The other day I was planning a wedding with a bride-to-be when out of the blue, she started talking about wedding dress lengths and asked how long should a wedding dress be. She said she bought a wedding dress from a dear friend and it was too long and she is planning to have a seamstress cut it short but she can’t decide about the length of the dress. So how do you get the right wedding dress fit? Read on for some essential advice…
Of course, when talking about wedding dress measurements, it’s always important to be accurate. You certainly don’t want to walk down the aisle with a hem that you can step on and you surely don’t want to have something that is too short and looks like your dress is not your correct measurement.
To help you measure the right length of your bridal gown, you have to stand straight and with your feet together. Bring the measuring tape across your bust to the front and allow it to drop naturally. It’s important to make sure that you stand straight but relaxed when taking measurements.
Getting your Gown’s Length – Wedding Dress Length Basics
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In getting the wedding dress length, you may need to measure the length of the wedding dress from the top of the hemline of the gown. If you are getting a strapless gown, measure it from the hem at your bust. If your gown is sleeveless, you may have to get the length of the wedding dress from the middle part of your shoulder, down to the desired length of your gown. You can choose to measure floor length but keep in mind your shoes when taking the measurement. If high heels, check the height matches your wedding shoes, but to be safe, you should remove your shoes when taking the height or length measurement of your dress.
How Should I Hem a Wedding Dress? |
So how long must a wedding dress be? For wedding dress dimensions, Most often, a seamstress will measure the length of the dress at the top or the center of the collarbone (hollow) down to the floor or what they call hollow to hem. They will give a few inches allowance from the floor to the hem to allow you to walk comfortably.
Most often, a seamstress will give your dress a 1-inch allowance from the floor but this can range from ½ inch or up to 1 ½ inch off the floor as a wedding dress length standard.
Hollow to Hem – Wedding Dress Length Code
Whether short length wedding dresses, mid length wedding dresses, or full length dresses; always remember that when taking the measurement for the length of the dress, it is taken from the hollow part of your collarbone or the center of your collarbone down to the hem of the dress and not from the neckline of the garment. Make sure to have someone take this measurement for you while you are straight and relaxed.
When taking measurements for the height and length from the waist down, you may have to remove your shoes and from that measurement, the seamstress would give an allowance for your shoes. If you are getting an upper body length and a lower body length, its measurement should total to the length of the dress from the hollow of the collarbone to the hem of the dress.
Indeed, it may be up to you if you want a long wedding dress or a full length wedding dress, mid length wedding dress, or a cocktail length wedding dress – that is your choice, but if it is always important to get the right measurement for the length of your dress to make sure it fits you and you have the right wedding dress.
How did you have your wedding dress fitted? Got any funny stories? Comment and let us know…