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I'm interested to see too. I go for my first fitting next weekend and am so scared of what it's going to cost. I need a bustle and it has to be taken in about 2 sizes, but I don't need it hemmed so that's a plus, I've heard that's one of the more expensive alterations.
Mine came in at $325. I needed the entire dress taken in (I'm very small... I bought the smallest size it came in, but it was still too big everywhere). It had a scalloped lace hem, so just the hemming was pretty expensive (she had to detach and hand sew the bottom of the lace layer).Then I had a pretty complicated bustle, so that was $100 or so on its own.
I think overall it was like $75 for the bustle, $125 for taking in the dress everywhere, $25 for sewing in bra cups, $75 for hemming the bottom, and $25 in taxes.
A lot. My bustle cost $120. The other alterations cost about $250.
Ridiculous
Mine were $200. My dress is only one type of fabric with no lace or beading, so I think it was cheaper than it could have been. I think it also depends on where you live.
I think I got a great deal. $130 for taking it in a few sizes, hem, 13 pt bustle and adding cups.
$495. Not great, but I knew it was going to be that going in, so there wasn't any sticker shock.
Mine were $400. I had my zippered back switched to a corset, a bustle added, dress hemmed, and cups sewn into the bodice.
My alterations were $450, which I found to be ABSOLUTELY shocking, especially since my dress had been only $700 (it was a sample).
Here's a breakdown:
Bustling (for 5 tie-up points): $125
Hemming: $200 (such a rip-off, I would have totally done it myself if I'd known it'd be that much!)
Letting the dress out like 1/2": $100
Misc (replacing a couple buttons, etc): $25
My advice to any future brides, is to consider not using the tailoring services at your salon. I would definitely get a price list and then find another seamstress/tailor around who you know has done good work and price compare.
60 buckeroos... i couldn't believe it! That was for bustle and taking in the bodice.
I bought a sample dress at a deep discount and then made some significant changes to the dress. I was expecting alterations to be expensive. They cost 470 in total (110 of which was to get the dress from sample condition to "good as new" condition).
65: taking in sides
20: sewing in bra cups
180: hemming (silk layer and lace/organza layer)
25: repairing small tears in lace
85: cleaning the sample before alterations
55: pressing
40: bustle
I just had my alterations appointment. To sew in my bra was 25, to sew in the sash was 30, to extend the modesty panel was 40, to take in the bust was 125, the bustles was 150 and steaming and pressing was 160....total bill with taxes @490....my dress was a little over 1200, maggie sottero kendra? I hit the floor when I received my quote. Needless to say my bra wont be sew in, sash not sewn on and I will press and steam my dress my self...lol
I would also recommend looking elsewhere than the salons for alterations. They have a lot of overhead charges that they have to kind of recoup, you know? They have rent, utilities, salaries, taxes, etc. And, honestly, that's all well and good if you can afford it. I seriously only paid $650 for my dress and they wanted to charge me over $300 for a hem and a bustle. I. Was. Floored. After doing some research, I came across a lady who I met with that I much preferred. She is one of the nicest people ever, has pictures of her work all over the place so you get an idea, and custom-makes BM dresses. SOLD! Total cost: bustle, hem, and taking in? $130.00. That was a much more reasonable figure IMO.
Oh goodness!!! After reading this I am freaking out! The salon owner said it actually shouldn't cost more than $75...I don't need a hem and that is great, but from what you all have said what I'm getting done is prob going to be way more! I need the straps taken up just a bit, waist taken in, and I'm having it taken in through the hips and a bit lower to give the skirt more of a trumpet shape + a bustle!Hmmm...we will see
I went to a private seamstress and it cost $50. My dress was lace with beading, but all I had done was changing my neckline from straight to a little sweatheart/scoop.
I went through an independant dress maker and it was so much cheaper than the salon seamstress. It was $35 to change the back from a zip up to a corset and another $15 to alter the arms.
I went in for my fitting and my alterations were $230. That was to take in the dress about two sizes and add a bustle.
So far it costed me $45 to shorting the dress 2 inches. I also want to add some more detailed to the back of the dress. Tailor quoted me $100 but I told him to hold off, I may try to sow on the 60 buttons myself. After looking at it next week I will determine if I can sow it myself. So I am hoping to keep my alteration budget at $45 but in the end it can be $150.
