Coutures by Laura

Laura is one of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met. She made my dress fit me like a dream. Not only that, she custom made my veil AND altered a dress within a day for my little sister whose MOH dress got shredded by the airline on her way here for my wedding. She’s amazing, the best there is, every bride should be so lucky to work with her.

I could not give Laura enough stars!!! She altered my dress in less than two weeks! She was very hospitable and answered any questions or fears that I might have about my dress or shipping my dress… In fact I had to mail my dress to Connecticut and not only did she give me a box to ship it in she went over how the bustle worked and she completely retied and showed me how to do it. A first-​class experience ! I couldn’t be more happy I totally recommend her for anyone who wants it a positive bridal experience!

I honestly would recommend Laura to anyone getting married in need of a seamstress. And I definitely have! I had a very difficult dress situation, so I was really nervous about picking just any seamstress. I definitely did my research, and ended up going with Laura based on several friends’ recommendations as well as online reviews (I read tons and tons and tons of online reviews of different people). And I’m so glad that I did!
I decided that I wanted to wear my mother’s 1978 wedding gown, but totally rework it so that it was my style. Laura removed the long sleeves and made the sleeves «off the shoulder,» changed the neckline, added a waistline, added a bustle, and the end result was beautiful!
My biggest complaints were 1) she was very busy so I had to call her (not a problem for an organized bride like myself), 2) it ended up being a little more expensive than she had originally said — $ 600 as opposed to $ 400), and 3) the waistband that she added wasn’t sitting perfectly, and at first she said it was fine and wanted to send me on my way, but I told her I wanted her to fix it, so I left it with her and she fixed it.
She was so sweet and wonderful to work with, very complimentary and gracious. I would definitely go to her again after my experience!

Where do I begin?! Laura took my dress on although she was already super busy for April weddings. She did an amazing job! From hemming the length, adding a bustle, taking it in, completely adding sleeves to my strapless sweetheart neck Maggie Soterro, Divina gown to creating a custom made veil just for me that I will treasure forever! Laura is so friendly and deeply Caring and concerned for you. I was so nerve wracked with leaving my beloved dress with someone but I felt completely relieved leaving it with Laura. And rightly so because wow! It was beautifully done. I came up with the sketch or design I wanted for the idea of the sleeves I wanted to be added and everyone told me it wouldn’t look right or natural to the dress. Nevertheless, after bringing my drawing to Laura, and her tweeking it and showing me what was possible. It looks amazing! I was so worried the sleeves were going to take away from the beauty of the dress but it complimented it so well! It truly is a couture gown now! Thank you so much Laura! We love you and your amazingly blessed talents!

I cannot recommend Laura enough! I was a weird bride — I wanted a dress that didn’t exist on any rack and I was really nervous to buy one that was close and then ask a complete stranger to take the vision in my head and make it a reality. I started with a really gorgeous Maggie Sottero gown, and came to Laura on several recommendations to see if there was any way my vision would work. I wanted a lower cut neckline, very specific in shape, bustling, and — the most important and difficult piece — a bolero that fit perfectly. I was so afraid every time I went in for a fitting that something would be wrong, or that Laura would tell me that there was no way this would work, but she put me at ease every time! My dress was ready later than I’d expected, but Laura kept in touch with me and updated me as our timeline got closer. On the day of my final fitting, I totally cried — the dress was PERFECT and Laura truly took what was in my head and made it a reality after only a couple conversations and trial fittings. Laura is a dream to work with — such a passionate artist who is an expert in her craft. She made me feel like family. I am so incredibly blessed that she took me in and delivered my dream dress, and all for a very reasonable cost. HIGHLY recommend.

Unbelievable service! When another seamstress did a horrible alteration, Laura came through to fix what I thought was a ruined dress! With only a few days before the wedding, she calmly explained how she would be able to fix the dress and have it beautiful by our wedding day. I HIGHLY recommend her for any custom dress or alteration crisis. She is incredible!

