How to check your wedding dress when it arrives
The 10-minute inspection checklist
Your wedding dress has arrived.
Before you remove tags, store it away, book alterations or assume everything is perfect, take ten quiet minutes to inspect it properly.
Small issues are usually easier to address when they are identified immediately. This checklist will help you assess the dress methodically without panicking over normal wrinkles, loose threads or minor fit adjustments.
You will need:
- Your original order confirmation
- Reference photographs of the dress you ordered
- Your submitted measurements
- A measuring tape
- Clean hands
- Good natural light
- A trusted person to help you
- Your wedding shoes, if available
Before you begin
Wash and dry your hands before touching the dress.
Remove jewellery that could catch delicate lace, tulle or beading. Open the package carefully without using scissors close to the fabric.
Do not apply makeup, fake tan, perfume, body oil or moisturiser before trying the dress on.
Take photographs as you unpack it, particularly if the outer packaging or garment bag appears damaged.
Do not remove tags or arrange alterations until you have completed the inspection and raised any significant concerns with the seller or maker.
The 10-minute inspection
Confirm that it is your dress
Before inspecting the details, make sure the dress matches the order you placed.
Check:
- Your name and order number are correct
- The dress style matches your order
- The colour is correct
- The size or custom-order details are correct
- Any detachable sleeves, straps, overskirts or accessories are included
- The garment bag belongs to your order
If you ordered a custom or made-to-measure dress, compare it with the final approved design rather than an early inspiration image.
A reference photograph may have been used to communicate the overall idea, while your final dress included agreed changes to the neckline, sleeves, train, fabric or embellishments.
Look at the dress from a distance
Hold the dress up or place it on a clean, supportive hanger. Take a step back and assess its overall appearance before focusing on small details.
Ask:
- Does the dress look recognisably like the design I approved?
- Does the silhouette appear correct?
- Is the skirt as full or fitted as expected?
- Is the neckline the right shape?
- Are the sleeves or straps positioned correctly?
- Does the train appear to be the expected length?
- Does the dress look balanced from left to right?
Do not let one loose thread distract you from a larger design difference.
The first question is whether the dress, as a whole, matches what you believed you were purchasing.
Check the fabric
Inspect the dress in natural light where possible.
Check the exterior fabric for:
- Stains
- Discolouration
- Makeup marks
- Water marks
- Fabric pulls
- Snags
- Holes
- Fraying
- Permanent creases
- Unexpected shine or pressing marks
- Uneven colour
- Damage caused by packaging
Some creasing is normal after shipping and can often be corrected with professional steaming.
However, steaming will not repair fabric damage, colour variation, deep pulls or permanent heat marks.
For lace, beading and embroidered fabric, check whether the pattern appears consistently placed and whether any areas look unexpectedly sparse.
Inspect the seams and construction
Look closely at the main seams, particularly around the bodice, waist, underarms and zip.
Check:
- Seams appear secure
- Stitching is reasonably even
- There are no open seams
- The fabric is not pulling away from the stitching
- Darts sit smoothly
- The waist seam appears level
- Side seams appear balanced
- The lining is not caught or twisted
- Boning is not poking through the fabric
- There are no sharp or exposed internal components
A few loose thread ends may only require trimming. An open seam, broken stitching or fabric pulling away from a seam should be documented before the dress is altered.
Test the zip and fastenings
Ask another person to help so that the fabric is not pulled unnecessarily.
Test:
- The zip opens and closes smoothly
- The zip does not catch the lining
- Hooks and eyes are secure
- Buttons are firmly attached
- Button loops are intact
- Snaps close correctly
- Corset loops are secure
- The lacing is included
- Adjustable straps function correctly
- Detachable elements attach securely
Do not force a zip that is stuck.
First check whether fabric or lining is trapped. If the dress is too small, forcing the zip may damage both the zip and the fabric.
Check lace, beading and embellishments
Closely inspect any decorative areas.
Check:
- Lace appliqués are securely attached
- Beading is not visibly falling away
- Sequins and pearls appear consistent
- Embroidery is complete
- Decorative elements are positioned symmetrically where intended
- Glue is not visible
- There are no obvious empty patches
- Embellishments do not have sharp edges against the skin
A small bag of spare beads may be included with the dress. Keep it in a safe place for future repairs or alterations.
Hand-applied embellishment will not always be perfectly identical on both sides. The important question is whether any difference looks intentional or distracting.
Try on the dress
Use clean hands and ask someone to help you into the dress.
Wear the underwear or shapewear you expect to use, if you already have it. Put on your wedding shoes when checking the length.
Assess:
- You can breathe comfortably
- You can sit down
- You can lift and move your arms
- The neckline feels secure
- The straps remain in position
- The bodice feels supported
- The waist sits in the intended place
- The skirt hangs evenly
- The lining is comfortable
- Nothing sharp is pressing into your skin
Most wedding dresses require some degree of alteration. A hem adjustment, strap shortening or small bodice refinement does not automatically mean the dress was made incorrectly.
