I was recommended this place when I inquired for adress tailoring at schwa's tailoring. He thought my needs would be better suited with Joyce. My dress had embroidered, sheer, lace aspects to it, and she is definitely has the expertise in those fabrics. Loved her conversation and pleasant personality as well. She is well organized and calls accordingly. She also called ahead during the polar vortex to tell me I could park in a closer location. I loved her work so much, I requested her to do alterations for my second dress. I'm also going to get my third dress altered from her! It is wedding season after all! read more

My experience happened a few years ago, right before she moved to her current location. I had a bridesmaid dress that was way too big (ordered online far in advance, got serious about diet and exercise in the meantime). It had a lovely draped bodice and very short train. Joyce made it fit perfectly and added a nice little hook for the train so I'd have a tiny little bustle after the ceremony (I felt like a bright-blue bride!). She was not the friendliest woman, but the tailoring was perfect, done when promised, and I thought the price was outstanding (compared to what a fellow bridesmaid paid out in the boonies for similar work). I would go there again with any formal wear without hesitation. read more

For all brides looking for a seamstress in the Madison area, go anywhere else but Bridals by Joyce. I brought my wedding dress to Joyce in March of 2020 before the pandemic hit. At that time, she said that she would contact me in April/May to provide an update on it. Of course, with the state of the world, I figured she would need more time and since I didn't receive a call in April/May, I waited to call in June to see how things were going with my dress. She said she should have it ready for a fitting in early July. Early July comes around and no contact. I call her in mid-July and she sets an appointment up with me at the end of July for my first fitting. It was not ready. I felt fine about it as there was still plenty of time to get the alterations set. At this time, she says she should have it ready for another fitting in early August. I chose to wait for her to reach out to me this time. It is now early September and I have now allowed an extra month for her to finish her work from late July to be ready for my second fitting. I had to call again to check on status of my dress and she said by mid-September she should have the adjustments ready for another fitting. An hour later though, she calls back and says she can no longer work on my dress. In other words, my seamstress quit on me with a month and a half left before my wedding date. I chose to go to her shop soon after her call to pick up my dress and request my $100 deposit back, which she then says is non-refundable. Although understandable if I had quit on her, however, she had just quit on me and the job was not finished. In fact, she had not made any more adjustments since my first fitting in late July and I feel that she had damaged my property, because she left holes in the fabric but claimed it looked better than what it was before, and then basically stole my money. I expressed my disappointment in person, asked her if she could show me what she had done so far with the dress, and requested my $100 back. She proceeded to tell me that I was rude on the phone, which I wasn't, and that she does not need to tell me what she had done with the dress, and that I needed to leave or she would call the police. When a person is hired to do and finish a job for a very important occasion in a person's life, you expect and trust that they will get that job done. She provides ZERO communication, ZERO customer service, ZERO empathy, and deserves ZERO stars. With everything going on in the world and already choosing to cancel our wedding without even our immediate families in attendance, I was hoping that my dress was one thing I could hold onto, but Joyce ripped that from me too. This was really my fault, and she definitely made me feel like it was, as I had a feeling from the start that she was not going to be right. Do yourself a huge favor and take the extra time to look for a 100% better seamstress. read more

I was referred to Joyce by my bridal salon. Called her and didn't receive an answer. Called again and was able to get thru. Brought my dress in to her and was told it would be ready by beginning of August. We had dropped it off end of June so I thought that was a reasonable amount of time. By the middle of August with no word from Joyce my mom and I were getting a little worried considering my wedding was in September. End of August and still no call. I called her and no answer. Left a message and didn't hear back. A week goes by and I call again. No answer so I called again. This time she answered and said my dress would be ready in a week. Called the next week like Joyce had said and it's still not ready. She told me she had been busy. She tells me it'll be another week. The week goes by and I called again. It's still not ready and by now it's only 2.5 weeks until my wedding. My mom decides to contact our usual alterations place at Hilldale to see if they could fit us in. They are miracle workers and are able to get my dress altered within one week. My mom goes to pick up the dress from Joyce and she doesn't even say anything to my mom. No apologies. Nothing. She is a cold person who gives empty promises and doesn't respond to phone calls. I usually don't write reviews but when you are dealing with a $1000 dress and a persons wedding, you have to understand that you need to do what you say you're going to do. If you don't want to add stress to an already stressful process like a wedding or a prom, don't use Joyce. I highly recommend Right Size Alterations at Hilldale. Competitive prices, friendly staff, and short wait times. read more

I recently had my wedding dress altered by Joyce and had a great experience. My wedding is in April and I started the alterations process at the end of December. Joyce was flexible with my schedule to come in for fittings. She had good ideas for how to alter the dress (a lot of length had to come off of the bottom and train). I had two other fittings and they went smooth. I picked my dress up yesterday. Her work was great and I love the way my dress fits. When I told my friends (recent brides) the price I paid for alterations they could not believe it. It was much less than they have paid, with the same amount of work. I would recommend her to anyone. read more

Joyce is a miracle worker when it comes to wedding attire. She altered my silk organza wedding gown significantly and yet the fabric remained flawless...free of stains, wrinkles, and puckers. With her prices reasonable and her schedule flexible this lady deserves 5 stars for making this bride's dream dress fit like a glove. read more

