A post in a local Austin brides Facebook group caught my eye recently. Hannah Quijada of HQT Bridal Tailoring offered some really great advice and a new perspective on wedding dress alterations for your special gown. She advised to create a relationship with your seamstress BEFORE you go dress shopping!
Austin & Central Texas Brides to create a relationship
with a wedding dress alterations expert before saying
Yes to the Dress!
Hannah’s Advice to Austin and Central Texas Brides:
“Just a friendly reminder from your local bridal seamstress.
Brides and moms…..it’s absolutely fine and not impolite at all to line one of us up PRE-PURCHASE to give you pointers on which alterations are going to dent your wallet more than you’d like.
Some typical big ticket tasks:
*Lining a dress
*Relining a dress
*Moving large appliqués from the hem edge before shortening
*Navigation of appliqués and beading for take-ins
*Blending/recreating a beading pattern after ground fabric has been significantly adjusted… this is very time consuming handwork
*Take-ins greater than 2-3 inches total. These often require multiple take-in locations to preserve the design.
*Take-ins of intricately corseted or stiffly constructed bodices
*Front skirt panel with large/non-repeating lace designs that cannot be shortened without a noticeable change in the design…..these can require shortening to be done at the waist
*Gusseting (Letting Out) of heavily embellished fabric…..very often additional embellishments need to be sourced to blend these alterations
*Repair of damaged netting or tulle especially near back closures
*Neckline restyling
Take caution when someone promises anything about alterations and that person isn’t the one doing the work. Take notes, take pictures, take a breath, and ask one of us before you purchase! We know, ya know?”
Yes to the Dress!
Making Smart Decisions When Choosing Your Wedding Dress
This advice really stood out to me, especially the detailed list of big-ticket alterations, as I see so many brides in sticker shock after they have said “Yes to the Dress” but then found out how much it was going to cost to have it altered. These panicked brides are posting in the Facebook groups asking if the charges are reasonable, if there are ‘cheap’ alterations places, and upset because this was an expense they had not budgeted for. But the LAST thing you want is an alterations disaster!
The typical alterations price tag is between $500 to $1000, which is not an insignificant chunk of change. In some cases, the alterations cost more than the dress itself! A frugal bride thinking she found a bargain by buying a dress off the rack, a secondhand dress, or on sale is understandably distressed when she is hit with a much larger alterations bill than expected.
The idea of consulting and creating a relationship with an excellent tailor before wedding dress shopping makes so much sense! I had never thought of that perspective, and I bet most excited newly engaged young ladies haven’t either. I mean, most of you have never gone wedding dress shopping before! Right?
So unless you have experience with altering fancy formals or pageant gowns, most brides have no idea what goes into altering a complicated gown with intricate lace, complicated designs, and layers upon layers of delicate fabrics. The amount of time, skill, experience, and knowledge necessary to create the perfect fit is off the charts. Those skills and years of experience come with a cost.
Wedding Dress Alterations Advice From a Seasoned Expert
“Just Because it Zips, Doesn’t Mean it Fits!”
Intrigued by this idea, and hoping to help and educate our brides reading our blog and planning a wedding or pre-wedding event at our Austin and Dripping Springs Wedding Venue, I reached out to Hannah for a more in-depth interview. As I had a lot of questions myself! My questions and follow-up questions are in italics:
1. What style of dress is the easiest/least expensive to alter?
The style doesn’t make a dress more or less expensive to alter. Rather it’s the fit of the dress.
***So a lace dress is not more expensive to alter than just a ‘smooth fabric’ (not sure if that is the right terminology)
Your terminology is correct! This is where each bridal alterations place will vary. I personally prefer the lace dresses because if the cup (fabric that covers the breast) is too big, I can release (remove) the lace and sew what I need in the main fabric then lay the lace back down and no one is the wiser. But with the plain fabric without any embellishment, we have to be perfect and very strategic on those alterations. While the sewing of the latter is quicker, it takes a higher skill level and arguably for the former.
This really comes down to personal preference. The only reason why my “plain” fabric brides pay more is because we have to go in at several places vs the 1 with the lace. But even this can vary depending on the dress and what actually needs to be done. In summary, I would not deter a bride to sway away from a “plain” fabric or a lace fabric when thinking of alterations.
2. How would a bride order the proper size, when sizing seems to be all over the place, to keep the alterations to a minimum?
This is a more complicated question as it’s not black and white. I always recommend that a bride order larger, even if she’s in between sizes or on a weight loss plan. Letting out is common but definitely not ideal for the bride or the alterations shop.
3. Is a bride able to order a dress appropriate for her height? Or do they just come one-length fits all?
This would be a question for the bridal salon. Some designers have this option while others don’t. There is a cost involved for this.
4. What elements of a wedding dress trigger the most expensive alterations?
Basically everything stated in the post and if the dress is too small. Just because it zips, doesn’t mean it fits. ***Ooooh, I love that quote!
