Wedding Dress Alterations Cost - Buyer Experiences and Price Information

Please don't take it out on your seamstress because you wanted to purchase a sale gown that didn't fit. Sure it only cost you $250, but you are asking me to make it fit..which will take HOURS of my time. Plummers, beauticians, manicurists...do you "haggle" with them about price? Seamstresses who specialize in Wedding gowns do so because they love what they do. If you find your own seamstress, as opposed to the store's, she has the freedom to do whatever you want. Some stores have contracts with the designers and alterations that change the "style" are not allowed..specifically David's Bridal. As far as bustle costs, that is figured on how many times it has to be attached. All costs are figured on "How long it will take to do it"

I had an organza version of Princess Diana's dress with Chantilly lace in three tiers, including the bottom hem. Luckily, I was tall, and with a 2 1/2 inch heel, and did not need the hem altered. It also helped that I was measured hem to hollow in the shoes I would wear on my wedding day. Other measurements were accurate, so I only had to have some side tapering done, with a few pieces of lace lifted, then reapplied, then a bustle.
If your dress comes in way too big...the tape measure DOES NOT LIE. Measure the dress and measure you; if your dress does not even closely match the ordered measurements (within 2 inches each measurement), then I recommend they reorder, or limit your loss on additional alterations above what would normally have been expected. If your measurements are still the same as measured and ordered, then clearly there is a manufacturing issue or they had a larger size, cut out the tags. Finish paying for your dress AFTER final inspection/delivery...never before.

Hi, I have to comment on the person that states be weary of a person working out of their home. Red Flag. I work out of my home because I choose to save the customers money, if I had a store front I would have to charge accordingly in order to make my monthly bills. I also have a license, tax exempt etc. I have a business name and do carry insurance. I am not a person that work out of my home as a hobby. I take my sewing business very seriously and I do this because I love to sew. Your advice that they stick with a bridal salon is not always advisable. There are some very talented seamstress/dressmakers out there that chose not to have a store front so they can pass the savings to the customers.

I'm wondering if I would be best served by ordering a custom dress rather than one already made. I am much larger on the bottom than the top and am also quite shortwaisted. That means cutting down both the width and the length of the top.

I have done alterations for more than 20 years. After working for several bridal shops, I decided that I could give clients a much more friendly and professional experience at home. My prices are very reasonable, although many think that any amount is too high. It has taken an extreme amount of education and practice to be able to do a quality job. To any one who questions my prices, I always explain exactly what needs to be done, how long I expect it to take, materials and equipment needed, and give them the option of doing it themselves or taking it elsewhere. I never have any one take that option. I also usually require only one fitting for prom and bridesmaid dresses and in most cases only one or possibly two for the bride. Experience counts and saves you time. One hugh favor you can do yourself and the seamstress is to purchase your dress using your largest measurement! Do not pay any attention to the size in the dress. A size 6 will be sized differently with each manufacturer. In most cases you cannot return formal wear. It will cost much more to get a size 18 body into a size 2 dress than it will to take in a couple of seams. Believe me the results can be less than spectacular. Do not purchase a dress that is several sizes to large just because the price is great. It may cost more than buying the dress new to do the alterations, if they can be done at all. As the other professionals have stated, what you see as a just a hem, may take several hours. The next time you question a price, remember that we have as much education as you do and ask yourself if you are willing to work for what you think you should pay for your alteration. Please remember that I have to pay for heat, electric, provide a bathroom, and purchace and maintain all of my 5 sewing machines, my irons and steamers, plus needles pins and other supplies. You are not paying just for my time and experience. I do not advertise. All my work comes from referals, and I AM fully insured.

My wedding was $1500 & I had to have it altered in serveral places for it to fit correctly. I was so nervous to have anyone work on because the dress is worth so much and was afraid someone was going to mess it up. I knew I needed it altered or it wasn't going to fit me correctly so I was referred to Made Just For You in NYC. They are home base so they come to you and bring your dress back to you within 3 days depending on what needs to be altered. They specialize in altering wedding dresses and suits, they also do custom dresses, suits, tuxedos,but they do everything alterations/tailoring/along with a collection of clothes to choose from. They are awesome. My dress was returned to me and sewn just like the original. It didn't even looked like someone altered it, but it fit so well. Will reccomend to anyone in NYC area call 212-920-9103 or email [email protected] to view their collection.

