Essense of Australia Palma Wedding Dress Alterations for a Carshalton Bride
This beautiful Essense of Australia Palma wedding dress came to my bridal alterations studio in Sutton for a substantial transformation. My bride travelled from Carshalton with her elegant ivory Mikado gown, which needed considerably more than a simple hem adjustment before it was ready for her wedding day.
The Palma is a beautifully clean and contemporary wedding dress, with a dramatic plunging V-neckline, structured bodice, defined waist and a wonderfully full Mikado skirt and train. The simplicity of the fabric is part of what makes the gown so striking, but it also means that the fit has to be extremely precise — there is nowhere for an alteration to hide on smooth Mikado.
For this bride I took the gown in by approximately 12cm, shortened the dress and shoulder straps, added bust support, constructed a hidden elasticated inner corset, added bustles and completed the look with a sparkling bridal belt at the waist.
Essense of Australia Palma wedding dress alterations | Taking the Palma Wedding Dress In by 12cm
The most substantial part of this alteration was the overall fit.
The gown needed to be taken in by approximately 12cm, which is a considerable adjustment on a structured bridal dress. With this amount being removed, it is important not simply to make the dress smaller. The proportions through the bust, waist, neckline and skirt all have to remain balanced so that the gown still looks as the designer intended.
I carefully reshaped the bodice to bring it closer to the bride’s body while maintaining the clean lines of the original Palma design.
Once the fit was corrected, the waist became much more defined and the bodice sat far more securely against the bride.
Essense of Australia Palma wedding dress alterations | Shortening the Shoulder Straps and Improving the Neckline Fit
The shoulder straps were also shortened.
This may sound like a relatively small alteration, but on a wedding dress with such a deep V neckline, the position of the shoulders affects the whole bodice.
Lifting the straps brought the dress into the correct position over the bust, helped the neckline sit more securely and improved the overall balance of the gown.
Rather than trying to achieve all the support simply by making the bodice tighter, the gown was adjusted from several areas so that everything worked together.
Essense of Australia Palma wedding dress alterations | Adding Bust Support to a Deep V Wedding Dress
The Palma has a particularly low plunging neckline, so creating sufficient support while keeping that beautiful open neckline was an important part of the alteration.
I added additional bust support inside the gown, carefully positioned so that it remained discreet and did not interfere with the clean exterior of the Mikado bodice.
Internal bridal construction is often the part of an alteration that nobody else sees, but it can completely change how a bride feels in her dress.
The aim was to give my bride greater security without making the bodice appear bulky or over-constructed.
Creating a Hidden Elasticated Inner Corset
For additional support I also made and fitted a hidden elasticated inner corset.
This sits completely inside the wedding dress and helps anchor the bodice securely around the bride’s body. It provides support independently of the shoulder straps and helps prevent the gown from moving or dropping as it is worn.
This is particularly useful on a dress with a deep neckline, where the outside of the bodice needs to remain beautifully clean.
From the outside you simply see the elegant Essense of Australia gown.
Inside, however, there is considerably more structure working to support the bride.
This is exactly how I like internal bridal alterations to work: effective, supportive and virtually invisible.
Adding a Bridal Belt to Define the Waist
I also added the sparkling bridal belt around the waist.
The Palma already has a beautifully defined waistline, and the addition of the delicate crystal detail gave the bride’s gown a more individual finish.
Against the simplicity of the ivory Mikado, the sparkle creates just enough contrast without overpowering the clean design of the dress.
It also visually emphasises the waist following the substantial 12cm refit, drawing the eye to the newly fitted silhouette.
Small design details like this can make a surprisingly big difference. The gown still retains the character of the original Essense of Australia Palma, but it now has a detail chosen specifically for this bride.
Shortening the Ivory Mikado Skirt
The wedding dress also needed to be shortened to the correct finished length.
Mikado is a beautiful fabric to work with because it holds its shape so well, but its smooth surface makes accurate bridal alterations particularly important.
A hem needs to look completely even while allowing the skirt to retain its natural fullness and movement.
The finished length was established with the bride wearing the shoes intended for the wedding, before the gown was carefully shortened and finished.
The aim is for the dress to skim the floor beautifully while still allowing the bride to walk comfortably and confidently.
Adding Wedding Dress Bustles to the Palma Train
The Palma has a beautiful full skirt and train, which looks wonderful during the ceremony and in photographs but becomes less practical once the reception begins.
I therefore added wedding dress bustles so that the train could be lifted securely later in the day.
Bustles need to do more than simply get the train off the floor. The position and number of bustle points have to take account of the weight, construction and shape of the skirt so that the gown still looks attractive when the train is lifted.
