Olympia is like nine fifty to eleven fifty. You know? and then that's what I'm telling brides who ask that kind of question. And I actually have that on my website too so that they just know this, you know, these kind of alterations would cost this much. This is, you know.

Process. That makes sense.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

But don't feel embarrassed to ask because you gotta start somewhere. You know, you need to start your budget somewhere, or you can just stock, you know, local seamstresses and they should have some type of pricing on their website because that's such a big part of your budget. And when you are surprised by the tax and the accessories and the alterations, it's like, what? But if you walk into it and you're like, I knew what this was gonna be, so I already put aside this much money, then it's like there's no sticker shock, you know? You're ready. Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah. Well, no,

and that makes sense. You know, it's like with anything in life. And I'm sure in Manhattan, your nine fifty to eleven hundred is gonna be, you know, tw yeah, twenty-five to thirty-five. You know what I'm saying? Like it's you know, j a lot of that is just based on where you are. Yeah. And that's like but that's with anything in life, you know, around here. You know, you can go like everything, you know, your Washington, I think your sales tax is not as bad as it is here in California, but our sales tax is out of

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Right on the barrel.

Right, right.

control with every you ⁓ god, we're we're at eleven or twelve or something, you know, like yeah, I mean we're and but then also it's our gas ⁓ you know so we we you know in Cal yeah yeah is that what yours is? oh my god yeah but in California we have a dollar or something just in tax that goes to fix the roads and all, you know, but we don't have toll roads like they do in others, you know so yeah, yeah, yeah. So

Yeah, what is yours now?

Mm-hmm.

Okay,

I think we're at nine point six.

Love it. ⁓ my six nineteen. Six nineteen the gallon. Yes.

And and the east coast, yeah. Mm-hmm.

Mm.

It all is different on how it gets, you know, packaged and and done up. So

I know.

Yeah, so ask questions like there's no shame in that and just like you would with any other vendor. You know what I'm saying? Just asking is totally fine. Now are you seeing a trend in ⁓ like or a rise in the trend of like two outfits happening? Okay, I love it. I love it.

Yeah.

Yes. Sometimes three.

Sometimes three. Cause if it's

Yeah, have you s you were so?

Like a

Yeah.

Like they'll have like a traditional dress that they'll be wearing for their culture and then typically like like a little mini dress, you know, for reception for dancing. So sometimes I had we had a bride two weekends ago who had three dress changes in the evening, so

Yeah, they're leaving in an outfit.

For dancing.

Wow. So two,

I'm seeing ⁓ probably like forty percent of my brides now have two dresses. Whereas even just a few years ago it was like, what? You have a reception dress? Like that's so cool. And now it's like, okay, let's add it to the list, you know. I have a bride who loves vintage gowns, and so she has she has one new dress and then two vintage gowns that we're like making up for. So I think one of them will be her her rehearsal gown and then

Mm.

Mm.

Mm.

Ceremony receptions and bust all them out and get pictures of all of them. But ⁓ I love this trend. And if you are torn, because Kevin, you kind of alluded to this, like how do you narrow it down? If you are torn, you can like put put a bigger investment into a quality like ceremony dress or the dress that you think is gonna be like, you know, have the most photos taken of it. And then your little party dress, it doesn't need to be a cocktail dress, it can still be a long

Hm.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Gown or it could just be the opposite style. So one of my brides now, her ceremony gown is this beautiful Mikado ball gown, and it's like so elegant. It has this like cat-eye neckline. It's ⁓ so beautiful. And then she bought a consignment gown that is has like an illusion top, like corset top, lots of lace on it, had a long train, we just cut off the train, so it's just gonna be the same length all the way around, and it's still a floor-length gown.

But it's so different than the ceremony dress and she got it for like two fifty or something. So she was willing to yeah. She's like, let's just get a second look in here, you know? So I'm that trend.

wow, you can't beat that.

