FAQ

Because our booking fills up quickly, to guarantee your spot, we suggest booking your complementary phone consultation as soon as you purchase your gown. On your phone consultation the seamstress will be answering all your questions and booking your first appointment.

Your first appointment should be booked for 8-12 weeks before the wedding date. (or date of departure if it’s a destination wedding.)

No problem! Any first appointment that is less than 8 weeks before the wedding (or departure date) will have a rush service fee applied. Rush service fees are typically a percentage of the total alteration cost. Rush services are available on a case by case basis and you can call us directly at 309-444-4031 to find out if we can accommodate.

You can either book online. https://catiasalterations.com/appointments/
or give us a call at 309 444 4031.

Don’t forget to bring your shoes! Make sure they are the exact shoe’s you plan to wear on your wedding day. Walk around in them before, making sure they are comfortable and the shoes you can commit to. We can’t perform the pinning properly without them, and an additional fitting might be needed if the shoes aren’t brought.

If you have specific undergarments you want to wear, or want to try at your first fitting to see if they work well, bring it all! Spanx, different bras, tape ect. We have lots of bra cup options that can be sewn into your dress, that you are welcome to try.

Don’t be afraid to ask us questions! We take our communication with our brides very seriously, and we can walk you through each decision, or option in a way that you know exactly what is going on. We give recommendations, with years of experience to back it up. But at the end of the day, this is your dress. So make sure to always communicate any thoughts or questions you have.

Our standard wedding’s alterations take 2-3 appointments.
First fitting: is our longest fitting, ranging from 1-2 hrs. Our seamstresses perform the fittings, and talk you through all your alteration needs, while going over any of your questions! This is also when we’ll pin the gown to your size, so you can feel and visualize the final fit. Be prepared to make the most decisions at this fitting- including decisions about fit, bustle style,
and hem length. All subsequent fittings will be scheduled at the end of the first and second fittings.

Second fitting: we will be checking the adjustments made at the first fitting, making sure everything feels perfect for you! This fitting usually takes ½ hour. This is the fitting we highly suggest bringing a bridesmaid or a friend who will be at the wedding who can learn how to do the bustle in person. If that’s not a possibility, don’t worry, we will be filming an in depth video on your phone of exactly how to work the bustle. Often after this fitting, your gown is ready to take home! But we also leave plenty of time if there needs to be any adjustments after the first round of alterations.

Third fitting: we are checking any of the adjustments we made at the second fitting. This fitting usually takes 15 – 30 minutes. We are also happy to give a refresher course on how the bustle works at this fitting as well.
If you’ve decided to have us steam your gown, you will leave it once more after the final fitting (either 2nd or 3rd) to have us do that, and it will be all ready to go for your big day!

All 3 fittings and steaming pick up appointments are free of charge. Any additional fittings outside of these 3 will be charged $75 for ½ hr, and $150 for 1 hr. This includes an additional fitting that would be needed if all items needed for alterations were not present at the first fitting (example, didn’t have the correct shoes or didn’t bring fabric/sleeves that needed to be added at first fitting.)

If the alterations of your gown require more than 3 fittings because of the details/complexity of alterations, this is considered a ‘special project alteration’ and each additional fitting above the standard 3 fittings will be charged. The seamstresses will be able to let you know of possible additional fittings that would be needed at a first fitting appointment.

A majority of the time, your gown doesn’t need to be steamed before your first fitting. However, in some cases if your dress has lots of layers, or with some specific types of fabric, it may need to be steamed before your first fitting in order for the seamstress to mark the gown accurately.

On the phone consultation our seamstress will let you know if you need to have your dress steamed before your first fitting. Our standard pre-appointment steaming is typically $50-80.

Note: This steaming is not a final touch steaming, it is just to prepare the layers to be marked properly.

There is no set price list when it comes to bridal alterations. Each dress has beautiful and unique details that can directly affect alteration prices. A Good guideline for what brides typically invest in our services, ranges from $600-$1,200. Standard alterations on minimally embellished gowns being on the lower end- and standard alterations on highly detailed or embellished (think lace, beading, etc.) dresses on the higher end. Our free phone consultation is a great time for us to help you narrow down those estimates once we see photos of your gown.

Yes! You can get a consultation without any commitment, and that is a great way to get a realistic idea about prices and how your dress can fit on you. The consultation fee is $75 for ½ hr, or $150 for an hr. That fee will be credited to your alteration’s invoice if you decide to proceed with our alteration services.

