Tipping the Seamstress?
June 1st, 2006 @ 12:32 pm by Mrs. Firefly
Today is my final fitting at Mark Ingram. Sorry… I didn’t bring my camera, so y’all won’t see pictures of me in it again until the wedding.
My dress did not require a lot of work — a two inch hem, the lace sewn in on the bottom, a bustle, the lace top taken in a little and the sash needed to be shortened. Mark Ingram charged $485! I wish I had said something to the store because this seems like way too much money for what is just routine work for a wedding dress — but I just handed over my Visa.
I checked around on The Knot and most girls spent between $250-$350 for similar work. The only places that charge more are the high-end bridal salons like Kleinfeld and Mark Ingram because they have you (and your dress) captive; sure you can take it back and have it altered on your own, but it’s easier to just leave it where it is.
So, this is my dilemma: do I now have to tip the seamstress? I checked various sites and asked a few friends and most agree that unless the seamstress does something extra special, there is no need to tip! Frankly, you can have a dress made for $485, so there’s really nothing she can do that’s “extra special” for the amount they charged me.
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6 Responses to “Tipping the Seamstress?”
I am sure it is a nice gesture, but you are already paying a great deal for your dress.
The dress company i bought my dress from actually makes each dress the exact length the bride needs it to be for free. They also do custom overall measurements for a little extra. So I don’t need alterations! But still, someone needs to make a DIY alterations/bustle making site… It’s so so soooooooo simple… Plus the dress only needs to hold together for one day, and it would save brides $$$!!!
I don’t think you need to tip her if all your alterations were routine and there were no special circumstances. I think the cost of alterations at Mark Ingram is on the higher end, so you shouldn’t really have to pay anything extra.
I did tip for my dress alterations. But the whole deal was amazing. I asked a store assistant in Hermes for advise (I figured Hermes would recommend a good place) and she told me to go to: Bhambi’s Custom Tailors. They did an amazing job and altered about 9 areas of my dress for 271$ - worth any penny + a $40 tip!!!
Wow that’s a lot of $$$ for alteration! My best friend didn’t tip her seamstress… it didn’t cross her (or my) mind.
Mrs. Firefly, New York
Age and Occupation in 06: 31, Attorney
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Finance
Engagement Date: April 11, 2004
Wedding Date: June, 2006
Venue: Battery Gardens
About Me: I was born in the city of Donetsk in the former Soviet Union (now the Ukraine) and grew up in Brooklyn. Many of my parent's friends are from Russia and the Ukraine as well. We want all of our guests to have a great time and hit the dance floor so we've hired a band that can play both Russian and American music; not to mention a mean rendition of the Gypsy Kings and chair-raising hora!
I was too lazy to take my dress elsewhere so I got it altered at Mark Ingram too. Tipping the seamstress actually never crossed my mind!