How to Take Your Own Dress Measurements, According to a Seamstress

Understanding your measurements is a crucial skill in the process of shopping for a dress—whether it's a wedding or a bridesmaid dress—in order to look and feel your best. If you're ordering a dress online or ordering something custom, it's essential that you know how to measure for a dress at home so you can ensure you're getting the best possible fit. If you want to enlist the help of a professional, search for "seamstress near me" via The Knot Vendor Marketplace to find skilled professionals in your area to take your measurements. Filter by location and select "alterations" listed under the fashion services tab.

While it's rare that a dress needs zero alterations, getting your base size right will ensure you're not overcompensating with alterations on the wrong size dress. For brides, this is especially important because your wedding dress size will not always be the same as your usual size (more on that later). Every designer is different, so you'll want to be sure to cross-check your measurements against each brand's size chart to get the best possible fit off the rack. Knowing your measurements is also essential if you're buying a custom wedding dress virtually. Some brands including Azazie allow you to plug in your measurements online for a precise fit.

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In this article:

• What You Need to Take Your Own Dress Measurements
• How to Take Measurements for a Dress
• Dress Measurement Mistakes to Avoid

What You Need to Take Your Own Dress Measurements

To help you take the most accurate dress measurements at home, we've enlisted a team of experts to share their top tips and insights including New Jersey-based Castle Couture alterations director Colleen Giresi, Watters sales executive Maria Prince and renowned wedding gown designer Hayley Paige. When opting to measure yourself at home, you'll want to make sure you have all of the necessary items. Just like a seamstress has her own kit, you'll want to assemble your own kit of essentials for measuring at home.

• Soft and flexible body measuring tape (not a stiff ruler or tape measure you'd use for furniture). Don't have one? Paige recommends this one from Michaels
• Pencil and paper for recording measurements (you can use your phone too)
• Same (or similar) undergarments that you'll wear under your dress on the wedding day—bra, underwear, shapewear, etc.
• Same shoes you'll wear on the wedding day (or shoes of similar height)
• Full-length mirror
• A friend or family member (strongly recommended)

How to Take Measurements for a Dress

Before you begin to take your measurements at home, you'll want to strip down to the undergarments (or similar undergarments) that you'll be wearing under your dress. Believe it or not, the extra volume from clothing can make a big difference in determining your size. You can also wear a tight-fitting athleisure set, like leggings and a tank top, if you'd prefer. It can also be very helpful to have a friend or family member present so one person can measure while the other person records. Once you've grabbed your measuring tape, you're ready to start measuring.

Bust

When taking your bust measurement, it's important not to confuse this with your bra size. The bust measurement is the width around the fullest part of your chest to the widest part of your back. Carefully wrap the measuring tape around your bust and under your armpits at the fullest part of your chest (a general rule of thumb is that this falls around the nipple area) to the widest part of your back. The tape measure should lay in a circle and should not slope upward to droop down. Prince notes that undergarment choice is especially crucial with this measurement. She suggests wearing a regular, non-padded bra (unless you want to wear a padded bra on the actual day). Don't wear a sports bra that compresses your bust either—that will give you incorrect numbers too.

Waist

Next up is your waist measurement. While many people commonly confuse your waist with your hips, your waist is the smallest part of your torso—think of it as where your hands would fall if you put your hands on your hips. This typically sits just below the ribcage and just above the belly button. An easy way to find your natural waist is to stand up straight in a mirror and bend slightly to either side. You'll see that where your torso bends is where your waist falls. To take this measurement, simply wrap the measuring tape around the waist. It's important to breathe naturally and avoid sucking in, otherwise, your dress will feel too tight. This measurement can be tricky, so it doesn't hurt to try it a few times to ensure you've gotten the most accurate number.

Hips

The hip measurement is taken from the widest part of the hips, including the fullest part of the butt. While this may not be where you would think to take a hip measurement, using the fullest part of the hips ensures you have enough room in your dress to move comfortably and not feel constricted. Caitlin Arvanites, vice president of Castle Couture, shares that it is "super important to take this measurement from the side to see exactly where it is hitting and it's not too low or too high." When taking this measurement, stand up straight with your feet together and wrap the measuring tape around the widest part of your hips and backside.

