I received the good news yesterday by mail--my dress has arrived safely in the US from its international travels and is almost ready to come home to me. But first, she must be altered.
I called to make an alteration appointment and tried to explain that I would not be bringing my shoes with me because I had not yet purchased shoes. The sample size I tried on just barely touched the floor, and it was a size 12, so the woman who was helping me explained that after my dress was altered to fit around my torso, she would likely hit in the right place and wouldn't need hemming at all. Great! Considering hemming costs 1/4 the price of the dress itself, I was eager to prevent that expense from being added to my budget.
I tried to explain my frugal cleverness to the woman on the phone, saying that I would wear flats, 1" heels, or 2" heels, whatever it takes so the hemline hits in the right place without hemming. She didn't get it. I offered an explanation from the price angle--again, no comprehension. Eventually I gave up and just made an alteration appointment--I have to assume that the seamstress has encountered similarly frugal brides and will understand what I'm saying.
The earliest fitting I could get is in 2 weeks--a bit of a tight squeeze but I have to assume that everything will work out ok. And they said I could come in earlier to try her on, which I might have to do if I start getting homesick for my dress.
