how much did you pay for alterations?

jc11 · 18-07-2014 11:41am #1

Hi all,

I recently bought a fab sample dress at a great price which I am chuffed about!! The dress is around a 12-14 and i am a 10-12ish (depending on the shop!).

Just wondering how much is the norm to pay for alterations? I would need to obviously have the fitting down to my size, probably taken up a little and fitted properly around bust!

TIA

Bobsammy · 18-07-2014 11:53am

I also bought my dress in a sample sale and the shop I bought it in quoted €120 for the alterations.
I took it elsewhere and they cost €36.
I had the train removed and the dress taken up a few inches, I also had it taken in a little around the bust.
This was in a teeny tiny alterations place who don't normally do wedding dresses but she did a perfect job for a fraction of the price the bridal shop wanted.

jc11 · 18-07-2014 12:12pm

wow thats great just shows you really need to shop around!! The bridal shop where i bought my dress gave me the number of the lady they use and said it could cost between 100-150!

MsBubbles · 18-07-2014 12:57pm

I'm getting my alternations done by a local woman who did the alternations for my friend's wedding. Ask friends and family someone will know someone and save yourself a fortune.

xzanti · 18-07-2014 1:24pm

Bobsammy wrote: »

I also bought my dress in a sample sale and the shop I bought it in quoted €120 for the alterations.
I took it elsewhere and they cost €36.
I had the train removed and the dress taken up a few inches, I also had it taken in a little around the bust.
This was in a teeny tiny alterations place who don't normally do wedding dresses but she did a perfect job for a fraction of the price the bridal shop wanted.

Wow, could you please PM me with this ladys details?

Bobsammy · 18-07-2014 1:45pm

Sure, I'll have to get them off my mother but I'll pm you later.

kkcatlou · 18-07-2014 2:12pm

I was similar to you. Bought a 12-14 in a sample size and got it taken in and up to be a 10. Cost €120. Afterwards I thought I probably should have tried to bargain, just I was expecting it to cost more!

bee06 · 18-07-2014 2:57pm

Mine cost 90 euro and that was for taking in about an inch and adding a bustle.

jc11 · 18-07-2014 7:54pm

e120 is a good price i wouldve thought, great to hear it can be done cheaper!!

Gatica · 20-07-2014 5:03pm

200 in the end

was quoted around 150 at the start but it turned out to be lots of work because there were so many layers and lace had to be taken off and re-sewn at the hem.

stinkle · 20-07-2014 6:31pm

125. I bought in a sale and was quoted 120 at the time. It was taken in a size, a button was replaced and a lingerie strap thing added. Dress was perfect though so I couldn't complain. I also thought it'd be more so was OK to pay that. MIL recommended the woman and it was something I had been putting off in case I got a dodgy person so yay it turned out fine

Faith · 20-07-2014 7:50pm

Has anyone had problems getting their dresses altered? My mother inexplicably and irrationally thinks I'll have difficulty getting my dress (a standard boned strapless bodice without much detail at all) altered and she won't believe me that professionals are well used to altering all sorts of wedding dresses.

bee06 · 20-07-2014 8:45pm

Faith wrote: »

Has anyone had problems getting their dresses altered? My mother inexplicably and irrationally thinks I'll have difficulty getting my dress (a standard boned strapless bodice without much detail at all) altered and she won't believe me that professionals are well used to altering all sorts of wedding dresses.

I had no problem and my seamstress said my (lace) dress was unusual and awkward as it had boning in places that don't usually have boning but she still had no problem. Any professional seamstress with experience in wedding dresses will have no problems. If you're in Cork I can PM you the name of my seamstress?

jc11 · 20-07-2014 8:47pm

thanks everyone, good to get an idea of general prices!

Faith · 20-07-2014 8:47pm

Oh yes please! I am in Cork (for the moment, anyway!).

Gatica · 21-07-2014 9:02am

Faith wrote: »

Has anyone had problems getting their dresses altered? My mother inexplicably and irrationally thinks I'll have difficulty getting my dress (a standard boned strapless bodice without much detail at all) altered and she won't believe me that professionals are well used to altering all sorts of wedding dresses.

Best way to sort that is to bring it to a seamstress. She'll tell you yes or no (obviously it'll be a yes for most professionals). They alter almost every type of wedding dress these days.

paulusdu · 22-07-2014 12:34pm

Not sure where you are based and perhaps its too far but my wifes dress alterations cost €40 that was in a small shop in Loughrea, Galway. she bought the dress from a charity shop in Cork it was brand new and only paid €70 for it so her whole dress inc alterations was only €110

cookiecakes · 22-07-2014 2:12pm

I think mine cost about 80 euro. I got it done in the Alterations Centre on South Anne Street in Dublin and they were amazing! I was gonna go with a 'bridal' seamstress but was up to my eyes and none of them were that close to me so looked up some reviews and decided to go with a place in town. I really can't say enough great things about them! Plus they didn't even charge me when I went back the day before the wedding cos I'd somehow managed to lose weight in a week and my dress was way too big across my chest! Plus they had it done in a hour.

jc11 · 22-07-2014 6:21pm

cookiecakes wrote: »

I think mine cost about 80 euro. I got it done in the Alterations Centre on South Anne Street in Dublin and they were amazing! I was gonna go with a 'bridal' seamstress but was up to my eyes and none of them were that close to me so looked up some reviews and decided to go with a place in town. I really can't say enough great things about them! Plus they didn't even charge me when I went back the day before the wedding cos I'd somehow managed to lose weight in a week and my dress was way too big across my chest! Plus they had it done in a hour.

really cookiecakes, i was thinking of just going to a normal alterations place as i was wondering if the 'bridal' alteration places were just a rip off, did you need to get much done originally with the dress?

cookiecakes · 22-07-2014 6:39pm

Yeah my dress was miles too big for me when I got it back and it was super detailed with lots of lace so any mistakes would have really shown up if they'd made a balls of it. I honestly can't recommend them highly enough. My dress was flawless even if I do say so myself

jc11 · 22-07-2014 8:22pm

oh wow I must get a price off them, E80 would be deadly!!

cookiecakes · 22-07-2014 11:04pm

Deffo go in and see what they say! They are super straight forward and there was no messing around. I was expecting a couple of hundred so I was shocked when they gave me the quote! Plus they did an amazing job on my bridesmaids dresses too!!

how much did you pay for alterations?

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