Local bridal designer personalizes your gown

Tracy Nuttle of Fenton custom personalizes gowns for area brides, stepping up the style and fit of heirloom or off-the-rack gowns. Times file photo

Tracy Nuttle of Fenton takes your re-purposed or off-the-rack gown and makes it your own

 Your wedding gown should be a personal reflection of your style and personality. It should also fit you as if it was designed exactly for you.  These basic principles are what guide wedding/formalwear seamstress Tracy Nuttle as she custom personalizes each gown individually to the bride.  “Giving the bride a personalized fit is what I do,” said Nuttle, owner of Tracy’s Creations Custom Specialty Alterations in Fenton. She grew up in the sewing business, watching and learning from her grandmother, Alyda Newhard, who opened Fenton Fabrics downtown in the 1970s.  Most of her clients are brides who are re-purposing an heirloom dress from their mother, or who found an off-the-rack gown that needs modifications to get the perfect fit.  She meets with brides at her spacious storefront design studio in downtown Fenton, and includes them in the entire decision-making process. While she has the skill to custom-create a finished gown, she prefers to begin with a gown that she can modify to fit the bride’s vision for her own wedding.  “Today’s brides have their own special look to go with their personality,” Nuttle said. “My goal is to personalize that dress to the bride and make it current in the style she’s looking for. I take the elements of the gown that work and keep them.”  Nuttle will literally take a dress apart to get the look and fit the bride is striving for. “I’ll take skirts off and narrow them, remove fabric, re-use trims. You don’t want the same dress as someone else.”  She also creates a bustling system for the gown that will lift it off the floor enough for the bride to comfortably enjoy her reception.  Nuttle suggests that brides budget between $300 and $500 for gown modifications and hemming of multiple layers, depending on the complexity of the project.  She emphasizes that proper fit is the most important aspect of a bridal gown.  “I make it so the gown moves with you,” Nuttle said. “You don’t want your dress floating away from your body. A proper fit will have people saying, ‘that dress fits her like a glove.’”