Bridal fittings in three appointments, bridesmaids and mothers of the bride, and prom dresses fitted, from £65
Wedding and prom dresses
Wedding dresses fitted over three appointments from eight weeks before the day, with hems, bustles, bodices and straps done by Ana in our bridal room; bridesmaids, mothers of the bride and prom dresses too. From £120 for a bride, £65 for a prom dress.
A wedding dress bought off the peg is made for a sample size and a five-foot-nine model in heels. Making it yours is three fittings, a calm room and somebody who has done it eight hundred times.
Bridal fittings are in the bridal room at the back of the shop, which has a raised step, a three-way mirror and a door that closes. The first fitting is about eight weeks before the wedding: you wear the dress with the shoes and the underwear you will wear on the day, and Ana pins the hem, the bodice, the straps and the bustle. Bring one person whose opinion you trust; bring three and the fitting takes twice as long.
The second fitting, about four weeks before, checks the work. The final fitting, about ten days before, is the one where you sit, walk, dance and hug in it, and anything that pulls or rides up is fixed. The dress is pressed, steamed and bagged and collected three days before the day, or delivered in Penarth and Cardiff for £20.
Prices depend on the dress. A plain hem on a satin dress is quick; a lace hem with a scalloped edge has to be taken up from the waist, and a dress with six layers of tulle is six hems. Ana gives you the price at the first fitting, in writing, and it does not change unless you ask for something more.
Prom dresses are one or two fittings from four weeks before the prom, at £65 for a hem and bodice. In May and June the diary fills quickly; book as soon as the dress arrives.
What is included
- Three fittings in the private bridal room
- Hem, bodice, straps and bustle by Ana
- A written price at the first fitting
- Pressed, steamed and bagged for the day
- Delivery in Penarth and Cardiff for £20
- Bridesmaids, mothers of the bride and prom dresses
What it costs
From £120 for a wedding dress fitted (hem and bodice); a bustle from £45; prom dresses £65; bridesmaids from £40. The price list has every alteration with its price and the date it will be ready if you hand it in today; the bridal page works out your fitting dates.
Questions about wedding and prom
When should I book my first fitting?
About eight weeks before the wedding, and book it as soon as you have the dress. The bridal page works out the three fitting dates from your wedding date.
Can you alter a dress I bought online?
Yes. We will tell you honestly at the first fitting what it can become; some cheap dresses have no seam allowance to let out, and we would rather say so than charge you for disappointment.
Can you make a dress from scratch?
Not wedding dresses: we fit and alter. Gareth makes suits and Ana can recommend two Cardiff dressmakers we trust.
Bring it in, or book a fitting.
Most alterations and all dry cleaning need no appointment: come to the counter on Glebe Street and we pin it there and then, with the price and the ready-by date on your ticket. Bridal, made-to-measure and evening fittings are booked.