We do custom design at our boutique at The Dress Doctor and people still need to have a good fitting! Every person has a different body proportion, size, width, etc... do not panic when your gown comes in too big it can big fixed! We specialize in re-fitting garments and gowns so your gown is just shrunk down to fit YOUR body.
I had also seen several comments on what is an average price for alterations. Some girls were offended at numbers above $300. Ladies, the labor it takes to rip apart a wedding gown and re-shape it and fit it custom to your body is extensive. It's like asking your contractor to tear down a wall and build it back up again for 100 instead of 500 dollars. It is absolutely reasonable for places to charge over $300 for alterations.
If you come to a specialty boutique like ours (the only one of its kind by the way ;) you are paying for the service, location, guarantee, skilled couture methods, skilled seamstresses, skilled fitters (yours truly and my mother), certification of Vera Wang Bridal, 30 years of couture re-fitting experience, and a nice fitting room!
Our bridal alterations normally range between 300-700 dollars. If this is a shock to you still, please read the paragraph above once more! Just kidding, it really depends on what is important to you, if you feel like your Vera Wang gown is fine and you can have just ANYONE work on it then that is your choice, if you feel like your David's Bridal gown was a steal and you'd like some custom work done to it then come on in! We do free consultations that are no obligation, so if you'd like to come in and see how much everything costs it is not a problem at all!
We love people and love solving problems, we are the place you come to when everyone else has messed up, we are the place to come to if you feel that your gown is too important to risk taking anywhere else. As my mother always says "I will stand on my head for my clients!" That is how dedicated she is... we should really have a reality show at our shop.....
giselle