Focus on whether the dress is reasonably close to the ordered measurements and whether the structure can be adjusted by a qualified bridal alterations specialist.
Check the main fit areas
Look at the dress from the front, side and back.
- The bust sits within the intended area
- The neckline does not gape excessively
- The cups or seams are positioned correctly
- The bodice does not twist
- The fabric is not pulling strongly across the bust
- The back closes without excessive force
- The waistline sits at the intended height
- The waist is not visibly twisting
- The dress falls smoothly over the hips
- Horizontal pulling lines are not severe
- You can sit and move comfortably
- The hem appears reasonably level
- The front length works with your shoes
- The lining does not hang below the outer skirt
- The train falls in the intended direction
- Skirt panels are not visibly twisted
Take photographs from the front, side and back while standing naturally.
Photographs often reveal pulling, unevenness or proportion issues that are difficult to see while looking down at the dress.
Compare the dress with your measurements
If the dress was ordered using standard sizing, check the seller's size chart and alteration policy.
For a made-to-measure dress, compare the garment with the measurements and fit requirements submitted when ordering. Useful measurements may include:
- Bust
- Waist
- Full hip
- Shoulder-to-waist length
- Waist-to-floor length
- Hollow-to-hem length
- Sleeve length
- Upper-arm circumference
- Shoulder width
Remember that body measurements and finished garment measurements are not identical.
The garment may include ease, structure, padding or seam allowances. Rather than expecting every measurement to match exactly, look for large or unexplained differences.
When measuring the dress, photograph the measuring tape in position. This creates a clearer record if you need to contact the seller or maker.
Document anything that concerns you
If you notice a possible problem, do not alter, wash or attempt to repair the dress immediately. Document it first.
Take:
- One full photograph of the dress
- A closer photograph showing the location of the issue
- A detailed close-up
- A photograph with a measuring tape where relevant
- A photograph of the packaging if it was damaged
- A screenshot of the approved design or order detail
Write a short factual description of the concern. For example: “The left side seam is open approximately four centimetres below the waist.” This is more useful than: “The dress is completely ruined.”
Clear documentation gives the maker, retailer, alterations specialist or payment provider a better opportunity to understand and resolve the issue.
What is normal?
The following do not always indicate that a wedding dress is defective:
- Wrinkles caused by shipping
- A few loose thread ends
- Minor temporary impressions from packaging
- A hem that requires adjustment for your shoes
- Straps that require small alterations
- Small bodice refinements
- Slight variation in hand-applied lace or beading
- A dress that needs professional steaming
- A bustle that must be added during alterations
Wedding dresses are often designed with the expectation that a bridal alterations specialist will complete the final fit.
However, significant design differences, fabric damage, major measurement discrepancies, missing elements or poor construction should be raised promptly.
Red flags to document immediately
Contact the seller or maker before arranging alterations when you discover:
- The wrong dress, colour or fabric
- A major feature is missing
- Significant stains or fabric damage
- Open or failing seams
- A broken zip
- Missing detachable pieces
- Major asymmetry that was not part of the design
- A substantially different neckline or silhouette
- A large discrepancy from the submitted measurements
- The dress cannot be put on safely
- Severe pulling, twisting or imbalance
- Beading or lace detaching across a large area
- Signs that the dress has been worn or altered previously
Alterations can make it harder to establish whether a problem existed when the dress arrived, so communicate first where the issue may be covered by a return, remake or correction policy.
What to say to the seller or maker
Keep your message calm, specific and supported by photographs. You can use this structure:
Avoid making permanent changes to the dress while you are waiting for a response unless the wedding date creates an emergency and you have documented the original condition thoroughly.
Your final inspection record
- No concerns identified
- Minor alterations required
- Minor issue to discuss with the seller or maker
- Significant issue requiring prompt action
- Front
- Back
- Side
- Interior
- Fastenings
- Embellishments
- Measurements
- Any identified damage
Your next step: find the right tailor
Even a beautifully made wedding dress usually needs final adjustments to fit your body, shoes and preferred level of comfort. A qualified bridal tailor or alterations specialist may help with:
- Hem adjustments
- Strap alterations
- Bodice fitting
- Sleeve adjustments
- Bustle creation
- Zip or closure changes
- Lining corrections
- Adding modesty panels
- Improving support
- Repairing lace or beading
Do not choose someone based only on price or general sewing experience. Ask whether they regularly work with bridal fabrics, structured bodices, lace, beading and multiple skirt layers. Bring your shoes and intended underwear to every fitting.
Meet the people who make clothes fit
MadeApt is creating the digital infrastructure for custom and made-to-order fashion: organised garment specifications, measurements, makers and production evidence, so custom clothing is produced with greater transparency and care.