I purchased my wedding dress from an off-the-rack store that didn't provide alterations. I knew my dress needed a ton of work, as it had a very long, full, lace train that I wanted shortened. Before finding Sue, I visited a different seamstress recommended by a popular Albany bridal shop. Not only did this other woman give me a really substantial price quote just to hem the dress and take it in, but she told me it may not be possible to do the work on my train, and suggested that I consider finding a new dress if I was committed to having a shorter train. She also made me feel uncomfortable and I didn't feel like I could be open with her. After deciding that seamstress wasn't right for me or my dress, I headed to the Internet and put my trust in the brides that came before me, and gave Sue a call. Sue was upfront and clear with her explanation of her consultation fee ($40). I called her in January for my July wedding, and was nervous that she was not in a rush to get me in. She suggested that I meet with her for a consultation about a month after I called. I met her at her home in Clifton Park, as she works out of a room in her home. Sue was immediately friendly and congenial -- nothing like my uncomfortable experience with the previous seamstress. She has a degree from FIT and used to design dresses, i.e., she knows what she is doing. Sue is also easy to chat with, which is nice when you're standing in one place for an hour or more at a time. She gave me an estimate for shortening my dress and train, taking in my dress at the bust and sides, and adding covered buttons to the back -- which was less than the "minimum" price quoted by the other seamstress, and seemed fair for the amount of work needed. She also offered to make a veil for me out of my dress' extra tulle. (Although I purchased my veil elsewhere, I'm sharing in case there's a bride out there looking for someone to make her a custom veil!) Sue told me to come back for my first fitting in April, and with a July wedding, that seemed like a very short timeline, especially as she told me I'd need 3-4 fittings. Sue is very busy, so in wedding season she does her dresses not in the order they are received but in the order of the weddings. Despite my nerves, I trusted her timeline. I am glad I did. My only reasons for choosing a rating of 4 instead of 5 stars is that Sue did not explain that she would be adding flower appliqués to the train of my dress to hide the buttons for the bustle. Although this was necessary (because it would seem the delicate lace and tulle of my train would not alone be able to support the bustle), I do wish she would have told me about this because I did not love the look of the appliqués. Finally, although the dress was finished on time and done so well, it was ready about two to three weeks before my wedding. I'm not a laid back person, so sticking to Sue's timeline made me so nervous. I asked her to have my fittings done earlier, but she set the fittings far later than I had wanted. If you are like me and want your dress done more than a month or so before your wedding, be sure to speak to Sue about this up front and be sure she can accommodate that timeline. Ultimately, my experience with Sue was exceedingly positive. Sue removed at least a foot and a half of detailed lace from my train but you would never know the finished dress didn't come that way. She has to remove several inches of length from my dress's hem, too, which had a detailed lace edge. She seamlessly matched up the lace and kept the dress's integrity in tact. Although my alterations were quite expensive, I do believe it was comparable to the price most people pay at bridal salons. Sue was probably the best "vendor" hire I made for my wedding. I would fully recommend her to any bride who needs a skilled hand at turning their bridal gown into their vision. I would absolutely return to her if I needed substantial alterations in the future. read more

If you know me you know how much I miss living in a city that is more sophisticated. Albany is 2.5 hours from a great city (New York) and an ok city (Boston) but it may as well be 29 hours by stage coach. Since I've moved here I feel like I have stepped back in time - and I'm not saying this in a nostalgic way. I'm finding many of the services here think they are top-notch but when you compare them to what you can find elsewhere they just don't measure up. So, when it came time to have my wedding dress altered I was freaking out. I couldn't find anyone in Boston so what were the chances I'd find someone in Albany? The dress is complicated so I was starting to sweat. This had the potential to be a complete s#%* show. Enter Sue Small. By an act of intense research and sheer luck I found this powerhouse of a woman who is phenomenal at what she does. I have zero doubt that had I taken my dress to any other person for alterations they would have chosen the path of least resistance and could have, potentially, ruined it. Frankly if I'd realized how much was going to go into altering this dress I would have selected an entirely different one. It needed to be shortened, taken in, and a killer bra needed to be sewn in. Sue handled all of this to perfection. Not only does she handle the technical aspects masterfully (she is a graduate of FIT - as soon as I heard that I knew I was in good hands) but she was also a pleasure to deal with. She was professional, timely, responsive, and I found her rates to be extremely reasonable. She did the things that matter to me and are getting harder and harder to find - she'd call when she said she would call, she was always on time for my fittings, and she finished when she said she would. I have zero reservations in recommending Sue. In fact if you go anyplace else you might be crazy. read more

I wouldn't even give it one star if I didn't have too! First off, communicated via email with Sue and SHE set an appointment time of 11:20am. Arrived to her house, and watched someone pull down a blind in the basement as I walked up. Rung the door bell twice, knocked, AND called her twice. Wasted my day driving from Wilton to Clifton park for NOTHING. Sue than had the audacity to call me 20 mins after the appointment, stating she had an 11:30am appointment (which is a bold face lie as I have email proof), blamed the cold for her door bell not working, and the excuses continued to roll off her tongue. Hope I can save someone's time from being wasted on an unreliable business. Wouldn't trust her with my wedding dress! read more

I bought my dress at David's Bridal in Colonie, NY and was less than impressed with their customer service. After hearing so many horror stories, I didn't want them to do the alterations on my dress. I did a search for seamstresses in the area and found Sue's website. I was impressed by the photos I saw and her about me section. She only had one review on Yelp, but it was a good one and I decided to go with my gut. I am so glad I did! Not only was she friendly and accomodating, but her work spoke for itself. She made not only my dress look and feel fabulous, but my MOH's dress as well! The price was very affordable and I couldn't be happier with my results! Thanks again Sue! read more

We were so happy with the alterations Sue did! Highly recommend her to anyone. She was so personal and really did great job. We asked a lot of her giving her less than 2 weeks to do hems on 3 gowns. Two being difficult hems with ruffles to deal with. She got them done for us with time to spare. Will definitely use her again. Suzanne, Mikaela and Casey read more

I meant to write a review for Sue Small much sooner- last year she altered two Bridesmaid dresses for me and did an outstanding job. During my first fitting, Sue discovered some of the seams in one of the dresses were uneven (which is apparently common in mass-produced Bridesmaid dresses) and altered it flawlessly. At my second fitting, one dress was perfect and the other I wanted slightly looser to be more comfortable at an outdoor summer wedding. She was able to adjust it without any issues and her pricing was extremely reasonable. Her in-home studio gets quite busy during prom/wedding season, so I'm glad I planned ahead and reached out early. I wish I still lived in the area so I could continue using her for future events. I highly recommend Sue to anyone who needs alterations, she is the best! read more