Yeah. Well, and we're we're out

well, I'm gonna say and we're out in like wine country where we are, and then also there's a lot of golf courses. So when these, you know, couples are out doing their photos, they're out in agriculture, you know, we even have some barns around here, you know, so the dra the dress is dragging in the dirt and all that and getting trash, and some of them don't want to spend, you know, four or five, ten thousand dollars on a dress and then have it get trash. So that's why I think

Mm-hmm.

yeah.

Right.

Some of are wearing for the ceremony and then moving into something for the reception. And then even we're seeing I'm starting to see even like getaway. The couples are that are wanting to do some kind of getaway. they're having fun with the getaway outfits as well. So

yeah yeah yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. So it's like there's a lot more freedom than there was even like five, ten years ago to just do what you want. Which I love.

Yeah. Yeah. So

Yeah. Do you

⁓ do you see a lot of brides or couples tend to take on more outside opinion than they should? Like when they're shopping with family or friends, or do they tend to pretty much know what they want and and stick with what they really love?

Yeah, I even when they come in for alterations, I'm like, could you have left that sister at home? You know what I mean? Like I think I think it's like that fear of like hurting people's feelings so they're included. and yeah, that can be difficult to navigate because at at the end of the day too, I think if a bride doesn't have that confidence in what she wants or how she wants to feel or

Mm-hmm. ⁓

You know,

makes sense.

Totally.

confidence in herself, it just makes it for a really difficult process because she's listening to everybody else's opinions. She's also having a really hard time with how the dress is fitting because there's always going to be something not perfect. And that's the biggest voice in her head. So I think the more that you can tell yourself that everybody at your wedding wants to celebrate you. Like they want to celebrate you and your love story and they're here for the party. They're here for the dinner. Like

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

It's if you invited the right people, nobody's gonna be scrutinizing anything about your dress or how your arms look or how your armpits look or if you have like cellulite showing. Like nobody cares. And I wish that brides could grasp that. Like your fiance definitely doesn't care. You know what I'm saying? Like and your photographer, they are so photographers are again. I just I need a bow renewal, okay? Because so many things have changed since I got married. Photographer.

Yeah.

Mm. Yeah.

Are so skilled at not just editing, okay, but like posing you and capturing these beautiful, candid moments so that you feel like your most beautiful self. so I wish that couples knew that more, that like you're gonna you are gonna just enjoy your day so much, you're not even gonna care about that arm. Whatever, the arm flab. Like your photos are gonna be so much more beautiful than you could imagine because your photographer is a professional and they know how to make you look good, right?

Mm.

Mm-hmm.

So don't worry about that kind of stuff. That's what I would love to have couples walk away with on this episode. Yeah.

I love that. All right. So ⁓

said yeah, we've said yes to the dress and then, you know, it's gotten here in time. Now we need to get the alterations taken care of. What's that process look like? You know, how long is it is there a l timeline involved and all that? Okay.

Yes.

Yeah. And you know, we

already kind of stepped over the first skipped over the first step of the timeline. So right after you take the picture with your say yes to the dress sign, that's when you need to contact your seamstress. So even though the sewing doesn't begin until like three months before the wedding, you want to make sure that you are on the books with a quality bridal seamstress. And we book out like nine months to a year in advance, just like your photographers and your venues and your caterers do.

Yeah.

Okay.

Mm.

So that's what I'm running into a lot this summer is brides who are just kind of thinking, I thought that I just contacted you like 12 weeks before the wedding. And at that point, it's like, ⁓ I'm sorry, we're so booked. So ⁓ as soon as you place the order for your dress, book your seamstress. And that process is gonna look different based on who you book with, but most bridal seamstresses do require a down payment. That'll be like anything from 50% of the ticket to

Yeah.

you know, fifty dollars to put down just to reserve your spot. ⁓ so you can start doing your research by number one, starting with who is on the bridal shop's referral list. They're gonna have a list of seamstresses that they've already worked with, that they trust. I would start there, check out Google Reviews, look on Instagram. You want to think about like this seamstress is gonna be who you're changing in front of. You're gonna have like multiple appointments with this person. You're gonna get kind of close. So

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

You

do want to have a good, you know, rapport with them and feel like you can trust them. So do your research. yeah. And just make sure that

Yeah, makes

Like going to a doctor,

you're gonna be vulnerable and you gotta be there, you know. Yeah. Yeah.