I had my dress custom made on etsy for $600. It's gorgeous and exactly what I wanted. I must have lost weight or she got my messurements wrong, but the bodice is 3-4 inches too big! Took it to a bridal salon recommended seamstress who gave me a free consultation. Please tell me if I'm over reaction but this is what she quoted... Taking in bodice, a few stitches to gather the fabric, and hem 3 layers $ 550. I can't do it! I find that in the town I live in is more expensive than the other towns around us because of the oil boom. People say there is money here, is that really legitimate? Not everyone works in oil,

I have done alterations on the wedding dresses and bridesmaids dresses of friends for the last 20 years. It amazes me how someone will bring a dress and say "all it needs is hemming". Then you get them in the dress, it fits poorly through the waist, the bodice is too tight or too loose and as you help them see how it should look, they start realizing how they really WANT to look. I do it as a contribution to friends who are getting married, BUT, Thread, taking out seams, measuring, making sure the beads go back on to fit the designs, and Muliple hems, usually 3 to a dress. JUST A HEM. You may not realize what is involved in the DETAILS of making your dress look good on YOU> What you get is custom, ultimately, so be FAIR to your alterations expert and express apprecitation for their attention to detail.

If you find a seamstress that charges very little for her services, then you are dealing with an amateur seamstress. Ask her how many gowns she has altered and ask her if you can see some of her work. I do several hundred a year. As me and I will show you exactly what I will be doing on your gown. We will set an appointment for you to come and watch me work on your gown for a while and you will see exactly what you are paying for.

We own small bridal studio where I sell bridal gowns, bridesmaids dresses on line and the alterations are FREE for the bridal gowns the bridesmaids can print a coupon for 50% OFF when purechased at our site. Now When the dress comes from other salons usually we price by the time we feel we need to do the job. Our hourly rate is $38.00/hr. The clients like that because they can see the pricing instead just a number.

I bought a "last years" bride's maid dress (nice simple, A-Line, off the shoulder,one layer, satin dress off the clearance rack for $175 and was told by the sales girl that alterations (hem) should only be 10-15% of dress there. Their "in house" contractor gives me an estimate of $200 for the alterations I told her no thank you, and that she did a lovely job placing pins, but that was not the amount I was told and that it was not in my budget. I found out that they contract out and who the contract was with and they know what the up-charge AA charges so they cut the price in half, but that was still too high for my student budget and so I shopped around, drove to a couple of seamstress shops in the area, and found a lovely woman who was measuring everyone herself, she has been operating this business for 25 years and told me that it was a nice dress and could do it for much less than I was quoted. She also told me that it was a simple hem that she didn't have to take the dress apart and that she was not in business to take advantage of brides. She will be in business a long time, because she understands that it is good business to be fair and your customers will be loyal to you.
Everyone calls her Mom, and it is Mom's Alterations in Arlington on Cooper St.

I have done a lot of research on the cost of alterations, as we do over 900 invoices a year at The Wedding Seamstress, and I need to make sure our pricing is in line. A few observations are below:
- Bridal stores clearly take a "kickback" on work done through their seamstresses, especially if the work is done "independently". This does not always seem to be the case with "in house" work" as those seamstresses seem to be paid by the hour.
- The article above is pretty accurate on what a bride should expect. However, I know with high-end dress shops they will tell brides to expect to pay an additional 10%, minimum $400 for alterations, in which case the margin is clearly a little higher than it should be.
- David's Bridal, at least in the metro Denver area, is expensive to have the bustle done. I have seen quotes come back for as much as $220 for a bustle, which while extensive, we did for under $80.
- Less than half of brides think about the cost of alterations. Please do not be mad at the tailor for the cost of their service. It is no more their fault that the dress doesnt fit than it is the fault of the plumber who came to fix your water pipe.
- Generally, brides should expect to pay $150-$300 for alterations, with exceptions being made for dresses with lace, beading, or extensive size changes.
- Finally, we always recommend that brides shop around for a seamstress. It seems odd to spend SOOO MUCH TIME looking for the perfect dress just to leave it with the first tailor that owns a pair of scissors.
If any bride-to-be has any questions please feel free to email me at [email protected].

I am a professional seamstress and a recent bride. I can tell you that I was willing to pay $350 dollars to have my huge ball gown skirt hemmed. Remember, it's NOT a normal skirt/pant hem, you actually need to take it apart at the waist, crawl inside, rip it apart at the bottom, cut off the required amount of fabric, move the horsehair up (huge pain!) sew all three layers back together at the hem, re-gather the waist and re-stitch the lining being sure to sandwich it between the bodice and bodice lining and probably re-hand stitch the lining at the zipper. Sound simple? But wait! That's only the outer layer of the dress. Next I'd have to trim the three layers of tulle and cut and hem the difficult to work with polyester lining fabric on the inside of the skirt. It really gets my goat when people who have never hemmed a wedding dress refer to it as a "simple hem" or "just a hem".

I got a dress with a lace up corset knowing I should have less alterations especially in the bodice because I can adjust the lacing.... so I went for a fitting and needed a hem(a couple inches), a bustle and she adjusted my straps and it was $190... my dress is 2 layers- taffeta and lace but all the alterations were dealing with the taffeta and she said it was basic because it could all be done at the seaming underneath and the beading wouldn't need to be touched. I went back in to try it on, it was too long so she make a quick alteration while I waited (maybe 8 minutes), it was perfect and I had to pay $190! I feel like it may have taken an hour or so and I guessed it would be about $100, but not nearly $200!!!

