I don’t even know how to put into words how much I love Mary. She was hands down my favorite vendor. I had done my research and knew she was the best in the city and when she went on maternity leave I literally waited and checked in until she came back just so I could work with her. And it was so worth it. Mary is the most detailed person I’ve ever met. After every fitting, she’d send me a recap email outlining everything we talked about. There was never a moment where I worried something would be forgotten or missed, she was on top of everything. She completely ripped apart and rebuilt one of my dresses and when she asked if that was okay, I didn’t hesitate. If Mary says it needs to be done, it’s the right decision. I have major trust issues when it comes to this stuff and I trusted her completely. She is just that good.

Mary is truly an expert! Her work is impeccable, and I fully trusted her alteration recommendations. She made me feel so beautiful in my dress and I’m so grateful. Mary is so professional, yet also so kind and down-to-Earth – I highly recommend her for wedding dress alterations!

Mary was absolutely amazing to work with for my wedding dress alterations! From the moment I walked into her shop she instantly made me feel comfortable with her warm and welcoming personality! She was so knowledgeable and easy to talk to and helped answer all my questions, including helping me pick out my veil color and length. She is incredibly organized and a great communicator. After my first fitting, she sent me a detailed email summarizing all the agreed upon changes, costs, and important dates which was so helpful to reference back to as needed. My dress fit absolutely perfectly and I felt so beautiful on my wedding day! Overall, Mary was a joy to work with and I cannot recommend her enough!

Out of all the vendors I worked with for our wedding, Mary from The Alterationist was BY FAR one of the best!!! Not only did she tailor my wedding dress to absolute perfection, she went above and beyond to make sure it was steamed, stuffed, and ready to wear when I picked it up, which was incredibly helpful! Mary’s shop is clean, quiet, and she had Covid safety precautions in place which made me feel extra safe! Her calm and confident demeanor was very appreciated during our fit sessions- I felt like we had been friends for a while even though we only met up 4 times! I had a hundred things to worry about leading up to the wedding, but I NEVER worried about my dress since I knew it was in good hands. I cannot recommend Mary enough!!

Mary is truly amazing, and I can't recommend her enough!! She did a stellar job making my dress look like it was custom made even though it was big in nearly every single area when I originally bought it. She transformed an incredibly heavy and structured dress. Even though we had to delay our wedding 3 times due to COVID, she was so flexible in adjusting the fittings accordingly. Mary is incredibly organized, confirming upcoming appointments through email, detailing every single change we discuss in written email notes and outlining all of the costs upfront so that there are no surprise expenses at the end. She will also tell you which alterations are must haves vs. nice to haves so that you can choose based on what you're comfortable with and your budget. She is super warm and friendly, making you feel comfortable throughout the entire process. For any bride in the Chicago area, I would highly recommend reaching out to Mary for your dress alterations!!

Mary was the absolute best part of my wedding dress experience. She is kind, warm and extremely talented. My dress needed many adjustments -- including removing and hand placing lace appliqué on the bodice and adding an entire row of satin buttons down the back. Not to mention, it was several sizes too large. I highly recommend contacting Mary early in your search -- she is the BEST there is! I looked forward to every appointment. Thank you, Mary!

Mary is the best. My wedding dress had a very structured bodice, that was not easy to work with but Mary took on the task to ensure my dress fit me as perfectly as possible. She was always honest with me about what would look best, regardless of how much work it would be for her and I greatly valued her opinion. Mary followed up each appointment with a full summary of what we discussed and next steps, making the entire process clear from beginning to end. I will be sending all future brides her way!

Mary is fantastic! She’s got the cutest little shop and my family and I always felt so welcome during appointments. My wedding dress fit me decently well when I bought it but after spending a few minutes with Mary tucking and pinning during our first appointment, I knew she was going to help make my dress unique to my body. My gown fit perfectly on my wedding day and I was comfortable in it all evening.
Mary’s work is amazing and detailed. She is busy and gets booked quickly so reach out ASAP (I booked my fittings with her a little under a year in advance to get dates that worked for me). Her prices are very reasonable for the quality work she does.
Happy to have trusted Mary with such an important dress and would do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks, Mary!!

I had a very fitted dress that originally needed just sleeves shortened and a little bit taken out around my waist as well as shortening around the waist. However I lost 10 pounds before my wedding and a month out my wedding dress did not fit me pretty much anywhere, it lost its shape and was not flattering. Mary managed to make the dress fit completely perfect without it losing its design (how she did it I am not sure). She is also very responsive and very sweet and easy to work with. Thank you Mary!

When I purchased my gown, my bridal salon gave me three suggested names for where to have my dress alterations done. My first stop was to sift through all the reviews. When I got to Mary at The Alterationist, it was obvious I didn’t need to look any further. There’s a reason she has perfect reviews across every single platform - her work is impeccable and she’s friendly and organized. Like others have mentioned, if you want to work with her, you need to reach out well in advance of your wedding. For my July 2019 wedding, I reached out in summer 2018 to set up an initial consultation in the fall. We then set up a series of fittings starting around March, and Mary made sure to touch base with me before each one to see if I had any questions or if I needed to make any changes to the appointment time. I had purchased a sample Lazaro dress from Glamor Closet, and it fit me pretty well but definitely needed some work. Mary added a bustle, hemmed it, fixed the shoulders, and took in a fair amount on the sides and around the bust to make it fit me perfectly. It had several layers of fabric that each needed individual attention, and some really intricate lace on the outer layer, but Mary handled it like the total pro that she is. She also worked with the inner layers and built up the bust so that it was a little more structured; without that work, the inner lining was kind of like a loose slip that would get twisted easily. I wasn’t even thinking about lining placement on my wedding day because it fit so well. In sum, if you can get in with Mary, DO IT. It’s money well spent for making your dress look perfect AND for your peace of mind.