Dress Length AKA Hollow to Floor

The dress length measurement is better known as a hollow-to-floor measurement, and it's exactly what it sounds like: the distance from the hollow point between your collarbones to the floor. Before taking this measurement, you'll want to put on your wedding shoes, or at least shoes of the same height as your wedding shoes, to ensure an accurate measurement. To measure hollow to floor for a dress, find the hollow of your neck (the deep dip at the center of your collarbone) and use the tape to measure from the hollow to the floor. This can be a tricky measurement to take by yourself, so this is where the help of a friend or family member will come in handy. The proper way to take a hollow-to-hem measurement is to have someone else do it, Arvanites tells us. "As a bride, you wouldn't be able to take that measurement alone because you have to look straight ahead or it alters the numbers. While looking ahead you would hold the top of the tape measure in the nape of your neck and have the tape measure fall to the floor. The number that is 'kissing' the floor is what your hollow to hem measurement is."

If you don't have the right shoes on hand, don't worry. "Even if you don't have the exact shoes you are wearing, if you know the heel height, you can add this to the length," Paige says. "If your flatfooted measurement is 50 inches and you are planning to wear a four-inch heel, the total hollow-to-hem would be 54 inches."

Dress Measurement Mistakes to Avoid

Now that you know the basics of taking your own measurements, there are a few key pointers you'll want to keep in mind. Getting your measurements right the first time will save you time and money in alterations in the long run.

Pulling the Tape Measure Too Tight

A surefire way to end up with an uncomfortable dress that doesn't fit is to pull the tape measure too tightly. You'll want your dress to fit comfortably so you can dance, drink and eat all night without feeling restricted. Allow the tape measure to sit gently over your body rather than pulling it taut to avoid an ill-fitting dress.

Assuming Your Bridal Size is the Same as Your Usual Size

It's a common misconception that you can just order your usual size when ordering a wedding dress. Wedding dresses have their own unique size scale that differs from your usual everyday clothes and bridal sizes are typically two or three sizes larger than street sizes. In general, a bridal size 10 translates to a street size 6. While this varies by designer, it's important to refer to each brand's size chart so you understand how you'll fit into their dresses specifically.

Inhaling While Measuring Your Waist

If you are sucking in your stomach or inhaling while measuring your waist, chances are you'll end up with a dress that doesn't fit. Be sure to breathe normally and comfortably while measuring your waist to ensure an accurate measurement.

Sizing Down if You're Between Sizes

If your bust, waist and hip measurements correspond to different sizes (for example, your bust is a 14, but your hips are a 16), we recommend sizing up to the largest measurement of the three. Giresi emphasizes, "If a bride fits into multiple sizes, always go with the largest. That's the size you have to cover and shave off the rest of the fabric." It's much easier to take in a dress than to let it out in alterations, so ordering the larger size will make the alterations process much easier in the long run. There is no such thing as the perfect body and most brides will vary in sizes between their bust, waist and hips.

Exaggerating Your Measurements

At the end of the day, no one knows what size your dress is once it's on your body, so you're better off wearing something that fits you and feels comfortable rather than trying to force yourself into the smaller size. Recording accurate measurements is key to having a dress that fits you well. "It is important to measure where you are actually at so that the dress doesn't come in too tight," Paige says. "Be kind to yourself. It's not about the measurement on a tape or the size, it's about recognizing you have a beautiful body that gets you places!"

Not Utilizing a Mirror

A full-length mirror is an absolute must when taking your dress measurements at home in order to ensure you can see where the tape measure is hitting all around your body. Arvanites shares, "A mirror helps whoever is measuring you ensure they are in the right spot." This is how the professionals take measurements too. They need to see all the way around to make sure the tape measure is laying flat, so your seamstress will always use a mirror to take your measurements.

Measuring Alone

While you technically could measure for a dress size yourself, we strongly suggest enlisting the help of a friend or family member. You often have to move around and reposition when measuring and that can create a user error if you are trying to both hold the tape measure and accurately record measurements at the same time. If you have a friend or family member who sews or has worked in a bridal salon, they will be a great resource in helping to take precise measurements. When in doubt, turn to the experts for help. The best tip for how to measure for a dress is to go to an expert, Giresi tells us. "Do not chance the most important gown for being a practice run."