PHOTOGRAPHY | Stephanie Gan Photography

2. What Do Alterations Cost?

This is a big question with a complicated answer. The cost of your alterations depends on three factors:

What alterations need to be made?

How complicated is the design of your gown?

What does the alterations specialist you are hiring charge for these services?

In order to give you an accurate quote, the alterations specialist will need to see you in the gown in person. They will likely pin the gown in a few places and take notes on the adjustments that need to be made. This will give them an itemized list of the “alterations”. Then, the specialist will examine the construction of the gown and the fabric that it is made out of. If the construction is very complicated, or if your fabric is very detailed or delicate (like a beaded fabric or a fine silk), it may add to the cost because it will take them longer to finish each step in the alteration. Every specialist has their own way of calculating the cost of alterations, so the cost may be different from place to place–even for the same alterations, on the same gown.

We recommend budgeting around $700 for your alterations. This is on the higher side of the average, but we find that it is better to be happily surprised when your bill is less, than to be blindsided with a bill you weren’t expecting.