Alteration estimate

It is totally normal to ask for estimates before committing to alterations! Keep in mind you don't necessarily want to go with the cheapest option. Read reviews online and stick to places that work on wedding gowns regularly, not just the local tailor/cleaners. I had my alterations done at the boutique where I bought my dress - they kept my dress for me from the time it arrived to 2 days before my wedding, and it was just a simpler process. The alterations cost about $300.

My seamstress charges a flat $125 for the "standard" bridal alterations: hem, bustle, cups, steam and press. She was able to quote me over the phone for that stuff. I didn't need anything other than a bustle as my dress fit me like a glove off the rack. Since it was just a bustle she quoted $75. My first visit she pinned me up and we discussed how she does things and I decided I trusted her and left me dress. That was in April. I had my fist fitting 3 weeks ago and decided to have her add pockets as well. I'm paying $100 now for the bustle, pockets, and steaming and pressing of the dress and my veil. I am in Rapid City South Dakota though.

It depends what you want to have done and what the original dress looks like. The PPs have good advice. All the prices above sound about right for the work that was done on the dresses. I would ask other brides in your area how much alterations were. Keep in mind that the more that needs to be done, the more expensive it will be, or if the material is delicate, it will be more expensive.

I got my dress from a small boutique that purchases sample dresses from designer fashion shows and resells them. The seamstress there is doing my hem for $125 (6 layers of organza) and the bustle for $75 which I think is really on the low end. But I'm not sure what the norm is in Baltimore so it may be standard.

ETA: If you are shopping around for a quote I would take the dress in. They may not get a clear picture from a discription/photo. My seamstress sold me my dress and she didnt know it was exactly 6 layers until she counted and pinned them. Also there may be little nuanceses that an inexperienced eye may not notice.