The Wedding Dresser

I am currently in the final stages of my wedding dress alterations – and I actually have TWO vintage dresses that Susan and her team are completely restoring/​altering. I can’t say enough about this dress shop – it is THE best in the city and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a truly old fashioned and knowledgeable seamstress. Susan is very experienced in her craft and has essentially turned her Brooklyn apartment into a dress studio, complete with an amazing team of young talent. She is lovely to work worth, doesn’t rush you (there is no insane 2 appt limit here!) and when my mother attended my initial appointment with me, Susan was patient and kind, and gave us a ton of interesting info on the time periods of my dresses. In addition to all of that, my dresses look amazing and her workmanship is incredible. I can’t wait to pick them up next month!

Susan was able to alter my wedding dress after David’s Bridal was no help at all. I’m very happy with the work and enjoyed working with her, Tressa & Schuyler. Great work all around and I can’t wait to wear my dress in a week!

I got my dress from Lovely. As they don’t have in-​house tailors, I needed to find someone to help with my dress — and the vendors they recommended were both expensive and located in Manhattan. My mom did some additional research and found Susan. After reading the New York Times article about her, we decided she would likely be a good fit.
I was expecting to just be hiring a tailor, but in the end Susan also ended up supplying most of my accessories as well. She custom-​made my cathedral-​length veil with blusher (for half the price I was prepared to pay at Lovely); I also bought my hairpiece there, a pair of vintage crystal earrings, and, in a last-​minute decision, a pair of long gloves. It was much more convenient to be able to pick out accessories with the dress, and overall her accessories were just as elegant, if not more so, than those at the fancy wedding boutiques at half the price.
My gown was form-​fitting, so it required a lot of work in terms of alterations. Susan and her team did a great job in fitting it to my body and making some last-​minute switches after some wedding-​stress-​related weight loss. She also set up the dress’s bustle, and showed me how to walk in the dress (which was a challenge in itself!) Overall, it was great to work with Susan and I’d highly recommend her services.

I highly recommend Susan — The Wedding Dresser! She was fantastic to work with — very responsive, patient and, of course, highly skilled. I was on a tight personal schedule and had to schedule the appointment within a week, as I was soon to travel for 3 weeks (then home for 4 days and traveling for another 2 weeks right before the wedding!). Susan fit me in and had the dress ready in between my two trips, so that I was fully prepared for my wedding.
I just needed the hem done but there were multiple layers, and Susan did a fantastic job. Even better, I found the perfect faux fur shrug and gorgeous chandelier earrings in her fully stocked shop. She really has so many options to complete your look, and I was pleasantly surprised with my unplanned purchases. They truly completed my wedding outfit and I got so many compliments.
Susan’s staff is professional and nice. From the moment I walked in the door, I felt so welcome and comfortable. Her rates are quite reasonable too, and I am so so so glad I found her here on Unilocal.
Thank you Susan!!!

Susan made my dream wedding dress come to life.
She was extremely flexible with my crazy schedule and came to my house at night to do fittings. She is patient and kind. She was very easy to connect with via email. She was confident in her work and it paid off big time. She even did a last minute alteration to my outfit for my rehearsal dinner only a few days before. She is the lady whose hands you want altering your wedding dress, trust me! And to top it all off, her extensive accessories are adorable and unique. She made me a beautiful jacket to wear over my dress and I absolutely love it. Definitely recommend!

Susan was so wonderful to work and was not just professional and knowledgeable but also warm and very helpful to guide me through the process. They made the alternations quickly and with great care. I recommend her for any bride. Julia, Married Dec 2014

While I have no doubts Susan takes her work quite seriously, she lacks the personable touch and was downright condescending at times in my first encounter.
I have a wedding about 2 weeks away and was in a tight spot to find someone to alter my hem and sides of my bridal gown.
As soon as I walked into her apartment, there was a stiff unhappy energy in the room that I sensed from her staff included.
She was cold and wanted to charge almost $ 800 for the alterations which included a hefty $ 250 rush fee. She looked at me like deal with it. I was offended and took my gown elsewhere. I would rather spend my money on someplace where they actually seem to give a damn.

I had a fantastic experience with Susan and her team.
I needed my dress taken in in the waist, bust and hip. No bustle but instead a loop to carry my skirt. My alterations were completed in ONE fitting. ONE! That’s unheard of in the wedding dress business. I felt spectacular on my big day. Susan worked with me on some other ideas for alterations and ultimately advised me against them because she was worried they wouldn’t look right. But she helped me picture what they would look like so I could make an informed decisions.
I loved what she did with my gown so much that I brought another dress to her that she altered in the bust and strap for my legal ceremony. The alterations were once again, perfect.
Susan is lovely and has great stories about all the people she’s worked with in her career. Her assistants were very sweet and helpful as well. There are a TON of accessories if you need anything in that arena. I feel Susan has a bad Unilocal rap which is unfair. The bridal business is a stressful one in which you’re dealing with people who are often completely unrealistic and even just plain mean (bridezillas anyone?).
Is her workspace in her apartment? Yes. Is it in an unsafe area? Absolutely not. Her apartment is a huge space filled with amazing materials for any alteration you can imagine. Alterations are expensive but I got a quote beforehand so I was well aware of the costs and frankly you get what you pay for. Cheap alterations look cheap and this is not the area to scrimp in your budget.
I recommend making an appointment and talking to Susan yourself to see how she can help. She wants you to feel just as amazing as you do on your big day.

