Weddingbee Blog

Vendor Review — Alterations

Lynn Gallagher
Galigula Bridal Services
2266 Union Street (between Fillmore & Steiner)
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 345-9200

Quality — B
Service — D
Value — C

Because I left for California more than a month before the wedding, I couldn’t have my alterations done at Mark Ingram. Or rather, I wanted to do them closer to the wedding date in case my body wanted to have a full scale revolution and do something completely unexpected in the six weeks between the fitting and the wedding. Mr. Caterpillar’s mama found Galigula through a recommendation from Atelier des Modistes, a really wonderful couture gown maker in San Francisco.

The initial fittings went well. Lynn is very experienced with all types of gowns, and had no problem altering mine. I paid $488 for the alterations ($50/hour) — a three-point bustle, sizing the dress down, hemming, and having cups sewn in.

I left the dress at Galigula for a steaming and little detail alterations — the sash had to be shortened, and some bustle issues needed to be sorted.

A week before the wedding, I was feeling a little bony, and thought I might need the dress to be even smaller, so I went in for a third fitting. The bodice was slightly loose, so Lynn decided to put in a ribbon cincher to make sure everything stayed up where it was supposed to. The dress was to be steamed and picked up on Thursday, two days before the wedding.

Then disaster.

Thursday I drove the 90 miles from Santa Cruz to San Francisco, and arrived at Galigula around 4:15. I had a 4:30 appointment across town, so I ran in and asked for my dress. It wasn’t ready. It hadn’t been steamed, and none of the alterations had been done.

Lynn was very apologetic and offered to have the alterations done by that night, and to steam it, and deliver it to where I was in the city later that evening. All of which, she did. Except when I checked the dress, a 30-inch seam in the inner lining of my dress had been opened and never resewn, AND my sash was missing. By this time it was 9:30pm, and I couldn’t reach her. I had to drive back to Santa Cruz with only the dress.

I left a few messages for her, asking her if she could messenger the sash down to Santa Cruz, or find another way to get it to me. She politely refused. I ended up having to ask a very accomodating wedding guest, who luckily lives in the city, to go down to Lynn’s shop and pick up the sash. He brought it to the wedding, and I was able to wear it.

All in all, I did not have the best experience with Galigula. Though, I think when things are running smoothly, they probably do quite well. Still, she could have helped me out a little delivering the sash.