Today I worked on two wedding gowns and a bridesmaid dress. All were purchased at Moments to Treasure Bridal in Mukilteo, Washington. I've been working with them for three years.
For my work credit in school I worked at a sewing shop. The majority of her work was bridal, and I swore that I wouldn't be altering gowns for a living. ( Be careful that you never say never.) After I finished the Apparel Design program, I got a job working at Pacific Fabrics at Northgate. I liked working with fabric, and helping customers, even though it was a constant temptation to buy fabric. One day a woman came in and the subject of bridal alterations came up. I told her that I'd been to school, worked at a alterations shop, and all she really needed to do was show me how to do something and I could do it. About three months later she called and said she needed help. I worked with her during wedding season (May-mid September) for two years. Then she told me that she wanted out, and the shop she worked with had offered me the position of seamstress. I went in and talked to the owner of The Bridal Garden, Tonya, and she hired me on the spot. I worked there for the next 13 years.
Well here I was doing what I said I would never do. I had a lot to learn, and God bless Tonya for her patience with me. The day I learned how to set a bustle I had a fever and felt like crud, you know the feeling, like you would prefer to be in bed instead of out in the cold nasty world. But I bucked up and went to see how to set a bustle. That was it, I was off and running in the big world of bridal alterations.
For the past 14 years the majority of my business has been bridal alterations. So I plan to talk a lot about that subject. I don't know that I' d call myself an expert, I still have plenty I could learn. But I know enough to be confident at what I do. I learned about what will and won't work in altering, what brides look for in fit, and a lot about what NOT to say.
I've seen everything from high end couture, to really rotten, made by Aunt Soandso. I'll give some advice to brides, go out and look at the bridal shops. There are many, many dresses out there. Try them on and take some one with you. Look at the condition of the samples, because it can say a lot about a shop if the samples are old and dirty. Ask friends where they got their dresses. If you want to have your gown made, be sure that the seamstress can do the job. The fabric you want can be expensive and hard to find. It's easier to alter a ready to wear garment than to have one made. Just be sure that you buy from a reputable shop. Right now, I don't have an absolutely favorite shop, but I do have one that I won't alter the gowns from if I can avoid it. It starts with D and is a nation wide chain. I know they're cheap, but any where is better than there.
I plan to go to the shops in Western Washington and check them out for you. This will be from my point of view, so take it or leave it, but I'll be honest about what I see and offer advice for any one about to get married.
Thanks for reading
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