Wedding dress alterations charges?

This is my biggest fear!!!! So I hope i can follow your thread... I don't think that's far especially if they didn't call and ask you first but from what I hear alterations can get insane.

Good Luck

Did you have any type of contract with them? It seems if that is their policy, you shouldn't have to pay anything additional. My alterations ended up a lot more expensive that the seamstress originally thought, but she let me know before the work was complete.

I would probably speak to a manager if you can. We paid in advance for all my alterations, it was $700. We got a full receipt entailing all the alterations that were included, what each cost, and what we paid. So when we picked it up, I made sure everything was done and we didn't owe anything further because the receipt showed what I had already paid for.

View Quoted Comment No contract. The only contract I have is for when I bought the dress and I have the receipts for the dress itself and what she charged me for alterations but that’s it. The seamstress is not directly affiliated with the bridal store, she just works out of their shop and has an agreement with them

View Quoted Comment One of my more outspoken bridesmaids is coming with me to my fitting, and she says we are leaving with the dress and not paying a dime. Even if I have to leave with the dress on LOL

Before daughter's alterations began, they gave us an estimate of the charges, and I paid the total estimate. When we came back for daughter's second appointment, she wasn't happy with the way the bodice fit (it was a little too big, and as a result had a tendency to wrinkle below the bust line). Originally, the alterations person thought that putting cups into the bodice would be enough to fix that, but it wasn't. As a result, she ultimately needed two more appointments (the fourth and final appointment lasted nearly 2 hours and she was in and out of the dress at least 6 times as they did additional "fine tuning" adjustments). At the end of the second appointment, when it was clear the dress was going to take more work than they originally thought, they increased the estimate and I had to pay the difference that day. At the third appointment, we discussed them doing MAJOR changes (actually taking the bodice completely apart and taking it in at multiple points and putting it all back together again). Daughter decided that sounded like too much (and too risky, because once they made it smaller than way they wouldn't be able to let it out if it wasn't right), so she told them not to go that route. If they had that would have added an additional $400.... So, yes, it's pretty typical for the final charges to be more than the estimate -- if you asked for additional work than what was included in the estimate. It's unclear if it took longer because you asked for more work to be done or because they did a bad job of estimating how long it would take them to do exactly what you contracted for at the start of alterations. Depending on the situation, I'd at least ask them about the increase. I think you should have been told about the increase before they did the associated work. That's what daughter's salon did. Good luck!

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LOL that's awesome - I read reviews that my bridal store doesn't give you a price up front but at the end which i don't think is right. Like you can change the price whenever and i don't want to be on edge waiting. However, i am super nervous of the idea of taking it another place i have time but slight freaking out as i have 3 months to make a choice since I'll be starting alterations in Jan.

I received a quote about alterations. Total was $630 (a lot of beading) she let me leave an $100 deposit and she started on my dress immediately. My wedding was 3 weeks away when I dropped it off. I had 2 fittings after that and paid some every time. I paid the rest when I picked up my dress. That is a little strange but yes I feel like if she quoted you and it took longer then it is her loss.

View Quoted Comment If I had requested additional work, then I totally understand I would have to pay more for that and I wouldn’t have a problem. I never asked her to do more than what we originally agreed upon, she just said that taking some appliqué off the busy took longer than she thought.

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Then I think that's on her. She knew there were appliques on the dress when she gave you the original estimate. As a professional seamstress/alterations person, it's on her to look closely at the required work and determine an estimated cost. I'd possibly reach out to the salon before you go to pick it up and let them know about your concerns. Maybe they can intervene on your behalf. Whether she's their employee or not, by having her work out of their shop they have a responsibility to you as their customer. (I'm assuming you wouldn't have gone to this woman if you bought your dress somewhere else, right? You used her because she was THEIR in-house option....) Good luck!

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That's not really your problem. It's hers. I agree with your bridesmaid that you shouldn't owe anything else.

If the seamstress had handled this correctly, she would have called you when it looked like it was going to take longer, and asked you to approve the additional cost. Then you could have at least known about it ahead of time. To be told at the last second (at the moment of pickup basically) that you owe $200 more is totally unprofessional, and wrong. This is one of those situations where the seamstress has to eat it as part of "the cost of doing business." I bet she'll be more careful about her estimates in the future!

You should not owe anything else. Double check any paperwork you have that may say what you paid is an “estimate” and not a total. If it was an estimate, they may have you. Which is ridiculous, they are professionals and their estimate should not be $200 off.

I went for my first fitting and the woman told me she’s thinking about $200. My second fitting the seamstress confirmed it would be $240 with the bustle. I lucked out with it being so affordable (zero heading except the belt which fit perfectly thank god) but they don’t require brides at my place to pay until the work is done and my dress is in one piece. I wish more places did it like that. They have your dress, you have to come back and pay if you want it lol it’s crazy to me that people pay $500+ with no guarantee that it’ll be done correctly and then they have the nerve to you charge more.

To me- this is like fixing a car. If you get in there and realize it's going to be more work and therefore more money, you need to call me BEFORE you do any of that work, NOT after!! That's what bothers me most about this. It's really sketchy. Because honestly, had she called you before, you would have had the option (and the right) to say no don't do that I'm going to look elsewhere. That's what bothers me about it and makes it look sketchy. At this point the work is done, she has the ability to strong-arm you into feeling like you won't get your dress if you don't pay the money. Manipulative and sketchy.

I paid for alterations in full when I bought my dress, but it's a flat rate for ANYTHING and it states that in the contract, so no surprises.

In this case, a verbal contract is a binding contact, since there's no paper contract to supersede it. She did the work, and that's proof that there was an agreement (I hope you have receipts). Don't pay her more. It's her problem. And if it does get to a point of litigation, then it's her burden of proof. She's a professional, and it's on her to name the price. I've done a TON of sewing and costume design for theaters. Things ALWAYS take longer than expected. It's maddening, but if she's been doing this for a living she should know.

I was that outspoken bridesmaid for my best friend when she was a bride, and her bridal shop screwed up her size so her alterations were astronomical. I called the shop and talked to them. Be courteous, but be firm.

That's my two cents anyway.

View Quoted Comment 🤣🤣 I love this 👆🏾 - taking one of your more outspoken bridesmaids! That’s a friend- nobody wants to be taken advantage of. Good for you to have some support...