Hello, I am very glad that you have decided to come and see me.

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Please take 10 minutes or so to read through this page. This page should give you all the information you need to orient you to the whole process. You’ll find that I delve into all sorts of scenarios on this page. Just know that all the crazy policies are born out of actual events that have occurred here.

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What Type of Clients Do You Serve?

I work with brides, bridesmaids and mother's of the bride.

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What Are Your Hours?

I work by appointment only.

 

What Should I Bring to My Initial Fitting?

Bring your dress and the shoes that you plan to wear to the event. If you don't have your shoes yet bring a pair that will have the same heel height. Bring a pair of yoga pants or leggings to wear if you think you might be uncomfortable with me seeing your backside when I zip and unzip you. Some alterations/assessments require that I open the back of the dress.

 

Undergarments will be discussed during the fitting.

 

The appointment typically lasts 30-45 minutes. If you need a garment bag for your dress it is $10.00.

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Who Should I Bring to My Appointment? ***Very Important***

We welcome you to invite A guest to share this experience with you. We request that you limit yourself to being accompanied by only one, (1) other person.  We have seen the "entourage" situation many times.  Although it seems like a great idea and seems like it will make your 3 sisters, 12 best friends, and MOB & MOG happy, it almost always backfires into a very stressful situation!

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When you bring your friends and family, you invite their opinions and lots of distractions. Too many opinions can be stressful for you. Also, those opinions are often gestures of love from your friend's perspective, but they often increase your bottom line.

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Let your dress altering decisions be up to you. The dress is a reflection of you! Your guest is there to enjoy the day and make memories with you. They are there to cheer you on, help you into your shoes, and maybe be an extra set of hands for carrying your bags. Please make sure you choose wisely and make sure your guest is comfortable in this role. I will be entirely focused on you and answer the questions that you have. If your guest is the curious type, please invite her to read this page before coming so that she understands what you and I discuss. You and I have a lot of ground to cover in the 30 minute appointment, and unfortunately, we won’t be able to back up and get your guest on the same page with us.

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Please keep in mind that this policy is not just to keep you sane. It is also for me. I don’t work well with several opinions being pressed upon me. I get overwhelmed with that easily.

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Although I look like I’m just sitting there while you request changes, I’m actually technically assessing your gown and thinking many steps ahead. I’m memorizing measurements and shapes. We don’t need another person asking questions or giving input at that time. We don’t.

 

Unfortunately, if you choose to disregard this policy and it becomes a distraction for me or another bride, we will have to end your appointment and reassess if we can continue the alterations process with your guest being involved.

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We love kids!!! But, children under the age of 13 are not permitted. 

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Again:

Bring only 1 guest.

Children under the age of 13 are not permitted.

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What are your payment policies?

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As a rule, it's safe to say that we have a Cash Preferred Policy. We also offer Venmo, credit and debit card acceptance.    

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A check is never accepted for final payment. You cannot take home a dress that has a balance due on it, and it is still considered "balance due" until the check clears from your bank.  

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We will give you either an itemized quote at the initial consult, or we will at least give you price range for your project so that you may plan ahead for what amount to bring to each appointment.

• The usual 30 minute-long initial consultations are $45. If you choose to go with me rather than another seamstress then that amount is waived. 

• Gown cleaning fees are due when you leave your gown for dry cleaning— that is before we clean your gown.

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How long in advance of my event should I make my appointment for?

That all depends...  We usually discuss this over the phone because each case is different.  I think the textbook answer to that is, 2-6 months before the event, you should be well on your way to having your dress completed.  But there are variables. There is an extra charge for rush jobs, which are considered to be 2 months or less to the event.

 

If your weight fluctuates for any reason, hormones, thyroid, pregnancy, etc. we will need to fit you closer to your event date.  Sometimes, the week of your event!   This can also be a decision based upon your emotions.  If you are an avid planner and can't sleep until your checklist is done, then we can alter your dress as early as you wish.  (We do recommend that you schedule a final adjustment fitting close to your event date if you go the early route.)  

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Regardless of when you want your alterations completed, you should always book early.  You will find significantly fewer appointment openings if you initially reach out to us 6 months or closer to your wedding date.

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How soon can you get my dress finished?