5. How does the train affect alterations? Do most dresses come with the bustling option already built in?
The only dress that offer bustles will be used gowns. Bustles are very subjective and there are different styles and lengths. They can be simple, elegant and/or elaborate.
6. I see a lot of questions about sleeves, especially relating to seasons and weather. Is it difficult to add/remove sleeves?
In general, it’s not too complicated. Really depends on the style of the gown and what exactly is the bride looking for.
7. What else would you love to educate brides about that we haven’t touched on yet?
Once the bride starts dress shopping she needs to start finding her alterations shop. Do not wait until you have purchased your gown.
***They should find the shop BEFORE buying the gown, correct?***
I personally and emphatically say YES! However, I run my business very differently, we’re a white glove service to brides and boutiques. Many bridal seamstresses won’t even give brides the time of day until 1-3 months before the wedding. There is a huge disconnect between the bridal boutiques and bridal seamstresses. This is something I’m very passionate about bridging because it makes us all better at what we (boutiques and seamstresses alike) do and more importantly, it sets the bride up for a beautiful and seamless journey.
I work very closely with two boutiques in Houston (would love to add more!). My bridal boutiques know they can call or text me at any time for questions while the bride is shopping. Some even go so far as to say “Hey Hannah, we have a bride here who is interested in X gown and is getting married in 2 weeks. Is this even doable?” So before they bring in the bride, they’re making sure alterations CAN be done. This is the power of working together!
*Industry standard is 3 months for alterations so if you have less time, be prepared to pay a rush fee.
*Shop around for the right alts shop. They should resonate with their store of choice because they need to feel comfortable throughout the process. It’s not just about the money.
*The fit is everything. If a bride is on a budget do not skimp on alterations. If the dress doesn’t fit well there will be issues all night long, plus it will be noticeable in photos. ***I saw a great quote from another tailor that said even the most expensive gown will look cheap if it doesn’t fit properly.
*Go to the alterations appointment at least once on the bride’s cycle. This way it mimics the wedding day bloat that most brides get.
***Oh, really? Why is there a common bloating issue? Nerves? Or indulging at the rehearsal dinner the night before or something else?***
wedding dress on your big day!
Great question! Here it’s about how most brides change their routine the weeks prior to the wedding. What we eat really affects our bodies so if someone doesn’t usually eat foods that cause inflammation but they’re in a hurry or happy stressed, they may make different decisions with their food. Or some may start to workout and the body goes into what I call, a ‘mini-shock’.
I strongly encourage brides to do their best maintaining whatever schedule they usually have…do not try to lose or gain weight if at all possible because we can’t REALLY control where that weight is gained or lost—-despite what’s happened before. This is where so many brides make mistakes and don’t always listen to my advice—then we have to make big alterations at the end which cost more money. :/ Plus on the wedding day they’re excited and anxious and don’t eat—this causes bloating immediately, and some brides bloat more than others.
***INTERESTING that NOT eating can cause bloating! Yet another reason for brides to eat on their wedding day. Not just for the energy to last the entire day, but also for physical and appearance reasons!
Luxury Services are Available Right Up to the Moment You Walk Down the Aisle!
***Hannah, I was particularly impressed that you will actually COME TO the wedding and take care of the bride on-site! Please tell me more about this!
Our Bridal Concierge services are the ultimate blend of luxury and unforgettable moments. HQT pampers brides with customized on-site services that focus exclusively on the bride and her wedding dress.
Services our Concierge Clients can expect to receive:
- Emergency Services: bustle & tear repair, zipper replacement, etc.
- Touch Up’s: ironing, steaming, spot cleaning.
- Photography Posing: lifting & fluffing of the veil and train.
- What They Will Forget: beverage/snacks, first necessity items.
- And Anything Else You Need.
***Thank you so much for taking the time to give such great advice! How can a bride best get in touch with you?
The best way is to fill out my contact form on my website, where you can also request a phone consultation. Please visit my site at https://hqtbridaltailoring.com/
Before you choose a wedding venue, please consider a locally owned wedding venue! If you love Austin, Dripping Springs, San Antonio and The Texas Hill Country as much as we do, you will consider a locally owned wedding venue because these are small business owners who treasure our community. These small business owners live here (often AT their venue!), invest in our community, and care about their employees and their wedding couples. The experience you get when you choose a locally owned wedding venue is drastically different than the experience you get at a corporate owned or investor group wedding leasing company.
About Me:
My name is Christy Seguin. I created amazing cakes in Austin, Dripping Springs and the Texas Hill Country for over 10 years as the owner of Cakes ROCK!!!. But I recently retired from cakes and am now passionately working on my new venture–the most unique and charming event venue in Central Texas, Rose Haven Event Venue!
For Rose Haven Event Venue Information, please contact us HERE.
