Dress Alterations- Average Cost?

I paid $150 in Brooklyn, NY for my $800 bhldn dress
• took in the sides— 1 to 2 sizes
• added cups i provided
• small bustle for a sheath lace dress, with s sweep train

Definitely depends on how your dress is made, fabric, how many layers, timeline, etc.

View Quoted Comment Hi! I also got mine a bhldn in the NYC area and have been looking for a good place to get it altered. 150 seems like a reasonable price compared to quotes I’ve gotten. Would you be able to share where it is? Thank you !

View Quoted Comment Hey sarah! it’s called The Wedding Dresser, located in industry city brooklyn. they seem to do a good job of quoting you via yelp chat. provide what you’d like to be done and the link of the dress if you have it handy. you’ve got to make an appointment, no walk-ins.
obviously alterations depend on how many layers of the dress and it’s intracices, mine was the kenna gown fyi
good luck!

View Quoted Comment Hi Melissa, I am based just north of Boston too. Do you mind sharing what seamstress you used? Thanks in advance!

I did not need any alterations thankfully but I was quoted $400 to $800 for just a hem.

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Hi , How was this free? Was it included in the price of the dress?

Mary c.

My dress is $800 for alterations, and that's after I was quoted $1350 (!!!!!!) from the first seamstress I saw. I could have continued to shop around, but it was exhausting hauling the dress around and to try to save another hundred dollars or so. They both explained that the skirt has multiple layers and has a horsehair lining, which actually counts as a separate layer. The full skirt needs to be taken up, a bustle will be added, and the top is being taken in so they have to account for the mesh siding. What annoys me is that I showed a photo of the dress to the first seamstress and she said "maybe a few hundred, but not too much." and then that all changed once she saw me in it.

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Thank you! I was googling this, too!

View Quoted Comment I completely agree with everything Heather says and a big thank you for your very accurate descriptions of how the alterations are done. I’ve been altering wedding gowns for over 20 years. It is a lot more involved than the general public realizes. Brides come to me saying they “just need a simple take-in at the side”, or they “just need a hem”, not realizing the work involved in that “simple take-in” or “hem”. Then when I quote them a price, they look at me like I’m out of my mind! In my opinion, no alteration on a bridal gown is simple.

My wedding dress alterations cost me $880 - I don't know the terminology but I lost a ton of weight so everything had to be taken in. They had to take in the bust area, waist area and the hip area which was huge. The dress was way too long, so she had to move everything up - hem the dress. I had a bustle added too.

Does your salon off alterations? My salon is Kleinfeld's and they charge a flat fee for alterations, which is a bit on the pricey side, but I saved so much on my dress and the insurance of the salon being responsible if anything happens to the dress is reassuring. I get three fittings for that fee and it covers anything I need done. I would definitely ask your salon.

My entire top half is lace which I’ve been told is the hardest to work with. I was quoted $850 to bring in the sides from under the arms down past my hips to fit snug and to hem up the 5 layers on the front of the dress. Also, to hem the entire back right at the bridge of my behind to bring it in taught since I have a curve/dip right there. I remember my sister 17 years ago paying $500 for her alterations so $850 to me now doesn’t sound crazy. I think it really depends on fabric, beads, how much time, and how much hemming. My $1600 James Madison is now much more!

Like most people said... it depends on where you are! My fiancé and I took our dresses to a local seamstress on Saturday and my fiancé’s dress is already done! Her dress had to get hemmed, the sleeves taken in and another part taken in. Her alterations are going to only cost $60. I was quoted $75 for mine (it’s still being completed) but the same seamstress will be taking cutting off and making the sleeves smaller. This seamstress wouldn’t mess with the boning because, though my fiancé had issues with her, we were quoted at a price higher than what we spent on the dress.

Alterations for my dress were $650 without tax. Here was the breakdown:

Hemming $350

Bustling $150

Taking in side seams at the hip $60

Pinning slip and overlay layer together and shortening straps $90