Custom Alterations

Peggy and Jen are both lovely and amazingly talented! My wedding dress fit like a glove. Peggy and Jen made payments, appointment making, and fittings easy and stress-​free. I will come back to Custom Alterations for all of my dress fitting and steaming needs.

Unfortunately, my experience with custom alterations was not pleasant. I was asked to take my business elsewhere a month before my wedding by the owner after I showed discontent with what was done to my dress. Instead of trying to correct any issues with my dress she asked me to leave. On the day of my wedding, all of the tacking to my dress broke and it was impossible for it to bustle. I would never recommend anyone to use this business and I will also be sending in a complaint to the better business bureau as well as making sure that all wedding websites know of my dissatisfaction and blatant disrespect shown to me by the owner. Please do not use.

I feel completely ripped off by these people. they rushed me out the door two days prior to my wedding and didn’t have my dress ready to go. My dress was falling apart the day of my wedding and they took no responsibility for the quality of their craft. I will always look back on my wedding dress with negative thoughts because the sleeve was ripping off halfway through my ceremony.

I just returned from my first fitting and had to write a review. I came home after the appointment and cried happy tears because the experience was not at all what I was expecting, but exactly what I needed. These ladies are like fairy godmothers. They made me feel like a princess and took SO much of my stress away regarding my upcoming wedding. I joked that I should have been coming there weekly for therapy throughout the planning process! Peggy and Jennifer are the best and they know exactly what is needed to make a dress (and bride) look/​feel beautiful. Cannot recommend Custom Alterations enough. Don’t even think about going elsewhere.

I took in an evening gown that was backless and wanted them to add fabric to the back. They did a great job and I’m glad I went to them. I originally went to Genis Tailor in St. Peter’s, but the owner was absolutely rude and the place was filthy and she had her dog roaming around down where she did the alterations, which I thought was so unsanitary. I live in O’Fallon and I did not mind driving out to Valley Park-​Peggy and her team got the job done right and knew immediately what I wanted when I came in. Her price was also very reasonable. I will definitely be coming back in the future.

Let me start by saying I used to do bridal alterations for a short time some years ago. I majored in fashion design, so I was trained to do it PERFECTLY and not take shortcuts. Needless to say I have high standards. I did not want to alter my own gown, as I had my hands full with altering my bridesmaids’ dresses (so they would not have to pay for it), along with other wedding stuff. I bought my dress from Robin’s Bridal, and regrettably let the girls in the back of Robins Bridal (called Billy’s Alterations) touch it. I ended up having to buy a second dress with priority shipping a few weeks prior to the wedding because it was so bad. You can see my full review on them on their Unilocal page.
The second time around I did my research, but my options were limited, as I needed it done in under two weeks. I was super stressed, but when I went in there for my first fitting, they put my mind at ease. It was definitely pricier than the other place I went (paid $ 180 for the hem on mine, but it depends on the gown), but that is because they do it right and don’t take short cuts. It is a lengthy process, but I had my fitting on Wednesday, and I came back on Saturday, and it was perfect! They pinned the skirt where the edge should be to cut later, removed the lace trim at the bottom and moved it up on the mesh overlay, rather than just cutting it off and tacking it on top of the other layer of lace like the other place did. It looks pristine, and the length was great. No loose beads or hanging threads.
She is also an expert in bustles, though personally I don’t care for the look of modern bustles, at least not with the dress I chose. She reminded me that I could have a loop attached to the outside that pulls in to hide with a bead on top during the ceremony. I know I did this during my time in alterations, but I had completely forgotten.
They are so friendly; they asked about details of my wedding with genuine interest, and we chatted for a bit. They are from here, so they speak perfect English (I really don’t have anything against foreign-​born people, but with something as important as your wedding dress, good communication is important, which is why I mention it, especially after the disaster with my first dress). They really went the extra mile by giving me the fabric trim from my dress, so I can use it for wrapping the stems of my bouquet. They packaged it in a baggie along with my extra set of laces (for the corset-​style back) that I didn’t want to use and attached safety pins to the ends of the laces I did want to use as it makes lacing much quicker. Brilliant! They took the time to carefully put the dress in the bag. They weren’t rushed. And she even carried the dress to the car for me and asked how I preferred to have it stored in there for the drive, then did just as I directed. It was a really great experience. I wish I had taken my first dress to them.
Important Note: They take only cash or check, and you have to put some money down at each fitting or else they charge (presently) an extra $ 35. Currently, they normally only do fittings on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

These ladies are wonderful! I went to this shop to have my wedding dress altered and I couldn’t be happier. My dress was a secondhand dress with tons of beading/​lace on the bodice and they handled it perfectly. It fits like a dream and they are extremely friendly.
Their standard wedding dress alteration package includes three fittings, so you have a few opportunities to get things just right.
My mom and future mother-​in-​law were so impressed, they went to get their dressed altered, too! We all had a great experience.