Weddingbee Blog

My dress is in!!!

I *knew* it had arrived. I knew it. I actually ordered the dress more than 7 months ago at Kleinfeld and was anxiously waiting for their call… but they never called. So I called them instead, and surely enough, my dress had passed their quality control inspection and is just a few subway stops away, ready for me.

Unfortunately, Kleinfeld charges a flat fee of $450 for alterations. And as excited as I am to reunite with my dress, I am not so enthusiastic about parting with $450.

I am almost certain that I can save a few hundred bucks by getting my dress altered elsewhere. The dress should need minimal alterations, especially considering that the size I ordered (same as the sample size) fits me very well and there is no beading, lace, or embellishments on the material.

The alterations will probably include:
1. hemming the front,
2. lowering the V-back a few inches,
3. possibly adding bra cups, and
4. possibly adding a bustle.

Then, as I was researching alternative alteration options, I came across some horror stories. This bride blogged about her frustrating experiences with a tailor in the Upper East Side that actually specializes in bridal alterations. Another bride (sorry, you have to sign in to view) blogged about how her well-established Midtown bridal salon actually ruined her dress just a few days before her wedding!

To make a long story short, I go in for my second fitting and the dress is completely fucked up. They sent it out of the store to another seamstress because they were too busy to do it (??) and they fucked it up so much they couldn’t fix it. They cut off too much material… I was about to completely lose it yesterday. They had to give me another dress. So now, I got a completely different dress - it’s a classier and more elegant style, but of course not the style I orginally wanted. This dress was already in my size and they had it in stock so they are doing the alterations in one day. I’m getting it tomorrow- it’d better be PERFECT. The incompetence is astounding.

So now I don’t know what to do anymore! Please help!

Where should I have my dress altered?

• Kleinfeld- The $450 flat fee is expensive, but worth it for the quality service. And in the unlikely scenario that the dress is ruined, they can do something about it (like providing a different dress).
• Elsewhere- You can and should definitely save a couple hundred by having your dress altered elsewhere. There are risks, but those worst case scenarios are highly unlikely. Plus, your alterations are minimal, whereas one of the above horror stories involved rips and beading.

Also, can anyone recommend some excellent tailors in Manhattan, preferably one with experience with wedding gowns?