I live in Los Angeles and there are a ton of places to go to get designer gowns. But of course, I've managed to fall in love with pictures of a few dresses that are only for sale in the United States in NYC. I particular, I absolutely love this Elie Saab dress (the only permanent Elie Saab retailers are in NYC and Texas):
My plan is to try on dresses here and see if I fall in love with something. If not, I am willing to fly to New York to buy a dress. The problem is that I don't want to fly back to NYC 1-4 times for fittings. What are the options for getting it altered? I know you can get a local steamstress, but what does it really entail to find a seamstress who can alter a designer wedding gown. I've heard horror stories about independent tailors putting dresses in washing machines, etc.