I thought I'd share this on here as my wedding experience was extremely stressful!
I'm really not a wedding dress kind of girl. I would look ridiculous in a proper wedding gown. I wanted something very simple - a 50s style knee length dress with half length sleeves in satin. No lace/embellishments just something plain and simple. I'd found some similar dresses online but all with lace sleeves. I found a bespoke wedding dress maker who specialised in dresses for alternative brides looking for something you wouldn't find in a normal boutique. Perfect. Exactly what I was looking for.
We had a phone call and I felt confident she knew exactly what I was looking for. I paid the deposit in March this year and she assured me she only needed a few weeks to make the real thing (wedding was in August).
By the end of May I'd not heard anything from her so chased her up. She was 2.5 hours away from me so wasn't a case of being able to pop in and see her, it needed to be planned and she knew where I was when I booked her. We arranged for me to travel to her shop to take the measurements at the beginning of June. She reassured me we had plenty of time. She was going to send two mock ups in the post before she started the real thing.
By July I'd not had a mock up so she asked me to come back to her shop on a Sunday. I tried the mock up on but it wasn't what I'd asked for. It was ankle length when I'd asked for a knee length dress. She said she'd make a 2nd mock up and post it to me.
I was told a 2nd mock up was posted but it didn't arrive. She claimed it had been returned to her. By now we were 3 weeks before the wedding and I'd not seen the real thing. She was going to send it again but I said "it's too late now, can you start making the real thing?!" She suggested a first viewing of the dress and first fitting 8 days before the wedding. I said no and arranged to book a day off to go on a weekday.
The day before I txt her to check it was ready before making the 5 hour round trip.
1) First she said she had a hospital appointment and might be late
2) Then she asked if I would like a later appointment? I said no, I'm extremely worried and want to sort it at the arranged time
3) Then she said she had alterations booked at the same time. Fine. I said I'd wait.
4) Suddenly, her husband's had an accident and is in hospital and can she courier it to me for the next day (9 days before the wedding).
By this point (I know this is stupid) I paid the remaining balance as I was sure that was why she was stalling and I asked for a receipt. She didn't send a receipt and suddenly, her website no longer existed. I was sure I'd been scammed.
She suddenly remembered she had to travel to my area at the weekend (one week before the wedding) and could "pop in" for a fitting. How convenient.
One week before the wedding she arrived with the dress half finished assuring me it would be tidied up and sorted. We did the first (and final) fitting. I had bought a cute belt to wear with it to cinch in the waist but it was a bit big. She said she would take in the belt and add some buttons to the back of the dress. I felt relieved it was all sorted.
My dad lives closer to her shop so offered to collect it the next day. She assured me she would do the alterations and amendments and it would be ready for my dad to collect the Sunday PM.
The following day she text me saying she was tired and couldn't do the alterations on the Saturday so had to do them on the Sunday and they took longer than expected. Then her steamer had broken so couldn't steam my petticoat and needed to go to a friend to borrow hers. Then she would be late meeting my dad. Oh, and she didn't get time to do the buttons or fix the belt.
The day before the wedding, my dad brought the dress with him and I was worried she had rushed the alterations. 10pm the night before the wedding my bridesmaid helped me try it on. Yes, it was what I asked for, but it was baggy on the bust and baggy on the waist. On the day I tried on the belt with it and the photographer and my bridesmaids said I HAD to wear it with the dress as it made it so much better. The pics of me wearing it without the belt look awful.
All through the process my future Groom said "stop pestering her, she obviously has other people's dresses to make". Something doesn't sit right with me though. If your business is making bespoke wedding dresses why would you do a first and final fitting 7 days before the wedding? I wonder if it was not her main job and a hobby, or maybe a new business which was starting out. Either way, her website no longer exists.
I thought you'd be interested in my experience. It was very stressful!