Drats..those prices are crazy. Those prices are why I had my dress sent to Jamaica as services tend to be much cheaper here. even the most expensive tailor would not charge over $200 USD to alter a dress (even if there were many alterations). I can get mine taken in all over and hemmed for $50 here. 
Shoot, seems like I need to give up grad school, become a seamstress and move to the USA...lol
I said $0... I definitely don't have a perfect body, though :) Mine were included with my purchase! :)
mine are $40 an hour my mum unpicked the hem as she said could take days to do, only took my super mum 2hrs lol havent gotten bill yet, im expecting around $200 , ill know next week when i get my dress back ;p
Just wait till you get the cleaning bill ;-). It'll be another $175-300. It's out of control!
Mine was $320, but she did ALOT of work, and an amazing job. I think it would have easily been twice that at a bridal salon.
I wore the maggie sottero bernadette, and I needed the whole thing hemmed like 6 inches (I bought a sample, which is the size I would have had to order), which meant that she had to hem and then re-sew the lace applicees on by hand, she had to totally take apart the keyhole back and make it smaller, shrink the chest/boob alrea, sewed in cups for me.
Like I said, expensive, but I'm sure it took her a really long time.
Alterations at Kleinfelds are 800$
mine, (Vera Wang) are 850$! HOLY MOLY! But this includes anything I could possibly want to do... for instance I will be bringing up the bodice (waist line) about an inch, and thats a big job! Plus, I don't know if I would trust just any seamstress for my Vera Gown, i'd rather go with their in house one, even if it is a little pricey...
i wonder if costs depends on where you go (bridal salon seamstress v. independent seamstress) and the cost of the dress.
i intentionally went to a wedding seamstress but not at my bridal salon or any other bridal salons and to hem up my dress about 2 inches was over $200 (she said it was all the layers of silk organza involved) and the bustle was $70 (she told me an over bustle was my only option because of my height). my total bill will be close to $500 but i guess it's not so bad for a $4600 Vera Wang dress.
$200 even for hemming (bubble hem), bustle (with a long train) and took in a tiny bit at the bust. I had it done with the seamstress that was at the bridal salon, though she had nothing to do with the actual salon, just rented the basement from them.
It was going to be ( I think, if I remember correctly) $80 to let it out all over the hips area (lace dress) and $20 to put in some push-up cups. but now it fits great without altering, and I had to buy a crazy boob bra for something else, so now I don't need the cups either! So maybe ZERO... but i said under $100 for the poll.
I spent $190 on my dress to have it altered 2 dress size smaller. I bought a preowned wedding dress so the dress was way too big on me but the seamstres did a great job altering it to my size.
I had mine done by an independent seamstress in a relatively inexpensive area (Ocala, FL), and it's going to come in right around $400 to have two darts, two side seams taken in, the seams on the back below my butt taken in to give me a more trumpet and fitted look, a 7 point french bustle, the neckline made into a very soft sweatheart, to have velcore put in to attach to my bustier, and steaming. Alterations by the bridal salon would've been a flat $495.
I'm also adding a sash with a flower, not sown on, and I don't know how much that will be.
I paid $140 to alter my dress. I had it taken in quite a bit and the hem let out. (I paid $80 for my dress! ha... oops)
Thankfully I only needed to pay $35 for the bustle everything else was perfect!
$165 with an independent seamstress. Hem, bustle, taken in up top and let out on the sides a little. Dress cost $699, sample Rivini.
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So I just came back from my very first dress fitting and was BLOWN away by the end cost... a whopping $250. That's a quarter of the cost of my dress!!! Thank goodness my lovely mama is taking care of it! Here's my breakdown of the alterations: $65 for taking in the waist, $50 for taking in the hip and thigh area to give a curvier look (it's a trumpet silhouette), and $120 to hem it (scalloped lace on the bottom requires more work to reattach after hemming?). Add everything up and throw in some tax and we're looking at $250. Please tell me I'm not the only bride who had to spend this much on alterations! I suppose if I look bangin' in the end, it's worth it, right? ;)
After you vote, please kindly tell us what you had altered and how much each individual alteration cost you!