It depends on what style your dress is. Was it a special order? Mine was from David's Bridal and off the rack. When I went for my 2nd to last fitting, I tried on the next size down and it fit perfect. So I swapped them. I'm not sure if you are allowed to do that, but I did.

Depends on the dress. Mine was fairly simple (chose that for EXACTLY this reason) and didn't have any intricate beading. They were able to take it from an 18W to a 10...it required a very talented seamstress (among other things, the boned bodice had to be completely taken apart, reshaped, re-assembled with the newly formed boning, etc).

Find someone good in your area who specializes in wedding dresses, call, and ask them - they will be better able to assess your particular dress and how it can be altered without damaging the look.

Ya, taking it in generally isn't a problem. Letting it OUT generally is...

Kira

I had a corset back on mine and that really helped because all you do is pull the strings tighter! If you don't have that, just find a really good seamstress . I agree David's Bridal is really flexible with things like that!