Alterations Pricing Question - Hemming

When I ordered my dress I was told hemming would be the most costly alteration, luckily I got the chance to order my dress in a shorter length so I shouldn't have to have it hemmed. The place I got my dress alterations start at $550 so I'll probably be taking it elsewhere to hopefully save money. Are you set on having a long dress for the ceremony?

It's hard to give you an estimate when I can't see the gown in question (professional seamstress here) If it hangs from you like a typical BRIDESMAID'S gown, just one hem (no under-slip attached) my cost (Florida) is $35 to $50. For a ball gown style wedding dress, it is $90 - $120 per skirt - cutting off the tulle underlayment is no charge - and sorry to say there are usually 2 or 3 skirt layers on that type of gown.

Before you balk at the price you are given, the hemming is more difficult because you want the hem to be even all the way around. It takes time to make sure it looks right especially with multiple layers. The bottom can't just be cut off all at once because you cause problems throughout all of the layers. So each one must be worked on individually to ensure that the other layers look right and even with it. The type of fabric used in most wedding dresses is more difficult to work with. Any mistakes are not easily fixed or hidden. And finally, because it is a skilled trade, like cooking a gourmet meal or building a house. There are many levels of skill and experience and you get what you pay for.

Hope all that helps!

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Yes, what Pat says. A lot of the time when they charge a lot to hem the dress is because there are multiple layers, so you're actually hemming several dresses, and they must all sit perfectly with each other. And, as Pat mentions, they're often made of slippery, hard-to-work-with fabric which frays, shifts, slides, etc when you try to sew it. Oh, and they often have a train as well, so there's a lot more fabric to deal with, and a lot more that can go wrong.

Could you not find a block or wedge heeled sandal that would provide that comfort, but mean you aren't likely to trip over your dress? This sounds like a better option than hemming the dress at vast expense and then having to do it again when you crop it to midi length.

Depending on your materials, you could do it yourself (or if there is someone handy in your family). Tulle doesn't fray so I trimmed mine myself, and if you have an under layer of silk/ cotton/ whatever, you could use iron on tape to fold it up under.

My dress is has 3 layers and hemming about 2 inches was around $200! I think that’s pretty average, at least in the shopping around I did.

I got under an inch hemmed and bustle for over $200. My dress has a few layers and 3D flowers so I guess that was a good price given wedding dress premium. I did get a quote from another vendor for the same thing for over $500! So def shop around.

Hi Everyone! Thank you so much for the outpouring of responses and suggestions. I ended up bringing my dress in for hemming the other day - after thinking about it I really was stepping on the material and it was going to turn into me falling on my face haha. The great news is that after the fitting, my tailor told me it'd be $100 - which was SO much more affordable than I was expecting, and there were parts of the dress that had to be taken in as well that I didn't even realize were not ideal until I went to the tailor. My dress is more of a sundress style so it's on the simplistic side. I view the trip as a success!

Thanks so much again - really appreciate all of your time in responding to me.