I went for my first dress fitting the other day, and I was really REALLY not happy with my seamstress. I went to the boutique where I bought my dress and used their alterations department. The sales ladies had been nothing but fabulous, so I expected the same from their seamstress. That was probably a little naive.
The waist of my dress fit fine, so she didn't need to take it in.
The length was pretty good, so she didn't need to shorten it.
I was even pretty psyched about the bustle that she came up with.
The problem was the top of my dress. I've lost a tiny bit of weight since I ordered the dress. Not much; I've mostly just toned up a little. I went from sitting around studying physical therapy to actually practicing physical therapy, which is a pretty physically demanding job! Naturally, the first place we ladies tend to lose weight is in the bust area...which is so not fair. I had a little bit of extra room, so I asked the seamstress to take the straps up a little...
...but as you can see, she had already whipped out her date book to schedule me for my next fitting. No wait, seamstress lady! I'm not done yet! Look how big my dress is up top! Don't you think I need a little more support...you know, up there?
Her response? "Well, it's not like you'll be moving around much anyway."
Clearly she'd never been to one of MY weddings! I'm a dancer and I plan to do just that during our four-hour reception! The girls needed enough lift to handle that. So, I begged her to take a look.
She took it up about one-fourth of an inch, but then insisted that any more would be too tight, and uncomfortable. I explained (again) that I'd prefer that the top of the dress be too tight rather than the opposite extreme. Her response? "Well, do you plan to lose a lot of weight? Because otherwise I don't think you need it any smaller."
Maybe she assumed I'd lose more weight since most brides do so right before their wedding. Not this bride! Remember the whole physically demanding job thing? Baby needs her protein! I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt with this one.
We bickered back and forth about this for several minutes, and I could tell that I was really starting to get on her nerves. I understand that she was frustrated with me, given my stubbornness. Sorry, but I'm not sorry. I paid good money for this dress, I'm paying her good money for alterations, and I want it my way. I had three bridesmaids with me, one who lives in Atlanta and two who were in town for the weekend, as my shower was later that day. The girls had my back, but I was definitely the one instigating. I really don't think we were out of line at any point. I was polite, just persistent.
We finally compromised and she agreed to take up another one-fourth inch, but no more. She said she'd have it ready in two weeks. "Good," I thought to myself. "Then that will give me enough time to take it elsewhere if it needs to be taken up any further!" I thanked her for her time, and for her patience.
Her response? "Next time, this will take five minutes okay? Try it on, I pin a little, then that's it. No discussion. Also, only bring ONE bridesmaid."
I honestly didn't know what to say. I just thanked her for her time (again) and left, happy to have been the bigger person. This picture basically summed up the whole experience:
Me: still fiddling with my top. Lioness Bmaid Jessica: rolling her eyes. It's amazing how revealing candid photos can be!
Have any of you butted heads with a vendor? How did you settle your differences?
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