Botched dress alteration! What do you do?!

With my dress I took it back and told her she needed to fix it immediately and that it was unacceptable. I was in the same situation. I was super excited when I got It but the fit was not right at all. You could also try David’s. They may be able to help.

View Quoted Comment My intial thought was to take it back but I'm afraid to, she got super rude with me when I said I wasn't happy with it and wasn't sure what to do about it.

That’s a tough one. If you decide to go back to her just remember to keep your cool. You get more flies with honey or whatever that saying is!! Tailors are usually very defensive about their work so just know she’s going to be offended (and likely won’t want to help) if you’re overly critical. I know you are upset (and rightfully so) but just be fair and honest with her about the quality you expect and why these don’t meet your expectations. If you’ve also lost weight or anything some of these could just be issues that need to get worked out. If she doesn’t think she can do that or help you get your dress to fit how you want it to, then politely request your money back and find someone else.


Also, I’ll have 2 fittings by the time I’m done (maybe 3). So it’s not terribly unusual for them not to get it perfect on the first try. Alterations for a dress can be complicated.

Oh dear, that doesn't look good at all. What a nightmare! I've been debating having my dress taken in just a bit to snug it up, and this is making me second guess doing that. I'm so sorry this happened to you!

I would definitely be super calm if you go back. Point out where the dress bunches and explain you really want a smooth look and the alterations just aren't working for you and you aren't comfortable with the way the dress looks. If she seems really nasty when you go back, I probably wouldn't leave the dress with her and would try to find a different seamstress instead.

I'm curious if the alterations look professional on the inside of the dress. You may be able to remove the alteration seams yourself, or if they don't look well done you can point that out when you return as well.

View Quoted Comment Thank you for your input!

View Quoted Comment Thank you for your input as well! She got nasty when I said I wasn't completely sure what I want to do yet, and that made me not want to leave it with her again. This was after my 2nd fitting

View Quoted Comment Also, it is scary! Just be careful!! I read all the reviews for this woman and they were all good. However, nobody that I personally know has ever been to her. I am looking for someone personally recommened to me

I’m so sorry you’re going through this! You can give her one more opportunity to fix it, just try to explain clearly and calmly to her what you want. And if she’s still nasty this time, you should walk away, save yourself the trouble and go to a different seamstress, and leave honest reviews about her on all possible platforms!

That is a real nightmare. I feel like if you put it on in front of her she would understand immediately that she needed to fix it if she were at all professional. If she is not, there isn’t that much you can do but leave a scathing review on yelp for the community, with pictures, and maybe try reporting her to the better business bureau, which doesn’t really help you. Look for another seamstress with many good reviews and have a conversation. She should be able to explain to you why it doesn’t sit flat and what she needs to do to fix it in a way that gives you confidence in her knowledge.

My seamstress was great but some things just weren’t right. I had 5 fittings. The first we just bought the dress and she didn’t measure me or anything, the second she measured me and I told her what I wanted and etc,. The third I went because of shoes, i hadn’t picked them out yet so she didn’t know how much to cut off, so she measured them and then the fourth time was kinda my fault, the shoes I picked out ended up really hurting my feet, I tried them on again later and had huge regrets, so I went back and she had to cut some more off because I ended up wearing flats, I took the dress home I should’ve tried it on there but I didn’t think I would have to, when I got home I realized I was tripping over the dress. We also noticed a tear in the mesh. My mom tried to fix it herself by pinning it up, but it just didn’t help it was too long so I went back, she said I must’ve accidentally tore it (I know that I didn’t I was so fragile with that dress but I just let it slide, I didn’t want hard feelings), I asked if we can just fix it now and she said ok give me two hours and she got on it (my wedding was in two days by this point) she fixed it while I was in the dress. Then it was perfect. The only huge problem was I apparently kept getting shorter, in the end she had cut off more than 5 inches. I’m 5’1. I hope you can get this sorted out, since you didn’t get a receipt or anything it makes it harder. Luckily mine gave a receipt and also had signed something saying she would fix it without extra charge if it wasn’t good enough.

View Quoted Comment Good advice, thank you!

Honestly, I would just go somewhere else to have it fixed and cut your loses with the original seamstress. Its’s not worth risking her messing it up even more when you can just go to someone else that can do a better job. I know paying more money is not ideal, but it is better than having a messed up wedding gown.

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Yea I live in a pretty rural area so options are really limited - basically one seamstress I found with rave reviews or a bridal shop (but they charge extra for dresses purchased elsewhere, and I'm worried my dress won't be a priority because I didn't buy it from them). The local seamstress has all five star reviews on Facebook and some photos of her work there but the closest thing to my dress was a prom dress. I did reach out to her and she seemed really professional in her communications at least, and her prices were very reasonable. She's pretty much my last hope if I need alterations. Any other local tailor I found didn't have very good reviews.

My dress is definitely a bit loose whenever I try it on early in the day, but I tried it on after eating a full dinner and it fit perfect, so I might just skip getting it altered and anticipate actually enjoying the food and cake at my wedding. I'm still about 5 months out and my weight has fluctuated a bit, so I plan on making my decision about 8 weeks out and sticking with whatever I decide.

I would find someone else if you feel she can't fix it properly. I know its frustrating to know its wrong but its not unfixable.

Thank you ladies! I was recommended to somebody personally this time, and I'll see what happens!

View Quoted Comment This reply actually helped me. My dress is ruined up top. It was cut down so much on the shoulders that it cuts under my arms and in to my shoulders I can’t lift my arms up in the dress. It has a built in bra the bottom strip of the bra cuts a crossed my nipples that’s how much she jacked up took off the shoulders. I sent an email and was told I was a liar. That everything was done as requested 475 and two months past my wedding date...what a nightmare. This bridal shop was so bad so far. I pray to God this dress can be fix but it’s all lace.