Deleting the Zipper

• 1). Set aside a clean flat work area without any sharp edges that could snag the wedding gown. Place the gown face down, so that the zipper is showing.
  
  
• 2). Use a seam ripper to separate the zipper gently from the dress. Remove all loose threads.
  
  
• 3). Measure the length of the zipper with a ruler. Determine how much of that length you want to be corseted and how much of the seam (i.e., from the bottom of the zipper) you can finish by hand. Remember that you need to be able to easily slip on the gown as well as slip out of the gown.
  
  Depending on where the top of the dress reaches on your back, the length of area for the corset laces could extend 10 inches or longer. Use straight pins to mark this measurement.