Rant Really....About Wedding Dress Alterations

The good people I did know in Hertfordshire have now retired, so I cannot recommend anyone directly, I knew quite a few. but what you need to do is to try finding an old experienced seamstress, usually working on their own.

There used to be a number of old Eastern European ladies and a couple of old Jewish gents around, but they were magic. Real old school high quality work.

Try searching for them, rather than going to the bridal shops.

Hope that is at least partially useful info?

I have emailed a couple of purely just seamstresses too.

I am just having a wobble that I have made the wrong decision buying this dress! It seems so much easier buying a new one direct from a shop, but I thought I was saving myself money xx

Whereabouts are you? I've not been for my alterations yet but speaking to the lady on the phone she seemed really nice and works with the bridal shop where I bought my dress from on a regular basis.

Try asking around for personal recommendations... the weirdest people will surprise you! I too bought a preloved dress and it needs a few alterations, and one of my mum's friends emailed her saying "My work colleague has just used this seamstress for her daughter's wedding, would you like her details?" The work colleague emailed over a personal recommendation, she was really enthusiastic and although I haven't met the seamstress lady yet, I have spoken to her over the phone and am getting quite excited for my first fitting!

I'm not a seamstress myself but from what I understand wedding dresses can be a bit of a nightmare to alter which is why they're so much more expensive than most dress alterations. I've heard horror stories of even just a half-inch hem shortening taking 7 or 8 hours to do, and at £20+ an hour it soon adds up!

Sorry that's not more helpful. The only thing I might suggest is phoning rather than emailing places as I've found with suppliers in general that emails are often not checked that often, especially if they're busy. It's easier to ignore an email than fob someone off over the phone! Also, don't be ashamed to haggle. At the end of the day the worst they can say is no.

I am having a similar problem. My sister in law gave me the number of the lady who is altering her wedding dress and I have tried many times to call her and it is has either rung out, or I have got her husband. She has not returned my calls! My sister in law insists that she is really nice!

ANYWAY, I put a status on fbook saying that I was looking for a local seamstress and I got loads of replies, I will call them till I find someone who can do it.

You can do the same (to get recommendations) or go to yell.com, type in your postcode and "seamstress", you should call though not email. That way you know that they are still working (many email addresses are defunct!).

Thanks all. I have tried the personal rec suggestion, didnt get much response.

SamSam - I am in Bedfordshire, whereabouts is your lady xx

I did check that this could all be done when I tried the dress on in a bridal shop, and the dress is a size bigger than I tried on in the shop.

I got quoted £180/£190 from the Bridal Shop. Obviously I expect it to be more than this as I own the dress - not buying from a shop. But I thought £500 was a little extravagant xx

Just bumping as am waiting for a reply from samsam xx

Hi, I came across your post and may be able to offer some help. I am an independent bridal seamstress based down near Bournemouth which I know is a little way off, but as you said, there are not many of us about! I own my own dressmaking business but contract to a local wedding shop, so am very experienced in dealing with bridal alterations, which take a considerable time longer to do. I frequently alter zips to lace backs and also bustle the dresses, and I expect the sweetheart neckline could be done, but I would need to see the actual dress, as some are not that easy to convert (ie they may have loads of beading on the bodice etc, which you cannot sew through easily.) Whilst I do think £500 is quite a lot of money, the charges for bridal work is different to that of general dressmaking due to the complexity of the garments. Multiple fittings would be needed, all taking time, which is money. Most dresses are multi-layered so again, hemming a dress can take many hours to get right (it may have horse-hair braid on the hem etc), and all the work I do is put back to exactly how the dress started off, hence the range of prices I have for hemming a dress. Working in the bridal industry can be very rewarding, especially if you have a bride who is appreciative of the work involved, but if you get a bride that thinks the dress can be altered for just a few pounds, then she is very mistaken and quite frankly I would not want the work as I would sense problems later on! I am fully insured (I have set up as a proper business and consequently have business overheads and have years of experience), and the majority of my work is repeat work or recommendations. I hope this is of help, to either you, or any other bride out there struggling to find a seamstress. I am able to offer evening and weekend fittings, to allow for brides who may have to travel. Incidentally, if anybody is able to source their own seamstress to alter their dress, make sure you ask them if they are experienced in bridal wear alterations, as you don't want just anyone working on your dream dress! You will also need at least 10 weeks notice to have the work done, and many seamstresses get fully booked up really quickly. Hope this helps? Good luck ladies.

This is my local seamstress - she is based in Bushey, Hertfordshire.

Not sure how much she would charge but worth a phonecall!

www.jstailoring.com

Really lovely lady, does all my mum's alterations.

I use an excellent seamstress in Essex who I would highly recommend and her pricing is very reasonable. Let me know if you want details.

Hi... I would love the details I am looking for a recommended seamstress in essex. Thanks

Hi all, I also brought my dress independant to a bridal store (also an Amanda Wyatt dress) however I contacted a local bridal shop who gave me direct contact details for their own in-house seamstress as she works for herself (the only thing was that I had to go to her house instead of the shop as she isnt allowed to see customers there who havent purchased their dress, which is fair enough).

Anyway to cut a long story short - she has been brilliant. Might be worth asking the same of your local bridal shops.

Good luck

Hi Ladies,

I am new to my area and had the same problem.

I was a bit cheeky ( but glad to say it worked!) and I called a bridal shop and said to them I was needing a little bit of work on my dress and please could they advise me of a good seamstress.

The 'work' I needed was in fact a huge job, but didnt tell them that!! I think its worth a try, 4 may say no, but the 5th may say yes. Nothing to lose

I went on Yell.com and found the numbers that way.

It worked a treat for me and didnt have to travel for miles as she came to me!

Good luck Ladies xx