Wedding dress arrived and it's too long - is this normal?

Which brand are you ordering?

Most bridal stores measure you purely to find out which size of dress they should order from your chosen designer. So, say when they measure you, your bust and waist are a 10 but your hips are a 12 (by the bridal designer's sizing which is generally completely different to normal sizing) - they will order the 12 with a view to taking it in everywhere else.

The lengths tend to be pretty standard across the board so most people have to pay to get the length altered.

The above is dependent on you ordering a 'normal' bridal store gown. If you're having the dress designed and made for you then this should fit straight away with minimal alterations.

Just as an extra, you don't have to pay the bridal store to do the alterations - you are well within your rights to take it elsewhere if you find a trusted seamstress.

Have you lost weight at all? This is one thing my shop have said when I mentioned I was aiming to lose about a stone before the wedding.

As you lose weight, the width changes so makes the dress longer.

If this isn't the case then you definitely need to take it up with the shop and find out if they made allowances for shoes.

When ordering my dress i was told that it comes in a standard length, even with heels the sample was still 1-2 inch too long, i have my first fitting in 3 1/2 weeks and was advised by the shop to set aside £200 to cover all alteration (worst case).

I would find out if they measured your length or if it is just standard sizing and go from there. £150 is a lot of money, if you do need it taken up maybe see how much it would be else where.

What Kharv said. They order your size according to your measurements and then you usually need to pay to have it altered to fit you exactly right

ETA I found an independent seamstress who took my dress in and up and added a button to bustle it for £35

I was measured for my dress so that they could order the biggest size necessary to then take in. As i have big boobs, they used that measurment to work out which size to order.

Then once it came into the shop, they gave me names of 2 seamstress lasdies they recomended (I could have gone else where too) and she took it in and up.

I also had a scalloped lace hen, she had to care fully cut it off, take the dress to the right length then reattach it.

It is all normal as far as i am aware!

My dress was made for my sizing (it was something like a size 9 boobs, an size 8 waist and a size 10 bum). However, IIRC, the length was only available as long, standard or petite. We went with standard (I am 5'4'') and it was a couple of inches too long, so needed shortening (subject to shoe choice).