I went to an independent seamstress in the area cause the Knot had recommended her. Her reviews sound great so I set up an appointment to see if she could alter my dress. I can tell you this I felt like crying at the end of my appointment. She said my dress was too difficult. She it would cost me $600 for alteration. I bought the dress for that much. It did not make sense why it would cost this much. Also, I needed to decide if I wanted her to do it cause if I went to look elsewhere I could not come back. I was so surprised to hear that. It's like she didn't want my business. After talking to my fiance, he said maybe she was trying to bully you into paying such an extreme amount. Her saying that it is too difficult only made it seem like it was an impossible tasks. I decided to walk away. She was not the only seamstress there was in this area. Thankful I go to a great church where people are willing to help each other out. I found a seamstress at my church that not only was willing to work on the dress but was up for a challenge. She definitely was God sent. I am so thankful I did not go with that first lady. I can't wait to see my dress. I know it will be amazing. God has a reason for everything!! I can't thank Him enough for sending me to her.

I recently purchased style BR1010 from David's Bridal online. It is a beautiful dress, for the price. We are marrying in Mexico on the beach, so I needed plain because my soon-to-be hubby is wearing khaki beach pants and a white beach shirt. No beading, no fanciness to the dress at all, just the pick-up skirt. I went to David's Bridal today, and the alterations totaled up to $200. After reading these posts, I am not sure if I got a deal or not... It was broken down in prices. Like, $25 to shorten the sash, $40 per side to tighten the "bodice" part of the dress, and around $100 for the hemming. I decided to just hem the front of the dress and leave the back longer, which creates a beautiful effect.

I am the owner of a bridal shop and I have a seamstress in-house. I cannot believe that brides do not want to pay for alterations. Brides do not understand that they do not have a perfect body. Nobody does. All bridal gowns require some kind of alteration. Bridal and bridesmaids dresses must be ordered to fit the largest part of the body. The other parts of the gown must be altered to a perfect fit. If the bride desires her wedding dress to fit perfectly, select a good, reputable seamstress. But remember, the costs of her alterations will reflect her expertise, experience and dedication to the profession. She is a professional just like a heart surgeon. Would a bride negotiate the price of a reputable heart surgeon or complain that she got ripped off pricewise when the surgeon saved her life? The price is what it is. Of course, if you cannot afford the price of a good seamstress, take your dress to the corner cleaners. They do alterations in an hour. Brides need to understand that when a gown requires a hem, it is not just the outer layer that has to be cut and hemmed, but ALL layers. When a gown has to be taken in on the sides, sometimes there are three layers that has to be taken apart, as well as the boning, and put back together. When there is beading, the beads have to be taken off manually and reassembled. It's so annoying to have to deal with brides-on-a-budget. Budget your food. There are usually no lasting memories of food. But how beautiful you looked in your gown will be with you forever; in your pictures and in the minds of your guests.

I just had my last fitting and paid $425 for my alterations. My dress is a 100% silk mermaid style gown, and I had a bit taken in on both sides (like a half of an inch on each), french bustle, and hem. I also had 89 buttons added down the back at $1 a button (after having already purchased the buttons for $225). Is this about average? Thanks!

I need alterations on my dress I will be six monthes pregnant for my wedding I kept this in mind while purchasing my dress and allowed for belly growth. But the bust is too large and I need it hemmed and bustled. Any suggestions?

I am responding to and earlier post from Andrea D. in Chicago/Burbs, IL.
Not every tailor/alterationists/seamstress is without license and insurance. That is another overhead expense. Imagine what I would have to charge if I DID work from a shop! I display all my license, insurance, diploma's, credentials, etc in my hallway on a huge pushpin board, and many times the customers don't even see it.

I am shortening/hemming a dress with a slip, two layers of tulle and the hem of the overskirt is lined and has horsebraid in it. The dress has a train, and beads on the bottom.
So far I spent 70 minutes on the under skirst. I spent 30 minutes with the customer. Next I will spent another 30 min. and estimated rest of the hem is 90 min. The customer lives 35 miles out of town and cannot come see me. So I have to travel. I charge $30 an hour for Labor. Some area's you can charge $45 or more. Without the travel cost customer already owes me $110, for a hem, but she wants more...
Find out what your seamstress charges by the hour. Learn how to sew, so you can appreciate how long something can take. Take a look at other professionals and see how much they charge: your Lawyer? CPA? Auto-mechanic? Plumber?
How much do you get paid? $10/hour then you must work for an employer. Self employed people pay the IRS 15% of their income, they have to advertise, and to be successful they would have to network, all of that is overhead, before you make a living for you and your children. A seamstress in America cannot compete with a dress made in a different country for $4/hour or less. Bridezilla's will have to understand that perfection has a price.