Lora does OUTSTANDING work. I took my wedding gown to her for alterations. It was too big and I was worried the top wouldn't fit correctly - I don't know why I worried at all with her altering my dress, I swear she makes miracles happen! My dress fit me so well when she was done with it! She also made our bridesmaids dresses, which were STUNNING. She made my vision into a reality with them. Lora even added a special bonus to the girls' dresses by sewing hidden pockets into the dresses - they loved that! Their dresses fit them so well and they all looked gorgeous in them. VanLear is where I will be sending all my friends who are looking for alterations or a custom dress!

Lora Van Lear is a true artist. She took the vision I had for my wedding veil and created it from scratch. She also did the alterations on my wedding dress and couldn’t have done a more incredible job. Lastly, and closest to my heart, she made hankies for my mom and dad out of pieces of my mom’s wedding dress. They were absolutely stunning and clearly crafted with love. Working with Lora and Angela was an absolute pleasure, and I looked forward to the time we got to spend together during my appointments. Not only will I be using them for any future alternation needs, but I will be highly advocating that anyone I know in need of alterations pays them a visit.

VanLear Bridal made the mother of the groom's dress and it was gorgeous. They also did all of the adjustments for the mother of the bride's dress and she looked great. I don't really know what magic they perform here but as the father of the bride all I can say is the results looked fantastic and these two mom's were happy on the wedding day and we all know how important that is. Thanks!

I can't thank Lora enough for the amazing job she did with my wedding dress. I wanted to look into wearing my grandmother's wedding dress for my wedding. My mother also wore it for hers so I thought it would be a neat sentiment. The problem was the gown was much to small around the waist and I did not like the ballgown style of the dress.

My roomate at the time had a friend who had highly recommended Lora so we visited VanLear Bridal to see if there was anything Lora could do. We were so impressed by that first meeting. Lora was excited to take on the project and confidently told us she could not only make the dress fit, but that she could also redesign it so that the style was more to my liking. She started sketching up dresses and together we found a look that I loved.

Over the next few months she deconstructed the entire dress and put it back together as a new dress. She used all of the original lace, and kept the long sleeves. She made it a drop waist though, which I felt much more comfortable in. I was nervous since I wouldn't see the finished dress until a few weeks before my wedding but it turned out to be everything I had hoped for and more! It was gorgeous and I was so happy to be wearing the dress my mother and grandmother both wore. It was worth it just to see my grandmother tear up when she saw it. I got so many compliments, even from random strangers. Definitely check out Lora at Van Lear Bridal before you go to a bridal store to look at gowns. There is something really special about wearing a dress that is totally unique to you. Lora is very professional and skilled. I highly recommend her. Thanks, Lora!

Van Lear was truly a brides dream, especially if you are very specific about what you want. She designed and made not only my wedding dress which is in an indian (Lenga Choli style) but also a a coat/cloak with hood to wear to the ceremony. Everything is beautiful and better than I had dreamed. She takes time to listen to you and really figure out what you want. Moreover she works within your budget. I'm a pretty eclectic bride but she has many traditional dresses as well. I would ask her to make something or adjust it in a heartbeat.

I had two formal dresses for myself for my daughters wedding that needed some pretty major altering and had taken them to another alteration place three weeks before the wedding. The evening before I was to pick them up they called me to say that they had not started on them! I was really worried about what to do since I was leaving for the wedding in less than a week and after some extensive Googling found Vanlear bridal. I called them up and they told me to come right down with the dresses. I tried them on and they knew exactly what to do. They carefully pinned and made some sketches and told me they could have them done in 4 days. When I returned they had me try them on and they were perfect. I can't say enough about these women. They are very knowledable, helpful and professional. If I ever need altering I will be going there again and would recommend them to anyone

I had VanLear custom make my wedding dress. I went in with an idea of what I wanted and they tried as hard as they could to make everything exactly what I wanted. There were a few changes along the way, and once we got going with the alterations; I changed my mind a few times based on what looked good on me. They were very accomodating and my dress turned out gorgeous.

I had a great experience with Lora Van Lear and Van Lear Custom Couture! Lora did an amazing job altering my wedding gown, allowing me to wear the dress of my dreams on my wedding day! She worked with me to ensure the dress fit me perfectly. Part of the alterations required her to do some beading, and it completely matched the original bead work on the gown. No one could tell that any bead work had been added later. I would recommend her for any of your alteration needs, especially those involving wedding gowns! The cost of the alterations was consistent with what I read online to be the average cost of wedding gown alterations.

Made the dress of my dreams that everyone is talking non stop about. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!