Exactly. We see, we sell, everything, right? So you just want

to make sure you get you had a good friend there. So I get on the books, and if you can take photos- which I'm sure all these brides are already doing that, take pictures of yourself in the dress because most bridal seamstresses do require, like I do in my inquiry form, I require photos of the bride in the gown so that I can assess, like, okay, do we have time for this particular dress? Like I'm looking at the hem, how many hours is that gonna take? This, you know, this.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

needs tweaking or whatever. just make sure you have some of those photos ready to go. When you're ordering your dress, and again, a skilled bridal stylist already knows this. So most likely you're already in good hands, but you want to order the dress ⁓ size based on like the widest point of your body. So most of us we're not equal, right? So it's like your your top half is bigger than your bottom half or vice versa.

Mm.

Yeah, that's sm very true.

I am like two sizes different, you know, if I'm if I'm ordering a dress. so don't worry about the number. Unfortunately, bridal gown size numbers are notoriously horrible. Like if you if you're like a size eight in streetwear, you're gonna be a size twelve probably in wedding gowns. And there's nothing wrong with you. It is. And it's kinda like, ouch, couldn't we have like gone reverse and like made ourselves feel a little better and gone smaller? Yes.

Mm-hmm.

⁓

Yeah.

wow. That's a big difference.

Four. Yeah. Negative two.

Exactly.

So just go into that experience knowing the number might be a little bit higher than you anticipate and that's normal. We all hate it, but that's just the way it is. And your stylist is gonna order based again on your widest point. So if you're like, wait, I I feel like I'm a four, but your hips are measuring at an eight, they're gonna order the size eight. So your alterations will be easier to complete that way. Because it's easier to take a dress in than it is to like let it out.

Make sense.

And then you're working with that pressure of like, my gosh, what if like I don't lose the weight that I thought I was gonna lose or whatever. so just go with that widest point, and that is normal. And it is also very normal for some part of the dress to just be so big, whether it's your hem or like the bus cups or like out of proportion, like your straps are so long, that's normal, and that's what alterations are for. So when it comes to ordering, yeah.

Mm.

Yeah. And I I feel like everyone's on a fitness journey when they're going

through this process too. So, like you said, I you know, if they don't make it, you gotta have room to, you know, work with, I guess. Yeah.

Right. Yes.

That's actually a great point too. ⁓ we, you know, GLP-1s are so common and I love it now because at least we're talking about it. I remember there was a time when it was like taboo. We couldn't really talk about like, you know, health journeys or where you're gonna be, and that would obviously affect alterations. So now it's like main you know, we can just talk about it and it it makes it a lot easier for seamstresses to plan.

Yeah.

Mm.

Mm.

If you are planning on significant weight shift or if you're pregnant, you become pregnant during your engagement, or if you have some kind of hormonal situation where you your weight just varies, which again, yeah, it is more common than you think, just communicate with your seamstress and we will build a specific timeline for you.

Fluctuation, yeah.

So instead of starting like 14 weeks in advance, we probably start like six weeks in advance and really have all your alterations be completed as close to the wedding date as possible so that it's like exactly where your body's gonna be on your wedding day. So just let us know and then we'll make it work. But we gotta know.

Mm.

Love it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

All right. So we're coming up on time. So ⁓ one last super question here, which we're gonna ⁓ this will be your mic drop moment, I think. What's the one thing you wish every couple bride knew before they started shopping for their wedding dress?

I already touched on this and now I feel like I'm gonna cry talking about it, but your people already know how beautiful you are. So you have to go into this process really believing that because that will change how you experience everything from trying the dresses on to getting measured to having the dress ordered for you, like and looking at the size or your numbers or whatever.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

You are throwing a party for people who love you and you're marrying the love of your life and they love every part of you. And just do whatever you can to protect yourself from that perfectionism that we all feel. You know, I just I wish every bride knew that almost everyone I work with, every client has the same insecurities. Like we're all like the same.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Who loves you? Yeah, exactly.

