Whew there is so much we have seen in the past 25+ years and many things may be improved to any garment you wear. Do not become discouraged and always search for a second professional opinion. At Cheung’s Tailor Alterations we will never upsell our services so below is a standard to professional tailoring etiquette from the seamstress/ tailor/ dressmaker. We’ll discuss other etiquettes that we feel should be normative of a bride as well. Please also then read about 10 wedding dress alterations we see the most at our tailor shop.  We believe that to have the best dress alterations always remember they are there to support you.

Courtesy of a professional tailor shop:

  • Provide scheduling via email/ phone or online
  • Provide free wedding dress consultations
  • Never upsell services
  • One fitting – at most 2 for resizing corsets or tight dresses or courtesy to the bride and seamstress for not needing to stand so long!
  • Provide end results and visualization through pinning as much as possible
  • Provide answers to questions you may have

Courtesy of a bride for wedding dress alterations:

  • Provide a time frame and let your tailor / seamstress / dressmaker if your wedding is local or destination.
  • Do not ask about pricing over the phone. It is not that tailors don’t want to provide pricing it is due to the fact that there are thousands of dress styles out there. Without seeing the following it is tough for anyone to comprehend without seeing the dress. That is why we noted free wedding dress consultations. I.e. Vague questions such as the cost of a wedding dress hem. The following are simple variables that affect cost:
    • The width of the wedding dress
    • The style of the wedding dress bottom such as beading, lace or chiffon
    • The number of layers needing hemmed
    • The amount of fabric needing hemmed

We hope that this provides a little more insight to why professional tailors cannot provide accurate pricing.

  • Ask questions. They never hurt. If you have never been to a tailor shop we always encourage questions about your dress alterations such as what could be done and cost.
  • Support and ask for opinions do not tell your seamstress the following:
    • I can sew but I don’t have time.
    • You need to sew it this way there is no other way.

Do not become demanding rather be supportive and ask questions if there are other ways. If happens many times when mom / grandmother or a friend tries to alter a dress and it never turns out the way they anticipate.

  • Bring everything to your fitting. Such as undergarments and shoes. Limit the amount of friends. It’s great to be supportive, but if you are looking to respect your tailors time as well as your own too many opinions may not always be helpful.

Professional tailors should do wonders for your wedding dress. Always remember to ask questions especially if it is your first time. We have written numerous blogs about this. If you are looking to have your wedding dress alterations performed give realistic time frames. Tailors are busy in their profession so are you. Allow yourself enough time to set up a fitting and as a courtesy we believe that the best tailors need only two weeks for most wedding dresses. At Cheung’s Tailor Alterations we have done wedding dress alterations in couple hours rushed before. Every circumstance is different. But everything should be done with due diligence to the craftsmanship and quality on the finished product.