It can be difficult as a bride to find the "one and only" tailor right for you and the one dress…read moreyou have. I noted the questions tailors I reached out to would ask, their price quotes, and recommendations. Linda left a positive impression with her prompt responses and honest input. Because Linda works from her house rather than at a facility where additional charges are incurred, she was also more affordable.
EXPERIENCE:
While I had these thoughts going in, Linda continued to surprise me. It was apparent that Linda was experienced and knew what was important. She asked me to bring my wedding shoes and encouraged me to sit, walk around, and move with the dress to make sure that where the dress hit would work for the day of during our second fitting. She also made adjustments as we went, requiring additional work on her end to make things just right.
CHANGES:
Linda was extremely detailed in explaining the changes that would be required with the dress; I had bought the dress one size too large (I just listened to what the wedding shop said). In addition to the mandatory shortening of the dress, she had to trim pieces of the top so that it didn't hit my neck awkwardly. She also brought in the back of the dress. All of this required removal and readdition of the lace afterwards. Linda helped to add cups with the dress and also bustled it, which I was told later can be a challenge with the layers of tulle.
Linda was someone I could consult my ideas with and will not say "yes" to everything a bride wants. I liked this about her, because I asked for more poof to my dress, and she advised against it, explaining how the material of tulle with other material used to add poof could take away from the flow and delicacy of the dress. She was open to doing it if I wanted to, but her reasoning made me drop the idea, and I am glad I did.
CHANGES / BUSTLE:
I didn't realize Linda would end up adding clear buttons for the bustle. It threw me off to see them on my dress, and I admittedly became the stereotypical over-worried bride. I am happy to say that the Xpert knew what she was doing- it wasn't visible in any of the wedding pictures and I almost forgot I had worried unnecessarily about it. For brides who do want to be informed throughout the process I would advise asking to make sure expectations are in alignment. To emphasize, there was nothing negative about my experience, but knowing how brides can get, I'm just adding this as something to consider :)
The bustle was a little harder for my bridesmaids to do, likely due to the tulle material. Linda drew a diagram for my bridesmaids to follow and let me record her explaining how to do the bustle. She also advised that my bridesmaids practice the day before. Unfortunately, I wasn't insistent on this with my bridesmaids, who said it looked straightforward enough, so we ended up spending nearly an hour getting the bustle and were late to the reception (something for others to think about for their day of!)
COST:
Knowing the cost of tailoring my friends had gone through, the quoted price was much better than I was expecting, provided all of the changes. Linda was very transparent with the work she needed to complete, and the time that it would take given the changes. For brides with a budget, I would recommend going in with a set amount and idea, but knowing that if there are additional changes that you hadn't thought of, be flexible and understanding that something may need to give (perhaps not all of the recommended alterations can be done, for example). I felt it was reasonable and that Linda's expertise was certainly worth it.
COMMUNICATION / SCHEDULING:
When working with Linda, be sure to be clear of the dates and timelines. I erroneously thought we had a meeting a different day because she had suggested meeting in 3 weeks, and I may have accidentally marked a date, but didn't confirm this with her. Linda is very responsive through text, so there will not be a problem with going back and forth to plan logistics. It was also a plus that she was flexible and had later hours and weekends available.
TIMELINE:
Everyone's experience will be different; I ended up having 3 total trips.
- June 19: First trip for estimate and review of needed changes
- July 14: Second dress fitting; additional modifications to planned changes based on progress thus far
- July 20: Dress completed
- August 3: Dress picked up, bustling instructions shared
Linda treats you like a sister by the end of the journey. She is truly talented, and an artist in her own right, expressed through the beauty of her completed dresses.
The last thing you want is to worry about is your wedding dress not fitting right the day of, where thousands of dollars are already spent. With Linda, my dress looked beautiful the day of. I was comfortable and able to dance the night away with ease; my dress did not get caught once, even as I danced to Gangnam Style. I am extremely grateful for her services.