I went to visit Laura while trying to figure out where to have my wedding dress made. She was the first dress maker I visited, with plans to shop around a bit to find someone I was happy with. We sat down together and I described the dress I’d been envisioning, a mish-​mash of several vintage dresses with a little just me thrown in. As we’re talking, Laura starts sketching. Halfway through my description, before I’ve even shown her the few pictures I brought for reference, I glance at her sketch and catch my breath — THAT’S IT! That’s my dress! Right there, you just drew it!
She completely understood what I was poorly explaining. She began pulling out fabrics and laces, showing me beautiful things I was instantly falling in love with. Then we started discussing price and … well… I can’t afford that. Could we do it with lower priced fabrics and get the same effect? Yes? Awesome. Take my money.
A few weeks later I come in to view the fabric samples and selected some, we refined and clarified the dress idea, and I paid a bit more on the deposit so she could order materials. A few weeks later, I come in for a fitting and it fit almost perfectly, just a few tweaks needed — and she was able to make it happen a few days earlier than she planned so my mom could come while she was visiting from out of town! A few weeks later, I pick up my dream dress — and she added pockets as a last minute request! I didn’t want to take it off in the shop, it was so truly perfect. I’ve tried it on about 5 times since I picked it up and I still can’t believe how much it’s like the dress in my head. I absolutely can’t wait to wear it on my wedding day! All in all the process took about 6 months, but she knew I had a lot of time and I wanted the fitting to be closer to the wedding in case I lost/​gained weight. I got the feeling I could have had it a lot sooner if I’d needed.
Laura was a pleasure to work with, she didn’t know me by name but always knew which dress I was talking about. Sometimes she wasn’t sure where in the process we were when we spoke on the phone, but she always sorted it out. She was able to take some random idea in my head and turn it into a gorgeous dress that actually works. She discussed any things she thought might not work how I wanted and we found ways to make them work for both of us. She was open and honest about what she could do as a dress maker and with the costs of everything throughout the process. While she increased the quote at one point after a major design change, I feel like I should pay her MORE for my beautiful dress! I poured over all the seams and stitching when I brought it home and couldn’t find a single flaw. Everything is just how I want it and just how it should be.

Laura is wonderful! I got my dress altered by her and it took less than a month. I bought my wedding dress about 6 weeks before the wedding and she happily fit me in. She takes alteration referrals from clients who got their gown from Unbridaled. Thank you Laura!

I had a hard time finding a wedding dress that I loved. I wanted something unique, laid-​back but elegant, and budget-​friendly. That was a tall order. :)
I finally found a dress that was lovely, although it was too expensive and I wanted to make some adjustments. So, I decided to bring the design into Laura (she came recommended) as inspiration, but wanted to tweak the design and make it my own.
She confidently took on the job, and 3 months later, I have a finished product. It’s just gorgeous and everything I was hoping for – even right near my budget. Laura’s work is meticulous and she will partner with you on design ideas, executing them beautifully.
She’s a very busy lady, though, so I would recommend making sure you’re organized, flexible, and write things down. Also, if you’re budget-​oriented (like myself), then you may want to ask about any cost impacts for changes along the way.
I’m extremely happy with the work she did and can’t wait to wear my dress!

I was not the most detail-​oriented of brides, and I didn’t have childhood dreams of what my wedding would be like. So when I’d been engaged for a couple of months, I called my mom and mentioned that I should probably start looking for a wedding dress. Lo and behold, she responded that she had her 40 year old dress in the back of a closet, and would I like to do something with it? She was extremely petite when she got married and a good few inches shorter than me, so we knew that a complete re-​do of the dress would be necessary. We also knew that we’d need someone who could work with delicate, old lace. I hopped online and found Laura a 10 minute drive from my office.
We met with Laura for the first time about 6 months before the wedding. I had a lace sample in my hand and a copy from a magazine of a dress style that I liked. She told me that the time would be fine and made a sketch of the dress profile. I gave her the dress for dis-​assembly and cleaning a few weeks later. Long story short, she and her ladies did a fabulous job of cleaning a stain out of the old lace and re-​assembling the dress into a new one for me that was absolutely gorgeous and supremely comfortable. It took approximately 5 months, and the (5 – 6) fittings and most of the work were done in the space of 2 – 3 months. The dress was ready 3 weeks before the wedding.
Laura is extremely busy most of the time, so I would not have picked her if I had wanted a lot of coddling. However, she loves her work and is very good at it. For someone like me who wanted to turn the project over to an expert and let them do their thing, she was perfect.