Our pace of work is generally set by how well my schedule lines up with yours.  We can usually schedule your follow-up fittings about a week or two apart once we initially get you in the books.  If you only have Saturday morning availability, it may be months before we can book you -they fill up fast.  But if you can make yourself available at less popular times; for example, a Tuesday morning, then you may be able to get on the books within a week or two.  This all depends on the season as well.

 

 

Do you offer steaming and pressing services?

Yes we do.  The fees for this vary based upon the garment.  We'll be happy to look at it and give you a quote.

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What is the first appointment like?

We greet you and show you to the dressing room and help you to get into your dress if needed. This takes place in the main mirror room where we discuss your goals for the dress. We look at your dress in a very detailed manner, evaluating its construction and the method of alterations that we will need to perform.  We discuss with you the various choices that you have for our altering of the gown and how the different methods affect our time-tables and pricing.  We discuss what kinds of undergarments you need.  We help you out of your gown.  We write up a work order for you and compare our bookings availability with your own scheduling needs.

 

If there is ample time in our schedule for the work to be performed, then we make an appointment for your alterations to be done.  You read over the work order, contract, and appointment time and sign the contract.  We keep one copy with your dress and store your dress in our back room.  You get a carbon copy of contract.  We meet again at the appointed time. 

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Having an initial consultation does not guarantee that we can alter your dress.  Many factors go into whether or not we can schedule your work to be done. If we decide that I cannot fit your dress into my schedule, the consultation fee will be waived.

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The initial consultation takes approximately 30 mins.  It's mainly for us to get acquainted with your dress and get your appointments planned out and scheduled.  It can also help put you at ease by allowing you to meet us in person and ask any questions that you may have about your dress.   

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What are your Alcohol Policies?

Alcohol is NOT permitted onsite. We do not give away alcohol, bottles of champagne, etc. Also, due to TABC regulations, alcohol is not permitted in our shop. Please do not secretly plan an event at my studio, bring alcohol, catering, and several guests.

 

Please respect my work and my shop.  Please respect the bride after you. She deserves a timely appointment in a clean space. 

 

Is photography allowed? & What does Brandy do with pictures that she takes?

Yes! You are welcome to take pictures to document the joy and beauty of your day, but as usual, we have to puts some limits on things. You or a family member cannot schedule a shoot to take place at our studio with a professional photographer, or even a bridal portrait session with an amateur photographer without our prior permission. We have to plan for these sorts of things. Depending on the amount of time that you require there will be a fee for using the studio for portraits.

 

The pictures that you and I take are photos that are snagged at opportune times before, during, and after your alterations times. A portrait photography session takes time away from our sewing and consulting and therefore is considered inappropriate and inadmissible.

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On another very important note, I am happy to pose with you for a picture if you want one, but please do not photograph or video me candidly while I am working. 

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We also take pictures for documentation purposes, the fun of before/afters, teaching purposes, promotion, and commercial gain for ourselves and our affiliates.  If we have made one, we are happy to share a photo grid with you of your dress at the end of your project.  If you do not wish to have your gown documented, please let us know at the initial consultation. We are happy to oblige.  

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Do you have a written price list?  

No, we don't.  We really don't know how to even begin writing one!  Every dress is different.  The construction of the gowns vary widely.  Alterations vary in complexity.  There's just no way for us to know what it will cost without consulting with the bride in person while she is wearing the dress.  We do generate a work order that is specific to your dress at the first fitting, though. That is a general list of things that you feel need to be done.  

 

**Alterations, however, are an open-ended process. Sometimes alterations have a "domino effect" so it is impossible to fully predict everything that needs to be done and how much it will cost. For this reason, our work order states that the pick up time is an estimate.  Pricing is also very fluid and basically reflects how long it takes us to complete your project.**

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I generally advise that a bride set aside $1000 for alterations. Alterations generally do not reach that price point, and gives you piece of mind.

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Do I need to arrive early for my appointment?

No, please do not arrive early.  Our appointments are just a general framework to guide our day and to keep it running as smoothly as possible.  We often run behind, actually!  Sometimes fittings take longer than we expect and we don't want to "shoo" a bride out of the door just because she has taken a little longer than most.

 

If we are running more than 20 minutes behind, we try to text you the estimated time that we will see you.  That way, you can choose to take your time getting to our shop, browse local stores,  or reschedule if needed. (If you happen to run behind, we would love for you to return the favor and let us know that you will be late ;).  Obviously, appointments are more likely to run behind as the day progresses.  And, Saturdays are usually the worst because of the volume of customers.

 

 

   

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