On a substantial Mikado skirt, this is particularly important because there is more weight to support.
The bride could therefore enjoy the drama of her full train for the ceremony and photographs, while having a practical option for walking and dancing afterwards.
A Substantial Bridal Transformation
Although the finished dress looks wonderfully effortless, there was a considerable amount of work hidden within this transformation.
The alterations included approximately 12cm taken in, shoulder straps shortened, the gown shortened to the correct length, additional bust support, a bespoke hidden elasticated inner corset, wedding dress bustles and a sparkling bridal belt added to define the waist.
That is one of the things I particularly love about bridal alterations.
When they are done well, the finished result shouldn’t immediately make someone think about all the work that has been carried out.
They should simply look at the bride and think:
That dress fits her beautifully.
Essense of Australia Palma Wedding Dress Alterations in Sutton
I regularly work with brides wearing Essense of Australia wedding dresses, including gowns requiring much more than straightforward shortening.
Every bride and every wedding dress is different. Even two brides wearing exactly the same Palma gown may require completely different alterations depending on their proportions, the size purchased and the amount of support they prefer.
From my bridal alterations studio in Sutton, I work with brides travelling from Carshalton, Sutton, Surrey, South London and further afield for specialist wedding dress alterations.
My work includes complex resizing, wedding dress shortening, strap alterations, bust and neckline contouring, additional bust support, hidden corsetry, structural bodice work, bridal belts and embellishment, wedding dress bustles and final preparation.
For this Carshalton bride, a substantial refit transformed the way her Essense of Australia Palma sat on her body while the additional internal support gave her greater security.
And most importantly, all that hidden construction allowed the outside of the gown to remain beautifully simple.
Experienced in Couture Bridal Alterations Across Leading Designers
Over the years, I have carried out couture bridal alterations and restructuring work on gowns from designers including Allure Bridal, Anna Sorrano Bridal, Anny Lin Bridal, Berta Bridal, Blue By Enzoani, Catherine Deane, Caroline Castigliano, Dama Couture , Élysée Bridal, Enzoani, Essense Of Australia , Eva Lendel, Galia Lahav Bridal, Grace Loves Lace, Gypsy Bridal, House of CB, Jesus Peiro, Juliana Kontogruni bridal, Justin Alexander Bridal, KYHA Bridal Studios, Leah Da Gloria, Luxe Privee, Madi Lane, Maggie Sottero, Mark Lesley, Martina Liana, Made With Love, Milla Nova, Morilee, Monreal, Pronovias, PDR Aurorabride, Ronald Joyce, Ricca Sposa, Rosa Clará, Riki Dalal, Sophia Cruz Bridal, Sophia Tolli, Stella York, Symphony Of Venus, Viva Bridal, Vivienne Westwood Bridal, Wona Concept and many others
My work includes complex size reductions, bespoke sleeve additions, bespoke veils and accessories, couture embellishment Complete bridal gown transformations and creating expert bustle techniques.
Click the designer links above to explore real wedding dress alterations and bridal transformations I have carried out.
I have provided a guideline to wedding dress alterations costs and what Bridal fitting Process involves , however, all wedding dress alterations are individually quoted following a personal assessment of your gown. I also offer a full professional comprehensive wedding dress steam pressing service to all my brides.
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Planning your own Bridal Alterations?
For the best results, bridal alterations should ideally begin a few months before the wedding day, with a pre-fit consultation, allowing us to assess exactly what your dress requires, discuss possible transformations, provide a clearer guide on costing, and give you peace of mind well in advance of your wedding day.
Please bring your wedding shoes to your fitting appointments so the gown can be pinned accurately from the very first consultation.
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If you have purchased your Essense of Australia wedding dress or Made With Love Bridal, WED2B, or another bridal boutique designer dress and are looking for specialist bridal alterations in London or Surrey, I would be delighted to hear from you.
Explore more real bridal transformations in the Atelier Journal or get in touch to begin your fitting journey.
For bridal alterations or a bespoke design in SuttonSurrey, I would be delighted to hear from you.
Serving Bromley, Cheam, London, Wimbledon, Wallington, Crystal Palace, Croydon & South London
Private bridal fittings by appointment
A Glimpse of the Finished Bridal Look ✨
The three wedding-inspired images featured are artistic visualisations based on photographs taken during the bride’s actual dress fittings. They illustrate how her beautifully altered Essense of Australia Palma wedding gown could look in a romantic wedding-day setting.
While these are not photographs from the actual wedding, the gown and alterations shown are based on my genuine bridal alterations work. Authentic wedding-day photographs may be added if they become available and the bride shares them.
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