50% of the total invoice is due at the first fitting. This is non-refundable. We take cash, credit or debit.
If the sewing process has not yet been started, the alteration can be canceled and the final payment won’t be required, however; if the alteration sewing process has already started, it cannot be refunded or canceled.

We work by appointment only and take appointments Tuesday-Thursday from 9:30-5p, and Fridays 8am-1pm. Evening appointments may be available upon request with a fitting fee.

Yes, we can start alterations earlier than 8-12 weeks if you are comfortable with that. After alterations are completed, if your dress alterations are completed and you want to leave your gown at our facility for longer than the 8-12 weeks timeframe, a storage fee of $35 monthly will be applied.

Letting out a gown is possible in most cases, if the quality, fabric, and construction of the dress allows for this. We will need to see the dress on you in person before we can know if a size change up is possible. Book your consultation fitting as soon as possible- so you know if, or how much extra room we could give you.

Our expertise and experience allow us to offer even complicated alterations including any big resizing project (going down more than 2 sizes), adding slits, adding modesty panels. However, we can take only a limited amount of these redesign projects in a year, so if you think your gown would fall in any of these categories please set up a free phone consultation before booking your appointment, so we can consider all the possibilities to best help you.

We do not make custom sleeves, but can add and alter premade sleeves. If you would like advice on where to start looking for pre-made bridal sleeves, please email us for more information.

Absolutely! We’ve already got the perfect fit for you, and we also love giving it its finishing touches to get it ready for your big day. Steaming pricing is typically in the $70-100 range depending on type of fabric and how many layers it has. We do not recommend having your dress cleaned before your wedding, if it is new. If there are minor spots, or areas that need attention, we recommend having a dry cleaners spot clean only before alterations.

We don’t have a guest number limit. However, from our years of experience, only 1-2 guests is a great amount. If you are not bringing a guest, our staff is always available, and happy to help you during your entire visit, and we will be ready to help you zip, button, or do up your corset. When your bustle is completed, we will be filming an in depth video on your phone, so, anyone will know exactly how to work the bustle.

Yes! Most of our cleaning and preservations are done Nov-Feb. Prices typically range from $300-350 depending on the level of cleaning required to best remove dirt and stains. Call ahead and drop off at your convenience after the wedding, and we will contact you when it is finished.

We do require someone come in and look over the gown and sign off on the cleaning before we package it in its preservation box with a see-through window. There may be discounts for pre-booking your preservation! Ask our staff about it at any of your alterations appointments.

We offer a limited number of vintage gown remodels per year. We absolutely love these projects, but typically need a longer time frame than our standard alterations, and it’s considered as a special project. Please email or call us with any inquiries before booking a phone consultation appointment. Because of the delicate nature of vintage gowns, and the time and care they take to work with, remodels like these typically start at $1,000.

Our standard turnaround time for moms’ dresses is 4-6 weeks before the wedding, but we recommend booking this appointment to save your spot as soon as you purchase your gown. The exact shoes are required at each fitting. These dresses usually only need 2 fittings total. The first fitting to pin and mark the gown, and the 2nd to try it on at our studio and make sure everything is perfect for you. Standard fittings times are ½ hr for the drop off fitting, and 15 min for the final try on and pickup fitting. Our typical price range is $80-300. Steaming is also available for the Mother of the bride/groom dresses.

Our standard turnaround time is 4-6 weeks for all formal gowns. The exact shoes you plan to wear with your dress are required at each fitting. These dresses usually only need 2 fittings total.
The first fitting to pin and mark the gown, and the 2nd to try it on at our studio and make sure everything is perfect for you. Standard fitting times are 15 min to ½ hr for a formal dress, and 15 min for a final pick up/try on fitting. Our typical price range is $50-300 for formal dresses. Steaming is also available for any formal dress.

No problem! Any first appointment that is less than 4 weeks before the wedding, occasion event or departure date, will have a rush service fee applied. Rush service fees are typically a percentage of the total alteration cost. Rush services are available on a case by case basis and you can call us directly at 309-444-4031 to find out if we can accommodate.

Both of your fittings are free of charge. Our standard formal alterations only need 2 fittings total. Any additional fittings outside of these 2 will be charged $35. This includes an additional fitting that would be necessary if all items required for alterations were not present at the first fitting (ex: shoes, proper undergarments etc) Fittings after business hours may be available upon request with a fee of $55.