A wedding dress that fits well is one that you stop thinking about on the day. It moves with you. It stays where it should. It does not need constant adjusting or pulling back into place. Getting to that point takes proper fitting work — not a quick pin and hope for the best.
We offer wedding dress fitting and alterations at Angelz on Arlington Way, a short walk from Angel tube. The fitting and alteration service is £65.00. We have been tailoring in Angel since 2013, and bridal alterations are a regular part of what we do.
The £65.00 fitting and alteration service covers an initial assessment of the dress on the body, pinning to the required alterations, and then carrying out those alterations to a finished, ready-to-wear standard.
Most bridal alterations fall into a recognisable set of adjustments — taking in the bodice, shortening the hem, adjusting the straps, letting out the back if the dress was bought before final measurements were taken. We deal with all of these. Where the work is more involved — a significant structural change, a bodice reworking, a zip replacement alongside hemming — we discuss the scope and any additional cost before starting.
Hemming is the most frequent request. Most dresses are bought at a sample or standard length and need shortening for the specific height of the person wearing them. We hem with or without lining — a lined dress hem is a more involved job, but the result is a hem that hangs correctly rather than one where the lining shows below the skirt.
Taking in the bodice is the second most common alteration. Dresses bought in a size up for comfort at purchase often need the bodice brought in across the sides or back to give a clean fit. A bodice that is slightly too large shows at the underarm and across the back in photographs. Taking it in properly makes the dress sit as it was designed to.
Strap adjustment — shortening or lengthening — affects how the neckline and bust sit. This is a smaller alteration but one that makes a visible difference, particularly in photographs taken from the front. We adjust straps on all strap styles including spaghetti straps, wide-set straps, and convertible styles.
Zip replacement and repair is occasionally needed on older dresses, pre-loved pieces, or dresses stored since an earlier fitting where the zip has started to pull or catch. We replace zips on wedding dresses regularly. Our zip replacement service in Angel covers zips on all garment types.
A significant number of the wedding dresses that come in for fitting are not new. Some are bought second-hand — from platforms, vintage shops, or previous wearers. Some are inherited, passed down through a family with the expectation that they will be altered to fit.
Pre-loved and inherited dresses often need more alteration than new ones. The dress may have been fitted to a different body shape, stored for years with some distortion, or bought in a size that does not correspond at all to the person who will be wearing it. We assess each dress individually before discussing what is achievable. Where a pre-loved dress has also been stored in a way that has left marks or odour, cleaning before fitting is the sensible order — we can do both.
The UK Alliance of Wedding Planners — the professional body for wedding planners in the UK — advises that dress alterations should ideally be completed two to three weeks before the wedding, with a final fitting in the last week to account for any last-minute changes in fit.
That timeline requires starting early. First fittings are most useful when the final weight and shape of the person wearing the dress is close to settled — roughly six to eight weeks before the wedding for most people. Earlier than that and alterations may need revisiting. Later and there is very little margin for error.
If you are working to a tight timeline — a dress bought late, a date that has come around faster than expected — come in and explain the situation. We assess what is possible and are honest about what can be done in the time available.
The dress. The undergarments you plan to wear on the day — particularly a strapless bra or shapewear if relevant, as these affect how the bodice sits significantly. The shoes, or shoes of the same heel height, so the hem length can be pinned accurately.
If the dress has a specific belt, sash, or accessory that attaches to it, bring that too. These affect how the waist and body sit and should be part of the fitting rather than added afterwards.
We clean and alter wedding dresses — both services are available from the same shop. If you have a pre-loved dress that needs cleaning and fitting, we can do both. The standard process is to clean first, then fit — a clean dress is easier to work with and the alteration is done to the finished garment.
For dresses being cleaned after the wedding, the fitting work is obviously done first. Our wedding dress cleaning service in Angel covers post-wedding cleaning at £125.00, separate from the fitting and alteration service.
We carry out a full range of tailoring work beyond bridal. Our suit tailoring service in Angel covers suit alterations, fittings, and bespoke adjustments for everyday and formal suits. For the full overview of what our tailoring team handles, visit our tailoring page for Angel.
We are at 18 Arlington Way, Angel, EC1R 1UY — two minutes on foot from Angel tube on the Northern Line. Customers come in from across Islington, Clerkenwell, Pentonville, Finsbury, and King’s Cross.
No appointment is necessary to come in for an initial assessment, though for bridal fittings a quieter time of day tends to work better. Call ahead if you prefer to confirm a time before coming in.
How many fittings will I need?
Most alterations are completed in one or two fittings. A straightforward hem and bodice take-in can often be finished in a single visit. More complex work — significant structural changes, multiple adjustments — may need a second fitting to check the result before final finishing.
Can you alter a dress that has been worn before?
Yes. Pre-loved and worn dresses are assessed in the same way as new ones. We check the fabric condition and discuss what is achievable before starting.
What if the dress needs both cleaning and alterations?
We can do both from the same shop. Cleaning first, then alterations, is the standard approach for pre-loved and inherited dresses. Mention both requirements when you come in and we will give you a timeline that covers both.
Do you work on bridesmaid dresses as well?
Yes. Bridesmaid dress alterations — hemming, taking in, strap adjustment — are handled as standard tailoring work. Multiple dresses from the same wedding party can be brought in at the same visit.
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