Alterations

Measuring tape

You have found a beautiful outfit for your wedding day and have hopefully tried it on and bought it. What are your next steps?

In most cases, your beautiful wedding gown and suit need to be tailored to fit you perfectly. And let's face it, clothes look so much better when they have been tailored to you. That way, your body shape is accentuated in the most flattering way.
Many larger wedding outfitters also have an in-house alterations department. That is convenient. It saves you the extra work of looking for a competent, trustworthy tailor to make the necessary adjustments to your outfit.

If you end up buying your wedding outfit from a boutique that does not have an in-house tailor, you are welcome to take a look at the List of tailors in Berlin that I have put together for you at the bottom of the page.

Make sure to plan the cost of alterations into your wedding outfit budget since they can be significant.

Wedding Dress Alteration Types

When it comes to fitting a wedding gown, most alterations fall into two broadly defined categories:
Hemming
The most typical wedding dress alterations are hemming: adjusting the length of a wedding gown based on the bride’s height and amending the sides of the gown for a perfect fit.

Customization
Additional adjustments can include altering the straps or sleeves, adding padding to the bust area, adjusting the train length, as well as adding or removing beading, buttons or appliqués.
You can find a nice 'wedding dress alterations 101' guidehere.
Also, check out this article on wedding dress alterations.

Do not forget to bring the shoes, accessories and underwear that you are planning to wear on your wedding day to the fitting so that the measurements are done correctly 😉.

Wedding Suit Alterations

Tailor with sowing machine

Just like with a wedding dress, suit alterations are made to ensure a perfect fit.
When it comes to a suit, there are several components to play with: the suit jacket, trousers, dress shirt and (possibly) a vest.

Again, make sure you bring all the garments and especially the shoes that you are planning to wear on your wedding day to your fitting appointment.


They key to tailoring a suit (or gown for that matter) to your body is to get the measurements (shoulder, leg and arm length, waist circumference, etc.) right. Luckily, a seamstress will expertly take those measurements and make the necessary adjustments to your outfit. If you want to learn about the key suit measurements, take a look here.

Suit Alteration Trends

If you are asking yourself what kind of fit you should be going for when getting your suit altered, let's take a look at some trends and recommendations.
Pants Length
Pants should only be draping a little over the shoe and flow seamlessly into it.

Jacket and Pants Fit
Jackets should not tug in the front when buttoned. Both the jacket and pants should ideally be slim-fitting. Pants can be slightly tapered around the ankles.
Take a look here to learn more about typical wedding suit alterations.

Time table for Outfit Alterations

Your wedding gown alterations will probably take several weeks to complete. Of course the exact time depends on how busy the seamstress is and the complexity of the alterations.
Likewise, you should also plan in sufficient time for suit alterations which tend to take 1 - 2 weeks to complete.

Tailors in Berlin

I put together a selection of tailors / alterations specialists in Berlin for you in the list below. They are sorted by Berlin borough (Bezirk). Simply click on the name to get to their website.

Charlottenburg

Halensee

Heinersdorf

Reinickendorf

Spandau

Steglitz

Wilmersdorf