Laura made us beautiful bridesmaid skirts and altered our wedding dresses at reasonable prices. We were very happy with the quality of the product and the amount of time to get things done. We would highly recommend Coutures by Laura for your tailoring needs!
–April & Lauren

My dress was amazing. I showed her a spreadsheet of sample dress photos for inspiration and she created my dress from scratch. It was absolutely amazing. My only advice would be to be very clear with direction and give yourself a good pad of time to get everything you want done. Overall though, SO so amazing.

NOTE: I NEVER WRITE Unilocal REVIEWS
BEWARE! Make sure you verify how much the alterations will be before you hand over your dress.
I was referred to Laura by the boutique who sold me my wedding dress. When I went in for my first visit she quoted me $ 200 for the alterations minus the bustle because I didn’t know what «type» of bustle I wanted. She wanted 50% deposit before I left so I gave her $ 100. When I went to pick up my dress it still needed a few fixes before I took it home. She showed me that she had started on the bustle (without asking me if prior what type I wanted). Luckily I did like what she was doing with it. Before I left she wanted the final payment. Some how her quote that was written in pencil was changed to a final payment of $ 433!!! HUGE difference… Her reasoning was the bustle was VERY hard to do…
I was very irate, but I paid it because I still had several things that needed to be fixed. When I returned to get my dress there was a brown stain (looked like chocolate) on the upper lace on my dress and a HUGE snag in the satin! I was furious at this point… I had to come back later to pick up the dress in the day and brought my girlfriend with me.
Somehow the stain and snag were gone. But I had to discuss the final price with her. I explained that it would have been a professional courtesy to call me before she started working in the bustle to tell me how much she charged. If she would have originally stated it would have been over $ 400 I would have shopped around… My girlfriend explained its like going to a mechanic for an oil change and picking up your car with new rotors and then mechanic never telling you prior. Her only respond was «leave the dress and I’ll undo it all»… Right. because I’m getting married in 2 weeks.
At the end she refunded me a whole $ 50! Woo-​hoo! The dress did look great at the end… but make sure you get a copy of her «quote» before you leave.

Originally I gave Laura four stars, but feel I have to adjust the rating.
At first I was in love with Laura. She did save me after another seamstress tried to alter my dress and just about ruined it three weeks before the wedding. I wasn’t sure it could be repaired. But Laura jumped right in and assured me she could fix it! And she did better than fix it, she made it spectacular. She even altered my bra to make sure it won’t show. I would have never thought of that!
Once I got to Laura’s store, I kicked myself for not going there before buying a dress. If I could change everything, not only would I go to Laura for alterations, I would have had her make my, my mom’s, bridesmaid’s and flower girl dresses! The flower girl dresses in the show room are the most beautiful dresses ever.
I thought that a small designer would make big poofy old fashioned wedding dresses. Most in her show room are that way. But go in the fitting room and there are amazing modern dresses. She is like a mom, she’s sweet and would never put you in something that doesn’t look great on your body or you don’t like. She loves her work, she loves her customers and will do everything possible to make all brides look beautiful!
So why only the OK rating? Well, as I said the other seamstress just about ruined my dress and cut it too short. Laura said we’d fit it and them see about the hem. The dress was barely the right length without a hem. There was a ruffle just above where the dress was cut, and Laura said there is nothing to hem. She used little scissors and trimmed around the ruffle. The cut didn’t show, but as I was watching her I thought, couldn’t you do a tiny fold, add some hem tape or something? But I trusted her. My dress was tea length and low and behold by the time I got down the aisle, strings were hanging from the bottom of my dress. How embarrassing and horrifying on a $ 2,000 dress. Laura was going out of town and I think she simply didn’t want to take the time to do it right. I wish she at the very least would have used pinking shears!
I sold my dress to a friend that is getting married this year. She took it to her seamstress in Chicago. Guess what? The seamstress added some hem tape under the ruffle, folded it and made a finished hem. At least my friend won’t have wedding photos with strings hanging from her dress. As for me, I’ll need a bit of help from photoshop.
I still recommend Laura, just get to her well in advance of your wedding date. And, I’d probably have her make the dress – not only cheaper, but I think she’d want her own designs to be finished perfectly.

