Alterations at Davids Bridal???

I have the same dress as Janessa D. I lucked out because the top of the dress fit me perfectly, so no cost there. But the bustle she told me it was $7 per bustle point, and I had several of them. Then I also had to get it hemmed because it was way long on me. Altogether the cost was $160. I can kind of see where they are coming from though because they can't really give an estimate if the seamstress hasn't seen you in the dress. If you have to get it taken in a lot like you said, I would budget for no less than $200 just to be on the safe side.

If you are on a tight budget, don't go to DB. I got my dress from DB as well but I went to one of the local seamstress.

Alterations can vary widely -- just like the initial cost of the dress. a lot depends on the details, the number of layers (this is a killer), bustle type, etc etc...

taking it in is going to be more costly than just shortening it as well. do you have any places you could take it for estimates? other tailors / bridal shops so you can compare?

Yes there are a few local bridal salons and some alteration shops that I have seen around.

I have a dress from DB and I am NOT getting my alterations done there. I think it depends a lot of what your local store is like... I bought my dress right after the DB opened in our area and my experience was WONDERFUL but since then, I have been less and less impressed with my dealings with my DB store to the point where it was making me anxious to get my alterations done there. I have found a local seamstress who I will be using and I am so much more comfortable with this decision. In addition to what others have already mentioned in regards to pricing being quite a bit higher getting the alterations done by DB, I've also heard some "horror" stories about alterations taking so much longer than the promised time frame at my local DB and that would just stress me out!

I would suggest taking the dress to a couple of shops to get estimates, and also to see you feel like you can trust with your dress! i'm always willing to pay more if i feel more comfortable with a certain vendor. also, that way you can get a feel for what needs to be done and the price range. i wish i had more time to do that on mine... mine was a bit of a clusterf*&k of a story and i would have loved to have the option of multiple estimates.

We're Canadian but purchased my daughter's dress at DB in Fort Gratiot Michigan a few years ago, store is now closed. She has moved to Alberta from Ontario so I went to the store in Calgary to inquire about having it altered there. The manager said the cost range is 300-500 dollars! Once I picked my chin up off the floor and said thanks ( like a good little Canadian does - duh) I left. I think that's an insane amount to take in a dress. We are now looking for a good seamstress in Calgary that doesn't want the price of a dress for a little bit of sewing.