Dress alterations at David's Bridal

Re: Dress alterations at David's Bridal

• majesty318 member

  

  January 2014

  I am getting my dress altered there. I decided to use David's because  I figured they would have experience with my particular dress, which seems to me like a giant pain to alter: http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Taffeta-Ball-Gown-with-Floral-Appliques-on-Skirt-SV415
  
  I bought it off the rack so it is between 1 & 2 sizes too large. Therefore, the bodice needs to come in, the skirt needs hemming, and I need a 3-point bustle (I think it was 3-point). It will be $250 and the dress cost $550. Kind of sucky but it had to be done and with all the flowers on mine, I wanted to use someone who had worked on this exact dress before.
  
  How complicated is your dress going to be? They had a price chart at my store with the base rates... if yours just needs a simple hem & bustle it should be a lot less than mine.

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• harmonyholly member

  

  January 2014

  Hi, thank you for the information. I wasn't sure what sort of bustle mine would need. The bodice of my dress fit fine, but I'm shorter than the length of dress. I got a call asking about alterations this morning, and then when I asked about pricing they wouldn't give me an estimate or starting rate over the phone. My dress only cost $300 so it would be a bummer for it to almost the exact price.

  
  

  The dress has a decent size train though, so I'm wondering if that will make it more costly?

  
  

  I attached some photos of me in the dress that I bought though for a better idea. 

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• [Deleted User] member

  

  January 2014

  I bought my dress at DB and had it altered there also. I was a little worried about taking it somewhere else with the details of my dress and having them ruin it. I figured that their seamstresses work with their dresses on a daily basis and are familiar with them so they know how to work with each style.  I had them switch the zipper to corset ($150.00 I think it was) and do the bustle ($180 I think it was). Everything else on the dress fit perfect. The reason my bustle was so much was because of the style of bustle I went with. Instead of doing the traditional 3-4 tie bustle I had them do one where basically the trains gets tucked under the dress instead tied up on my butt. Doing the traditional (and cheapest) bustle would have hidden so much of the beauty and details of the back of my dress. So my recommendation is don't necessarily go for the cheapest bustle, but the one that is going to make your dress look the best. The seamstresses I worked with were very polite, helpful and professional. I know I've read lots of nightmare stories from them, but I had a great experience with them.

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• melbenso member

  

  January 2014

  I bought my dress at DB and have an alterations appointment scheduled in April.  If I recall correctly, when I bought the dress, they gave me a pre-printed card that had information on the cost of each of the most common alterations (hemming, different bustles, taking in, adding straps, etc.).  I bet your DB location has the same thing.
  

  

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• Dignity100 member

  

  January 2014

  Thanks for asking - this has been extremely helpful!!  I'm considering a David's Bridal dress - of course it's a clearance dress (last one) and the dress is 2 sizes too small so they suggested letting it out and adding a corset back (which I want the corset back anyway).  I've only been able to locate a store that has the dress 1 size smaller than I need (so I'm not sure which one I'll go with or if I'll go with the dress at all).
  

  
  
  
  

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• jenna8984 member

  

  January 2014

  @majesty318 you got a great deal- my friend paid 1300 for that exact dress!

  @harmonyholly I don't have experience with DB alterations. They wanted $120 to hem my $90 bridesmaid dress. I was like are you insane. I got really great recommendations of a local woman who does them at her house and she did amazing for $30. I totally understand that the bride dress is more important than a BM dress and you don't neccessarily want to go cheap on something like that, but ask around and read reviews. There are a lot of amazing seamstresses who really know what they're doing.  

                                                                   

  
  

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• majesty318 member

  

  January 2014

  @jenna8984 I know! It was on clearance or I never even would have picked it up. $1300 was way above budget
  

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• kittypolishnbags member

  

  January 2014

  I was actually thinking about taking my dress somewhere else to get it hemmed. I think that will be the only thing I'll need when it comes in sometime in March. I needed to order it one size smaller and the consultant that helped me with my fitting exclaimed that the one size smaller should fit me perfectly.

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• hyechica81 member

  

  January 2014

  db is wicked expensive for alterations. my sister got her jr prom dress there for such a steal in price, but it needed alterations well her dress was only about 75.00 but after alterations was all said and done her dress now was a 300 dollar dress.
  
  i would take your dress to a seamstress outside of db someone who has worked or specializes in wedding gowns they often give you a better price on the gown and they can do any gown
  

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• harmonyholly member

  

  January 2014

  I've decided to take my dress to DB on Sunday to have an estimate made for alterations. 

  
  

  I really don't want my dress to get messed up, and if this was any other dress I would seek a cheaper seamstress. The other places I've researched I wasn't feeling too confident in what I was finding.  I think for my sanity I'm going to see how much DB will do it for. I also am doing nothing to my bodice, and just looking for it to be hemmed and bustled. A lot of the higher prices I've found people give from DB also include a lot more alterations than I'm looking at. 

  
  

  
  

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• harmonyholly member

  

  January 2014

  So in case anyone is curious. I went to DB's yesterday to begin the process of having my dress altered. My dress is being hemmed in a certain style that only runs $95, and my bustle was $85. So I ended up spending $180 on getting my dress altered. All in all though, I am happy and content with the amount I spent. 

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