I brought my wedding dress to be altered by Laura 3 months before my wedding date. When I went in, she was very friendly, and helped me realize the dress I felt ‘eeeeh’ about was really a ‘wow’ dress. The only alterations needed was the hemline, about 8 layers of fabric. She quoted me $ 40 for the hemming and told me she’d call March 26^th.
March 26^th came and went, and I called a couple days after that to check on the status of my dress. She sounded like she was busy and asked if she could call me back. She asked what my dress looked like and what I had done. She didn’t know who I was or which dress was mine. I chalked it up to her being busy. She never called back, so I called back the next day. Again, I had to explain which dress was mine (which is hard when you’re explaining a white wedding dress and her shop is full of them) She says the dress is ready, so I go the next day. She ties me into the dress, and I can tell it’s been hemmed, but the layers are uneven. There was a layer of tulle that wasn’t even hemmed, and stuck out in an unattractive way. Many of the other layers were uneven and the hemming was twisted and strings never snipped. I feel like she didn’t really listen to how I wanted the dress hemmed. I had even provided her with the manufacture’s photograph to show the look I was going for.
She charged me $ 108, even after quoting me $ 40.
2 days before I got married, I found yellow splotches on my dress. The dress never left the clean garment bag when it was in my possession. The splotches were not there when I dropped off the dress. Me and my bridesmaids had a hell of a time trying to remove the stains before my wedding.
Her showroom is very beautiful and I can tell from the dresses on the racks that she does lovely work. She does, however, need more help in her shop, and a system of knowing who’s dress is whos. It is very unlikely that I would recommend this shop or go here again.

Laura was wonderful. After a stress-​inducing few weeks spent scouring the bridal shops for something that didn’t make me (at 4′ 11″) look like an overwrought wedding cake, I found Lauren W’s review on Unilocal (see below).
Lauren W.‘s dress was similar to what I was looking for but couldn’t find in the store — a simple lace design.
Laura knew right away what would look good on my figure and made adjustments accordingly, so that the dress I got was unique and a perfect fit for my style.
Not to mention, I approached Laura four months before the wedding — pretty short notice for this kind of thing. She was super nice about it and didn’t even charge extra (that I know of). The cost was reasonable and never changed from her original quote, even though she added exquisite beading to the trim at the last minute — an extra special touch that shows these gowns truly are made with love.
Laura puts her heart into her work and certainly is someone you can trust with The Dress.

