Making your Jewish Wedding Gown More Modest: Top questions on build-ups and alterations that will reduce costs and maintain style

While some kallah’s experience “love at first sight” when they find their wedding gown, others of us may find it more difficult to fall in love with a modest wedding gown and, instead, prefer a more secular gown with alterations to make it modest.  If you fall into the latter camp, there are several ways to ease the financial burden when building or altering a wedding gown.  Before purchasing the more secular wedding gown that will require alterations to make it more modest, consider these questions:

• What is the best look for making the wedding gown more modest?  Consider all of the options.  Some alteration options are significantly more affordable than others; however, consider whether you are sacrificing style for cost.
• Will you need an entire build-up, or do you just need sleeves, a jacket, or thick lace to make it modest?  An entire build-up is typically the most expensive option.
• You don’t need to re-invent the wheel.  Look at some magazines or go online to track down images of modest wedding gowns that you think will work for making your dress modest. 
• Using pictures to work out a alteration plan with your seamstress is extremely helpful in getting a final product that you will love.
• I have included some pictures of modest wedding gowns from current designers at the end of this blog.  In my opinion, Grace Kelly’s wedding gown is the quintessential timeless modest wedding gown.
• How will you be able to transform your wedding gown into a more modest wedding gown?  Ask yourself:
• What type of fabric is needed to match to your wedding gown?
• My Kleinfeld wedding gown was done by a Kleinfeld designer who did not have left-over lace or other fabric I could use, and the design in the lace was a unique style that was hard to track down.  This made the build-up more difficult, and I was blessed to find a designer (Liz from Designer Loft: 212.944.9013) that was able to source the best matching lace.
• Is this fabric available and affordable?
• While my designer found the best matching lace for my wedding gown build-up, the original fabric underneath the lace that would cover the skin felt scratchy and uncomfortable.  While it was more expensive to go with a smoother fabric, comfort is important and it was money well spent.
• Are their more affordable options using other material that can work with your gown and is significantly less expensive without sacrificing style?
• Before committing to a seamstress or designer, be sure to establish estimated pricing for the type of build-up or alterations you want.  If you are looking to save money, be sure to communicate upfront your budget limit for alteration costs to the seamstress or designer.
• Who will be the seamstress or designer that will help you modify your wedding gown?
• The reputation of a seamstress that has experience with building up modest gowns is essential.  Some of the best seamstresses for doing build-ups may most likely be in the outer-boroughs of NYC and known for catering to the Orthodox Jewish population.  Further, they may be more affordable than seamstresses located in Manhattan.
• Is the seamstress or designer located in a convenient place since you will be expected to come to more than one dress fitting?
• Factor-in the convenience in the location for you to be able to schedule-in getting to the dress fitting appointments.
• I chose Designer Loft for my build-up since they are in the garment district of Manhattan – an easier commute for me than leaving the City.
• How long will it take to make your wedding gown modest?
• From the start, you must work with your seamstress establish a timeline of the number of times you have to come in for fittings and the expected deadline for when all alterations will be complete. 
• Since unexpected things come up, avoid added stress and allow for a cushion of time – make the deadline for the completion of alterations as early as possible with significant time before your wedding date.

Say Yes to the Dress: Modest Wedding Gowns

Kleinfeld Bridal, a well-known premier bridal salon, has been offering up some of the most exquisite wedding gowns money can buy for more than six decades.  Their arguably addictive TV reality show Say Yes to the Dress reveals the sales process.  Kleinfeld even caters to those of us with a tighter budget, providing a vast selection of Sample Sale dresses at more affordable prices. However, for the Orthodox Jewish bride looking for an affordable modest wedding gown, there are several additional costs to keep in mind before flipping the non-refundable Kleinfeld bill. While I was blessed to find my dream Kleinfeld wedding gown, the sample sale price of $1,450 for the gown of my dreams turned into an additional $900 to build it up, along with the pains and frustrations when deciphering the “right” design decisions to make the build-up work well with the beauty of the original dress.


Don’t learn the hard way (like I did). Instead, protect yourself by knowing ahead of time what to expect with the Kleinfeld experience and additional costs:

• Kleinfeld Sample Sale wedding gowns are typically Strapless: This means you will most likely need a plan on how to make a strapless dress more modest (i.e., build-up, jacket, shawl, etc.)
• Speak to "Rochel Leah": Believe it or not, Kleinfeld actually has a sales associate that is known for consulting with Orthodox Jewish kallah’s looking for modest wedding gowns. While Kleinfeld salespeople are notorious for being pushy, Rochel Leah may actually talk you out of even scheduling a Sample Sale appointment at Kleinfeld’s if you tell her you have a tight budget. Why? She knows first-hand the mega dollars that can be associated with build-ups and botch-ups when making a wedding gown modest.
• Kleinfeld Sample Sale dresses are typically strapless which means you will most likely have to pay several hundred more dollars for the additional cost for the build-up, jacket, or other covering (typically starting at $400 +)
• Since Kleinfeld will not build-up your sample sale dress at their store, Rochel Leah can help identify which of the list of Kleinfeld’s recommended seamstresses are more / less expensive, but be weary of the quality and convenience before selecting a seamstress. Some NYC-based seamstresses are often pricier, while others make you hike your gown to other boroughs for the dress fittings and alterations.
• Rochel Leah became a great resource for consulting tips on building up the dress. Her advice was honest and helpful.
• Kleinfeld Sample Sale dresses are Non-Refundable: The purchase of your Kleinfeld sample sale dress is non-refundable and all sales are final, so before falling in love with a dress try to envision how the dress can be transformed to be more modest and determine such logistics as:
• Will the material be hard to get?
• Is the material going to be costly?
• Do I have enough allotted time to make alterations?
• What design looks best to flatter the original dress?
• Warning: Kleinfeld is not responsible for the work done by the recommended seamstresses. Since Kleinfeld does not do build-ups on Sample Sale dresses, what happens outside of Kleinfeld stays outside of Kleinfeld, regardless of how severely botched-up the dress may become. Rather, they provide you with a list of recommended seamstresses.
• After I purchased my Kleinfeld wedding gown, I had the misfortune of relying on the wrong seamstress to build-up my gown and I had to actually find another place for making alterations and the build-up. I ended up choosing Designer Loft, which saved the day for me and my perfect dress.

Questions?  Feel free to email me.