Tips on working with a Bride or Formal Wear Client

If you've ever been interested with working with a bride, a prom client, or any client needing formal wear, I have compiled some tips for you to prepare you for the challenge ahead. These are things that I learned over the course of my experience sewing for clients as well as the 6 months that it took me to create this dress. These are in no particular order but I hope that these tips will be helpful for you.

If you've ever been interested with working with a bride, a prom client, or any client needing formal wear, I have compiled some tips for you to prepare you for the challenge ahead. These are things that I learned over the course of my experience sewing for clients as well as the 6 months that it took me to create this dress. These are in no particular order but I hope that these tips will be helpful for you.

You must be proficient in your sewing. Make sure that your finishings on the inside as well as the outside are clean and neat.
Do your research! Learn different techniques on what the bride is specifically looking for. Don't forget to research different hemming techniques. If you have a bride that is looking for volume in her dress, I would highly recommend that you purchase a petticoat from a reputable source instead of making one. Amazon isn't always the best choice so find a source with quality petticoats. Put in your most all of your time on the dress instead of the petticoat.
Do not agree to a design you have no experience on. For example, if you've never made a mermaid shape design, don't agree to doing a mermaid shape dress. This is definitely not the time to practice.
Before committing, make sure you give yourself ample amount of time to create the dress. Most design houses require one year for the bride to receive her dress. I was ok with 6 months because I was aware of the type of workload I would have within that time.
If you've never made a garment for any customer, a bride should never be your first client. Practice making things for your family and friends. Learn how to measure and fit garments on people other than yourself.
When talking about the design with your bride, keep all design ideas as well as her measurements in one central location such as a planner or notebook that you consistently use. This will make it so much easier for you to refer back to as you are sewing the garment.
A mannequin that is the bride's size is EXTREMELY helpful. When your bride is not there to fit the Garment, a mannequin is very helpful and so convenient. you may not want to fork out the money for a mannequin, but this was something and that was a no-brainer for me.
DO NOT cut into the bridal fabric until you have sewn a muslin. Sew a test garment with muslin. This is vital! This helps you get the proper fit for your bride and allows her to see whether or not this is the right choice for her.
Schedule bi-weekly or monthly meetings with your bride for fittings. When it gets closer to the date that the dress is due to the bride, schedule weekly fittings until everything fits perfectly.
Prior to pricing out the Garment to your bride, figure out what design the bride is looking for, how much time you think it will take you to create this garment, and go out and price the material. List all of the items out on paper and total it all up.
PACE YOURSELF!!!!! Do not rush the process. It's going to be a stressful undertaking. Walk away. Take a break. Work on something else if your time allows you (which it should). Just whatever you do take your time throughout the design process, as well as the execution.
If you and your bride agree to a design at the beginning of the project, let her know that she is not able to change it because it will cost more money and time which both of these are very limited.
Buy more than enough fabric!!! When you buy more fabric than you need, it's almost like the popular saying, better safe than sorry. If you don't have enough fabric, you'll be stuck stressing out and trying to figure out a plan B for your bride and with that said, you better hope that she's flexible with your ideas.
And last but not least.....think positive thoughts and have a great support system. My support system was you all and I thank you so much for motivating me to get through such a huge project.

Special Thank you to Mrs. Bass for trusting me with your vision and allowing me to be apart of your special day.