Your first appointment is usually scheduled for between 10 and 12 weeks before your wedding date.  Further appointments are arranged at your first appointment. The final appointment/collection is usually between 2 and 4 weeks before your wedding date, with any other appointments scheduled between the two.

You will need at least two fittings. One to discuss your requirements and take initial measurements, and one to check final fitting and collect your dress.  Sometimes, further appointments are needed, depending on the work required. This will be discussed with you at your first appointment.

Please ensure you have your shoes with you (or shoes of the same heel height, if you haven't yet purchased your wedding day shoes), and if you are wearing any support underwear, or stick-on bra, etc, make sure you have these with you, too. Please also bring along any underskirt you may have that you are wearing under your dress.

Please note: It is important that your underwear choices do not change after your initial appointment, as this can have an impact on the way your dress fits.

In the main, most alterations are do-able.

However, if significant changes are required, then the cost of alterations can be substantial.

In general, most dresses can be altered down by up to 2 dress sizes (around 4" / 10cm) without too much trouble.

Making a dress smaller is far easier than making a dress bigger, and it is not always possible to increase a dress so that the seams are laying in the correct place. Small increases (an inch or two) can usually be accommodated by adding a corset tie closure to the back, or panels in the side seams.

It is worth bearing in mind that it is far easier to make amendments if matching fabric is available, so if you are looking for sleeves to be made, or any other additions are required, and you need them to match your dress exactly, please ask the shop where you purchased your dress from if it is possible to order extra fabric, and also how long this will take to arrive. (I can help source basic fabrics and lace, but these cannot be guaranteed to match perfectly.)

Alterations are charged for depending on the length of time they take, therefore, the cost will depend on the level of complexity involved in the work you wish to have carried out.  I will provide a quote at your first fitting appointment.

If you decide at this point that you don't wish to proceed, you are welcome to take your dress away with you and find an alternative seamstress, with no hard feelings. 

A £25 consultation fee will be payable in this instance.

If you decide to go ahead, an initial payment of £50 will be taken at your first appointment, to cover fittings, with the remaining balance due on collection of your completed dress (you can also pay an instalment at each appointment, if you prefer to spread the cost).

I will contact you a few days before your collection appointment to confirm the final charge. (Please note: if any further work is added, this will incur an additional charge which will be discussed with you at the time it is requested.)

Average costs are usually somewhere between £150 and £500. 

I have very limited space available, so, unfortunately, I am unable to store your dress for you after alterations are completed.

I steam all dresses before they are collected, however, some fabrics do crease quite easily and may require further steaming just before your wedding.

The best way to keep your dress crease-free, is to remove it from the dress bag as soon as you can, and hang it up as high as you are able to, allowing the train to be laid out flat. It can be helpful to drape the train over the back of a chair, or alternatively, just lay it out flat on the floor.

Once it is out of the dress bag, a good way to keep your dress clean before you wear it, is to hang it inside a clean double or king size duvet cover - just place the hanger into one of the corners and allow the dress to hang inside. The extra space allows the train and hem to hang freely.