My Wedding Dress is Too Long! Can You Make it Shorter?

Before you head to a sewist, evaluate whether your dress needs to be cut, or a wider underskirt and pair of heels will solve the problem.

If you’re confident your dress is too long, the best option is to bring it to a professional. But even if you don’t have the time or budget for alterations, there are multiple DIY wedding dress shortening solutions.

Each dress is different, so the shortening method, price, and timeline can vary drastically. But at the end of the day, the extra work is always worth it when you see your flawlessly fitting dress in the mirror.

Can You Shorten Any Dress?

The short answer is – yes, you can shorten any wedding dress, regardless of the skirt style and material.

Shortening is the most common wedding dress alteration because most dresses are made longer than average to accommodate brides of different heights.

However, some cases are more complex than others, so the price range and timeline can differ drastically.

For instance, shortening a dress from thick, opaque fabric is relatively cheap and straightforward, whereas shortening a layered organza skirt requires immense attention to detail and takes much time.

Each dress is unique, so don’t hesitate to contact your local sewist for a consultation. A professional can advise you on the best suitable wedding dress shortening method and estimate the costs and timeline.

Wedding Dress Hemming

The easiest way to shorten a wedding dress is to cut the hem and make a new finishing seam. If your wedding dress is made from thick, opaque fabric and you have prior sewing experience, you may even do it yourself.

However, basic hemming is not suitable for every dress. Some gowns have layered skirts from delicate, semi-sheer fabrics and don’t have a finishing seamline.

In other cases, layered dress hemming is possible but is more labor-consuming.

Before you decide to shorten your dress, it’s essential to understand which wedding dress length you prefer. There’s no universal rule as to how long a wedding dress should be – it depends on your preference.

Often, brides consider their dress too long until they try it on with shoes. Make sure to try on your dress with your bridal heels to understand whether hemming really is necessary and avoid cutting it too short.

Full-length wedding dresses show the tips of your shoes, reaching the ankle. This length is the most practical after midi length, as the skirt doesn’t sweep the floor, and gives a subtle retro vibe, as most modern gowns are longer.

Floor-length dresses graze the floor, fully covering your shoes. This length visually elongates legs, but you risk getting the hem dirty quickly.

Alternatively, you may consider tea and mid-length falling above the ankle but below the knee. It’s a practical and elegant length giving off the 1950s vibe, which looks excellent on A-line and ball gown silhouettes.

Sometimes, wedding dress skirts are asymmetrical, shorter at the front and longer at the back, often with a train. The front can be either floor or full-length, but it’s important not to make it too short.

After deciding which length you prefer, try the dress on and ask someone to mark the new seamline with a chalk or a pin. You won’t be able to do it yourself since you need to stay straight.

Then, take off the dress and fold the skirt along the new seamline. Note that it’s better to have excess fabric than insufficient fabric, so leave a 1-2-inch allowance. Press the fold flat.

Try the dress on again to check the length and make any necessary adjustments. When you’re happy with the length, take the dress off and sew a new seamline.

Shortening From the Waist

Sometimes, classic wedding dress hemming is impossible. Whether your dress features intricate beadwork along the hem or a layered skirt from fine fabric, you can still shorten it.

But instead of hemming from the bottom, you will have to hem it from the waist.

Hemming from the waist may seem complex, but it’s not much more complicated than basic hemming unless your dress has an embellished bodice.

In this case, you may need to remove the embellishments before starting the work and sew them back once you’re done.

Like in the case of basic hemming, the first step is measuring the necessary length. Stand straight and ask someone to measure and write down the new skirt length. There’s no need to mark the new seamline.

Afterward, detach the bodice from the skirt using a sewing ripper. Then, measure the necessary length starting from the skirt’s front center to the waistline and mark the new seamline along the waist using pins.

Remember to add 1-2-inch seam allowances. After marking the new seamline around the top of the skirt, cut the excess fabric and take in the side seams to match the bodice.

You can use the original skirt’s top as a guide to get the correct curve. Finally, sew the skirt back to the bodice and attach any embellishments you removed.

No-Sew Wedding Dress Shortening

Professional wedding dress alterations are expensive, and not every bride has the skill to shorten the dress herself. Thankfully, you can use hemming tape to shorten your gown instead of cutting and sewing.

Note that this no-sew wedding dress shortening solution isn’t suitable for dresses with lace or beading at the bottom or from semi-sheer fabric. Such gowns must be shortened from the waist.

If your wedding dress fabric is suitable for no-sew hemming, try it on, measure the necessary skirt length, and pin excess material. Depending on how much extra fabric is left, you can either fold it under the tape or cut it off.

Then, take the dress off, iron the new fold flat, and unfold it. Unroll some hemming tape and line it up against the pressed hem, then fold the fabric over the tape. Finally, iron the hem once again to activate the tape adhesive.

This method is quick, simple, and effective – the tape adhesive typically withstands multiple launderings.

Another option is using fabric glue. Unfortunately, it isn’t as durable as hemming tape and doesn’t always look neat. The good news is that you can use it on materials unsuitable for ironing, such as polyester and silk.

If you only need to shorten your dress by a couple of inches, a wide crinoline or hooped underskirt can help, raising the hem and ensuring you won’t step on the skirt. Alternatively, consider getting higher heels.

Average Wedding Dress Shortening Price

Price often plays a vital role in decision-making. Unfortunately, the average wedding dress hemming price is of no help because each case is unique. While some brides only pay $50, others have to budget over $300.

The price largely depends on the dress design and fabric that affect the work complexity. Some delicate fabrics can’t be machine-sewn and require hand-stitching, converting ordinary hemming into a labor-intensive process.

If your dress is made from a thick fabric suitable for machine stitching and only has one skirt layer, $100 may suffice. On the other hand, if your dress has a layered skirt, expect to pay at least $200.

The shortening price may exceed $250 if your dress must be shortened from the wait and features intricate embellishments.

Your location also affects the wedding dress alterations price. Brides in large metro areas always pay more than those living in small towns, as tailors charge higher rates due to the higher cost of living.

Some bridal salons offer free wedding dress hemming, so before you head to your local seamstress, ask the store about in-house alterations.

However, a top-tier bridal salon in New York’s center will likely charge you inadequately much and outsource the work to a third party anyway.

Comparing the price your bridal salon offers with the average price in your area is always a good idea.

Wedding Dress Shortening Timeline

Apart from added costs, consider the wedding dress shortening timeline. Wedding planning tends to be a stressful and time-consuming enough process, so scheduling enough time for alterations is vital to save your nerves.

Same as with price, it all depends on the case complexity and your sewists’ workload.

Hemming a minimalistic gown from thick material from the bottom takes a couple of days. Meanwhile, shortening an elaborately embellished dress from the waist may take over a month.

Either way, bring your dress to the sewist at least a couple of months before the wedding. Firstly, you can’t know how heavy the sawist’s workload is. Secondly, hemming may affect the overall dress fit, leading to even more alterations.

Scheduling your fittings in advance will ensure that the sewist has enough time to finish the work on time, and your dress will fit flawlessly.