How much do wedding dress alterations cost?

Hi, I had a quote for wedding dress alterations for around $470 to do alterations on the shoulder, take in the skirt around hip and thighs and shorten the hem. Is it too much or is that about right? Thank you in advance x

Question Asked: 6/09/2021

Wedding Date: 9/08/2018

Most Helpful Response

White Lace

(3) · Perth

Posted: 9/09/2021

Rarely do made-to-order wedding gowns fit a bride perfectly and judging from your question perhaps if in doubt get a second quote. However the amount of $470 is not unreasonable and hopefully the dressmaker may have seen the dress on you to see how it fits and exactly what needs to be done.

Alteration charges range differently from one dressmaker to another. Generally, the price of alterations is not included in the cost of the gown so it is important to budget for the cost of alterations when assessing your bridal budget.

For the most important dress you will ever get to wear, you would want it to fit perfectly. The descriptions are understandably quite vague since it's not from a dressmakers point of view. The dress could be made with a plain fabric with no embellishment or it could be beaded or lace, or the skirt may have many layers, etc etc there are so many factors to consider in bridal alterations. Ultimately there is no easy answer to the cost of alterations and as a dressmaker I would be hesitant to give a quote without seeing the dress on a bride. You're on the right track to ask the question of cost but if faced with a higher quote, you may have to compare expertise versus cost to do the job to your satisfaction.

It is an extra cost and you would want your alterations to be done with expertise to make you look like a princess in your dress.

Hope this answers your question.

Warmest regards

Answered by: 3 Experts

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Threadelicious Bride

(0) · Brisbane and surrounds

Posted: 8/09/2021

Hi

Without seeing the gown on you its difficult to say if those are the correct alterations to do or if they would cost more or less than your current quote.

It does sound like a reasonable alteration price for what you are asking.

You need to be able to trust the person doing alterations for you gown so they need to explain what needs to be done in detail to you and express how long each part will take so that you can understand each line item. This should be done as a discussion with you, explaining alternative methods if costs are out of your budget.

Like everything there are more than one way to do things, however you do get what you pay for, going cheap on a wedding gown alteration is not recommended as you may not get the desired look.

Remember gowns have to be deconstructed in order to alter them.

If you would like a free second opinion you are more than welcome to book into the Threadelicious Bride Studio using this link

http://fb.com/book/threadelicious

Have a great day

Timeless Elegance

(32) · Launceston and Tasmania Statewide

Posted: 8/09/2021

No-one can say whether that is right or not without seeing the dress.... so much has to be taken into account, for example, fabric, is there lace, is it beaded, how many layers to the skirt, are they encased hem, are they just turned up and stitched. It is very rare that no alterations have to be done. As a general rule there is always a hem - I have done hems from $100 for plain and simple satin hem, up to $250 for a lace and beaded trim hem. Lifting shoulders could be $50 or they could be $120. My suggestion if you are doubting the first quote, take the gown to another seamstess and get them to quote. Some people can quote quite cheaply, but you will get the job you pay for. I dont thing the amout quoted is excessive but again - witghout knowing the dress I can not say more.

Sorry I can not be more helpful, but more information would be needed before a better guesstimate can be made. Good Luck with it.

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