Joyce was able to do a complicated alteration on my Vera Wang bubble-hem dress with a week's notice so I could look Audrey Hepburn glamorous for my sister's wedding. After my experience with other tailor shops in town, her prices were refreshing to say the least. She worked with my schedule and did a really nice job. read more

Joyce quite obviously forgot about the alterations being done to my bridesmaid's dress and my mother's mother-of-the-groom dress. We went in MANY weeks prior to my brother's wedding to get these done. We called a few weeks leading up to the wedding and they still weren't done. We called the WEEK OF the wedding and SHE STILL HAD NOT TOUCHED THEM AT ALL!!! To top it off, she has an extremely icy temperament. My alterations were done well - my mother's, not so much... she had clearly rushed and did the bare minimum, crappy job. Only came here because Premiere Couture in Cambridge recommends Joyce... I would stay far, far, away! read more

Joyce did a fantastic job on my wedding dress. I am very pleased with her work. She is on the quieter side, but not unfriendly. I would recommend her to a friend. read more

I can't say enough positive things about Joyce! She is kind and professional, and she can work you in on short notice. She is also willing to share her expert knowledge about sewing, fabrics, and everything to do with attire, if you just ask. Other reviews about unfriendliness are, in my opinion, wholly unfounded. She is calm and understated, which I imagine serves her well in the wedding business! read more

My daughters Junior Prom dress was taken to Joyce over a month in advance. We were told to expect it back about ten days before the event. A week before Prom I hadn't heard from her, so I called. Joyce said she hadn't gotten to it yet, but it would be ready Tuesday or Wednesday. I didn't get a call saying it was ready, so I called Thursday afternoon to see when we could come by. Still not done! She was working on it, so we were able to go later that evening. Unfortunately, it didn't fit properly. Not a problem had it been ten days before, not two. So, I made arrangements to pick it up the next afternoon, supposedly also pressed/steamed and ready to go. My daughter had no more availability during normal business hours, so she couldn't be there to try it on a third time. There are no evening hours, something that would be useful when doing so many prom dresses. We tossed around my daughter leaving school during lunch or study hall, but Joyce said she "had a bride coming in" and couldn't do it. We were trying harder to make it work than she was. Thirty minutes before I was to be there I received a call from Joyce saying she hadn't gotten to it yet and could I come Saturday morning. Prom Day! When I finally did walk away with the dress, not only did she not give me a discount when asked, she charged me more than quoted! What good business owner treats her customers like this? Zero customer appreciation! Her excuse - I got busy. Really? I have a busy high school junior who was excited to have her dress so that she could make other preparations to go with it, and she's busy? She's the professional that was hired because she said she could do it. She came recommended by the place we purchased the prom dress from. Her work is good, and I in no way doubt her abilities. She's just clearly overbooked and doesn't take responsibly for it. She doesn't act as though she appreciates your business, and does nothing to encourage a return visit. The end result, the dress was too tight. The eyelet at the top of the zipper popped off within minutes! It had not been pressed either. Also noteworthy, I've heard her fee is higher than many. I'm not generally a review writer, but this is inexcusable! Never will I go there again, or would I recommend her services! My daughter had at least two classmates that had a similar experience. That being said, there were also couple that I know of that were happy with her. If you proceed with her, do it with caution.....and a false "need by" date. read more

Joyce was recommended to me by a friend who used her for bridal alterations. I was lucky to find a dress that fit pretty well, so it didn't need too much done, but Joyce brought in the top, cut off most of the train, and put in a 7 point French bustle. She first quoted me at around 175 and then at around 200 once we decided on the bustle. I don't have much of a gauge on what alterations cost, but I think this is reasonable based on reading some reviews online of other local alteration shops and wedding wire forums. Joyce is very professional, quick and straightforward about what needs to happen. She didn't try to do anything that wasn't necessary and was easy to talk to! I am EXTREMELY happy with her and her work! read more

Joyce did a great job shortening my dress for a wedding! She listened to what I wanted, and it turned out better than I thought it would.

I would not recommend Joyce for bridal alterations. First and foremost, she is not friendly at all. I put on my dress for the first time since I bought it at her store, and was so excited about it. She made me feel rushed and took away from the moment. Then, she charged me $200 for bad alterations, which I ultimately took to get fixed for $100 elsewhere. read more

Joyce was THE BEST! I live in Chicago with only weekends to get the majority of my wedding plans done and she was very helpful about scheduling and working within my time frame. She made a number of adjustments to the bust of my dress and added a gorgeous bustle. The work she did was perfect and the amount she charged was amazing! There have been a couple comments from other reviewers saying she was "not friendly" but I did not find that to be the case at all. I found her to be professional and straightforward. I'm also not looking for people to fawn all over me and treat me like a child.....I would recommend her to anyone for any sort of tailoring or dress adjustments! read more

I have had 2 great experiences with Joyce (a rehearsal dress and my post-wedding picnic dress) and just called for an appointment for a bridesmaid dress. She does a great job and is straightforward. read more

I thought Joyce did a fantastic job with my wedding dress. It was significantly large when I brought it to her and it fit perfect when I picked it up. I got more than one comment that it fit like a glove. She was timely and friendly. read more