Alterations

weddingmcgee

I bought my wedding dress and it arrived this week. I love it! It's taffeta, a-line, pattern on the top, but plain on the bottom. I need alterations done, nothing crazy- mostly hemming and taking in the middle bit. And I need a bustle added. I bought the dress online from David's Bridal. I know I can take in the dress and have it all done at David's, but they quoted me 6-8 weeks for alterations. My questions are things like: how much do typical alterations usually cost? Do most places take 6-8 weeks? Is it too risky taking the dress to a tailor/seamstress (is there a difference between the two?) instead of a place that does all bridal all the time? I have enough time to have the dress out for 8 weeks (wedding not until October), but I also started P90x this week (ouch!) and would like to lose a good 10-15 pounds before the wedding. I know this will require the dress being taken in from the midsection when I lose weight, so I don't want to take the dress in too soon and then have to have more alterations done. Or... is that the standard? More than one round of alterations so it fits perfectly? I'm learning as I go with the wedding stuff, so thanks for the advice!

kimberly0315

I was told to allow one month for my alterations.  But it's a small boutique store so I'm not sure if big chains are the same.

goldchocobo.defunct635829490514903826

Im getting married in November, and my shop told me to come in in August.  My alterations are minimal as well.  Give yourself about 6 weeks just to be really safe.  Also, go somewhere that knows and works with wedding dresses.  You shop can help with this.

Does your dress have a corset back?  Sometimes the corset can accommodate weight loss a bit by allowing the strings to be drawn tighter.

I have a small stitch on my dress that came undone and I need it hemmed as well, they quoted me under 100 (can't remember the exact price) to get it all pretty-like for me.  You can get rush alterations done, but I wouldn't recommend it.

I found a website that helps, though I think the pricing is a little high...  It will vary from shop to shop so be sure to have the upfront talk with your store:  

http://realsizebride.com/blog/what-do-wedding-dress-alterations-cost/

Good luck on your weight loss journey!

hyechica81

my dress came in november i didnt start alterations till mid april had my final fitting this past week and my dress will be ready for pick up two days before my wedding which is less than 20 days away

i got my dress at a local bridal shop ( non chain) i paid around 335 for all my alterations cups, making the bottom of the dress fit was to long taking in the bust twice, adding the lace straps, etc

and i had a dress with pick ups and alecone lace and the whole top of my dress was covered in pearls and swarvsky crystals

drina0218

I bought my dress at David's too, but the whole thing was such a disaster (they tried to give me a dress that was covered in makeup stains & snagged to holy hell) that I just didn't feel comfortable leaving my dress with them. I looked on yelp for reviews of places, specifically places that dealt with brides. I dropped my dress off at a smaller boutique in Hoboken and it will be done in a month and it cost me roughly $480 for hemming, bustle, taking out at bust, making the neckline from straight to sweetheart because the nice alteration lady told me I need to look like a woman on my wedding day and not a little girl lol. My dress was from the Vera collection and so it did have a ton of tulle to be dealt with too. 

I think DB quoted me $350 for bustle and hemming. I know the price scale is different for the Veras.
Good luck with whatever you choose!

artbyallie

Get a real seamstress to do your alterations. Try your local board or ask friends/family for recommendations.

OliveOilsMom

I found my seamstress by emailing the secretaries of my office asking for recommendations. Many got back to me with many ideas and then I narrowed downed the list and went with one.