Going to Vegas, getting hitched, and that dream dress is coming with me!
When I’m serious about getting something done right, I do my research and I read reviews. I read lots of reviews– including but not limited to Unilocal’s filtered section. Not going to lie, I was really worried about all of the mixed reviews (it seemed like people were really pleased or really displeased), but I decided to at least give Laura a visit to see what kind of vibe I would get the first time.
Laura is the kind of person that grows on you and becomes friendlier the more she sees you and gets to know you. I didn’t really like or dislike her at first, but she seemed to know what she was doing when she began sketching my vision of my dress, so I decided to go through with it.
We were originally going to make my dress from scratch, but then I found a dress that kind of had the top that I wanted, so I figured it would be easier and faster for her to alter it as opposed to starting from just pieces of fabric.
She ended up completely changing the dress from the waist down, added a removable train, re-​created/​re-​formed the bust so that it would actually fit right, and added lace around the the top of the dress as a finishing touch. I was a bit skeptical about the lace at first (it was her idea), but she was right, it was exactly what the dress needed to come together. She didn’t even charge me extra for it.
If you decide to go to Laura, just keep in mind that she is a very busy lady– poor thing, she was always so stressed whenever I saw her. Sometimes she needs a few phone calls if you want updates on your dress as it’s being made and sometimes she takes a while to check her email and respond, but it seems like she really cared about her work/​your end product. Also remember that if you are getting a dress custom made or extremely altered, you will need to come in fairly often (I visited her shop probably about 10 times). This ensures that she is meeting your dress creation expectations– especially if you’re picky about details like I am, and this also allows her to make any changes that you want as she goes along (if necessary).
I know most girls end up liking/​loving their wedding dress, but I’m *obsessed* with mine. After everything came together, the final product was everything that I imagined. I have a one of a kind dress that just screams «Ann» (haha), and I cannot wait to wear it in March!

This lady needs an assistant!
I bought a wedding dress from Serendipity Bridal and had it altered here. She did a fantastic job: she adjusted the length (2 or 3 layers), brought in the sweetheart bust, added an elastic back closure and bustled the sweep train. I think the total was about $ 200 – 300.
She did a fantastic job on all of these, except that I didn’t ask for the bustle. I was also irritated because I had to come by often to see if my dress was ready, she finished it a week before I was to leave for my wedding — one week later than what we had agreed. Granted, I had brought my dress to her late in the game AND it was the peak wedding season. But I had to keep reminding and bugging her about it because I was so worried it wouldn’t get done. She ended up doing all the alterations over the course of two days (I’m sure it didn’t actually take that long).
Also, after looking at the custom-​made dresses in her shop, I would definitely come back here to get a dress made. Absolutely gorgeous!

I have nothing but great things to say about Laura!
I went to her 3 months before my wedding. We had well over a year to plan our wedding, so this was significantly late in the game to be starting on my dress, but my other plan had fallen through. I was stressing out and about to settle on a $ 4,000 dress I didn’t even love, when a friend convinced me to call Laura. (She had just had her first fitting for her own dress and was very happy.)
I called Laura the very next day, went in, and by the time I left I had written a deposit check and was feeling completely relieved. I showed her photos of a Vera Wang dress I loved. She completely got what I was wanting and had so much enthusiasm about it that I knew she was the right person to make it.
Long story short, I LOVED my dress, the process was very easy, and she also ended up completely re-​doing 4 vintage lace dresses for my bridesmaids, which we also loved.
She’s very reasonable (if you’re aware that a custom wedding dress isn’t going to be crazy cheap – I’ve read some bad reviews from people who clearly didn’t get this).
Our wedding was featured on a national blog and I’ve had complete strangers emailing me to tell me how much they liked my dress. I wish I could wear it again!
Thanks Laura!

I had a great experience with Laura. I fell in love with a very pricey Melissa Sweet gown that made me look short. My mother and I had heard great things about Laura, so we went to meet with her and told her our dilemma. Within minutes, she was sketching the solution out in front of us. The dress she made was wonderful material, gorgeously represented the dress I loved AND included flattering details. Oh, and it cost about half of what the original designer dress would have cost before alterations. She was very accommodating when I wanted some alterations made to the neckline less than a month before the wedding. Meeting with Laura and my mother to create the dress no one was allowed to see until the big day was one of my favorite memories from wedding planning.
I am so happy with my wedding dress! 30 seconds before I walked down the aisle, my wedding coordinator told me that I was wearing the prettiest dress she’d seen at that venue in a while. I got comments the whole night and felt like a beautiful bride. Thank you, Laura.