You know what I mean? Like we all kind of like hate the same parts about it. And I hate that for clients. I wish that they knew that it's like you are the only one looking at yourself like that. Like you're the only one with that critical eye. So I just ⁓ yeah.

Yeah. Yeah.

Hmm.

Yeah. And it probably

doesn't matter what shape size you are or any of that. Yeah, it just everyone has the same signific you know, worries and all that. So that's great advice. That's amazing advice. All right. So now that we've gotten hopefully we get you tissue here and get you into better shape. So yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, that was so sweet. But it's so true. Y everyone's

their worst critic, so

Absolutely. Yes. Yeah. So good luck wedding dress shopping. And then if you want any specific tips or if like you're in the middle of it and you're like, here's a picture help me Nadine I'm on Instagram at Secrets of a Bridal Seamstress. that's my Instagram handle. I also have members around the country if you're looking for a bridal seamstress in your area. I'd love to help narrow the scope for you. Yeah. Yeah.

So but nay and they

Refer you. Yeah. You did my job for me. I you answered all the questions.

Mm.

And we'll have all of Nadine's information. That's why you're a podcast host too. You probably know what to do. ⁓ but anyway, we'll we'll have all of Nadine's information in the show notes, ⁓ for everyone. And we'll can't thank you enough, Nadine, for all your helpful information. I feel like I'm more qualified to go buy a dress now. I don't know about August, but Yeah. Yeah. Well, the bustle, the thing that's the thing that drives me nut-. It's just like

Yes she knows the draw.

Yes.

And buckle, yeah.

Sometimes, and then it's like you gotta match this color with that color, or they they get so creative with these things. But sometimes there's like eight to ten steps, and I'm like, that is, you know, I it's yeah, we're right, and they're there and they're all arguing, the sisters and the mom, and it's it's a whole thing, and it's just like yeah. Anyway, or or the the other worst part is that the people that know how to bustle get a little tipsy during cocktail hour, and now they're like

yeah, yeah.

No. You had you had a reception to get to, you know what I'm saying?

Yeah.

Fumblein' bumblin'. ⁓

That's always what happens, yeah.

Yes.

I ⁓ yes. So I usually make a video at the final fitting with my brides. So I record after the bustle and I say, There's no drinking till the bustle's up, okay?

I love a good video.

Yeah. Yeah.

No, but I is funny you say that 'cause I've s many times I've seen the mom out. Well, this is the video. This is what the girl said. And then the sisters are like arguing and it's just like, oh my god, there should be one person in charge of this and one person that knows what they're doing. Anyway, I would say that's the worst part of the wedding, getting the bride bustled. So

It's so funny.

It's only if it's only if it's bad, but like I mean it it's not that often. I f I mean one time it did take me like I'm not even kidding, thirty minutes for us to figure it out. 'Cause they were like, We can't find the video and everyone's drunk and like there's, you know, a billion little loopies and Yeah.

Yes, that's true. Yeah, if it's hard.

⁓ yeah, goodness.

Yeah.

No, no, no.

Opinions and yeah and all that.

Yeah, that is that's when you start sweating.

But then there's nothing Yeah, but there's nothing worse than there's like these two hooks and then they break because it's too much weight or too much whatever. Yeah. Yeah. So there's gotta be a good happy medium in there and anyway, don't be drunk. So all right, Nadine. We can't thank you enough as we go down the rabbit hole of bustles and all that good stuff. The cat the thing Kevin worries about the most when it comes to a wedding dress, so

Mm.

Rookie mistake. Rookie mistake, yes.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Exactly. Thank you.

But anyway, all right. Folks, we can't

Yeah,

good.

thank you enough for listening to another episode of Now That I'm Engaged. How do we get married? Don't forget to hit the like and subscribe button if you're out there. And don't forget if you have stories or questions to please send them to podcast at fantasy sound dot com. Folks, thank you for listening. We'll see you next time.

Bye