Wedding About how much are you paying for your dress alterations?

[Laila619]

My bridal shop charges a flat fee of $375. That seems a bit high. How much will you pay? Are you having a lot of alterations done to your gown?

 

[miraclesrule]

We paid $180, and trust me, they have had to do a lot of alterations. If your gown is simple and not a lot needs to be done, I would suggest you shop around for pricing. Take pictures when your dress comes in and what needs to be done and then see if you can find a seamstress, especially one that you feel a good rapport with, who will do it for less.

 

[lucy.lucy.80]

My bridal shop has a cap of $350 on alterations. Fortunatly I will be spending $0 since my dress does not need any alterations. Depending on where you live $375 does not sound unreasonable to me. As miraclesrule suggested, you can always comparison shop.

 

[ladyciel]

I haven''t gone for my fitting yet, but all the girls on the knot who used the seamstress I''m using seemed to pay ~200 for hem, bustle, some sort of bodice alteration, and cups sewn in. I''m hoping mine isn''t any more than theirs! This seamstress is lauded on the knot as being extremely talented for a great price. We''re outside Detroit.

 

[iwannaprettyone]

flat fee $170....did I mention at my last fitting the lady removed all the net from underneath and reattached it in a different place to smooth the silhouette...amazing.

 

[miraclesrule]

Date: 7/16/2008 10:52:56 AM
Author: iwannaprettyone
flat fee $170....did I mention at my last fitting the lady removed all the net from underneath and reattached it in a different place to smooth the silhouette...amazing.

That is what I think is going to need to be done for my daughter''s dress. Nothing else is working so I am going to suggest they do this.

Some seamstresses are amazing!!

 

[sap483]

My bridal shop quoted be $465 for taking in the bodice (which had lace on it), hemming it and adding a bustle. I said absolutely not. I found an amazing seamstress who did, get this, 7 fitting for me, adding boning to the bodice and overall did a fabulous job. The cost, $130.

 

[Courtneylub]

Too much...$350 for a sloppy job. I''m in the process of getting some money back and MAYBE bringing it back for them to make it perfect, but I''m about ready to just keep it as is because I''m the only one who notices the flaws.

Maybe I should bring it back AND get some money back for all the driving and gas I''m spending.

 

[marchswallowbird]

Anyone know of a great seamstress in the Los Angeles area? My bridal shop quoted me between $300-$500 for alterations.

 

[julesbeth]

I am feeling rippied off.... I just paid $425.

boo. (i haven''t had the alterations yet, they better be perfect!!!)

 

[doodle]

a lot of it depends on what needs to be done. if you have a satin dress that needs to be hemmed, that''s a cheap alteration; if your dress is beaded lace or netting and you need something changed with the shape of the dress or something like that, it costs a lot more. if you only need simple alterations, take it somewhere else, but if your alterations will be really complex, their flat rate could actually save you money. hope that helps!

 

[marchswallowbird]

I think it also depends on the bridal salon. For example, a salon I was just in quoted me $1,000 for the dress I think I want, and I''ve seen others on the board say they got the exact same dress for about $300 less. I also found it online for $600.

Alterations may be subject to the same mark-ups as other items the bridal shops sell.

 

[October2008bride]

Mine are really pricey too - 350 for taking in the bodice, shortening the spaghetti straps, and hem. They also want 25 dollars PER POINT for the bustle.

I am staying with them for the bodice because of all the beading, but I''m taking it somewhere else for the bustle.

I know it is ia rip-off, but I don''t think anyone near me is used to altering this type of beading.

 

[little miss sunshine]

I paid in the ~300 range as well... I could have shopped around, but I just found it easier to leave it at the bridal shop where I bought it and have them take care of everything.

(Wedding pics and post coming soon...)