I see reading these reviews that Susan is a polarizing character! I’m firmly on the side that thinks she’s the absolute BEST. She is affordable, reasonable, listens to her clients, and is a highly competent craftsperson. She knows what she’s talking about and she knows what she’s doing. If you’re looking for some sort of storybook NYC bridal experience, this probably isn’t it, but then again, how did you even find her? You’re probably still wandering around a Kleinfeld’s sample sale. Susan is a total New Yorker and if you’re into that you’ll get what you need. My dress fit me like a glove after her alterations and I always found her and her staff incredibly pleasant and professional.

I came to Susan with a vintage wedding dress that my husband’s grandmother had worn in 1954. The major issue was that she was about 6 inches taller than me as well as much smaller through the hips since she got married at 19. I had previously taken the dress to a very expensive bridal boutique in Washington, DC and there only suggestion was to add lacing up the back of the dress which would have destroyed the vintage style of the dress.
My mother-​in-​law found Susan through the NYTimes. Talking to Susan was night and day from my experience in DC. My first appointment was in her mother’s home in Baltimore while she was in the area. She clearly knew how to make the appropriate alterations while maintaining the original style of the dress. We decided to shorten the dress to tea length and use the material to make gussets to let out the dress. She also did the alterations for about half the price quoted by the boutique in DC.
The final product was beautiful and very flattering. I am so grateful to Susan for her attention to detail and helping to make the dress look perfect. I would definitely recommend going to Susan if you have a vintage dress that needs altering.

You have to know what you’re getting into to appreciate Susan. Firstly, her studio is located in her apartment and because of that, you’re not exactly going to have a Kleinfeld’s experience. What’s important is that she knows what she’s doing.
My dress didn’t need a lot of work, just snaps and a bustle, but Susan was so helpful when it came to accessorizing. The Wedding Dresser was a one-​stop shop. I bought my sash, earrings and headpiece, which were curated/​designed to coordinate with my dress/​hairstyle. I found her prices to be cheaper than other accessories stores and the alterations cost less than what David’s Bridal was going to charge me.
I found Susan to be professional, patient and flexible. When I decided that I wanted my headpiece to be on an elastic rather than a headband, she was able to alter it immediately. The bustle also stayed put the entire night on the dance floor! The only reason I did not give 5 stars is because I found it odd that she had a cat that was allowed to hang out in the «changing room». After my last fitting, I brought home cat hair souvenirs on my clothes and the garment bag.

The owner, Susan, is very rude, unprofessional and berates her employees in front of customers. I went to Wedding Dresser for a consultation on two dresses, one being a wedding dress. As I was getting pinned she scolded the receptionist for a long period for something that was out of her control. It created a very tense, awkward and uncomfortable situation. She also asked how much I paid for my dress and where I got it from, which I felt was irrelevant. After we spoke about her price, I explained it was out of my budget and that I wished to have her alter one dress only so that I would be able to stay within my budget. At this point, Susan became very hostile, kept rolling her eyes, and told me that she would be charging a $ 35 service fee whether or not I got any of the dresses altered there. I was never told there would be a fee after the consultation and pinning.
My only positive experience was with the receptionist and Schuyler, the man who pinned one of my dresses. They were delightful to work with. They seem skilled, professional and friendly.
The store is actually her apartment, which is not kept very clean and some guy (who I assume was her husband) was walking around the apartment while I was trying on my dresses in a room where the door was not closed. The mirrors and the lighting was poor and I was unable to see the true color of my blush wedding dress. I sat on a futon covered with a dirty blanket while I waited and I was also left to wait in a bedroom for 15 minutes, where I think they forgot about me.
Your wedding dress fittings are supposed to be pleasant, once-​in-​a-​lifetime experiences. It was certainly not the case here, I left feeling like I was almost scammed. Finally, as a small business owner myself, I do not believe anyone in a supervisor position should berate or embarrass their employees the way she did, especially not in front of customers. Not surprisingly, her employees all walk around with their head down.
*UPDATE: Susan has responded to my review and there are some inaccuracies I’d like to address for my fellow Unilocalers. I did schedule the appointment the same day, however I was never given a price quote until after I was pinned. I was also never given a price before the pinning and therefore never agreed to a price before pinning. Regardless, I did not have a pleasant experience at this apartment and the man that made me feel uncomfortable was not Schuyler, he was very pleasant and professional as I stated in my original review, it was an older gentleman that clearly did not work there.
Susan did write an apology to me by email after my review and offered to alter one of my dresses for free which I thought was nice. However, I chose not to accept the offer and went with a small boutique, Laura and Melinda (who have their storefront in the Lower East Side) because I was given a quote that was almost $ 200 less expensive for the same work and their service was exceptional. Finally, Susan may not recall berating her employees, however I can recall it vividly and it’s clear I’m not the only one to have this experience after reading others’ reviews.

My experience was mixed. I absolutely loved how my dress turned out, and since her business is so close to where I live, it made sense for me to go to her and for the most part I’m glad I did. I found her to be mostly polite and professional (although curt at times) during the process.
Some issues arose, however when my bustle broke at my reception. I paid $ 150 for it, so I asked for my money back.
When she saw my damaged bustle, she said– «The problem wasn’t our sewing, it’s the way that the button is made, and we did not manufacture this button.» I was given a 50% refund. Thought I believed this outcome to be unfair, I chose not to push the issue any further.
When you go in for your first fitting, I would recommend getting an itemized list of what you are spending. I was not offered a copy of my invoice; I took a picture on my cell phone. (You could also request a copy). If I did not have my invoice, I wouldn’t have known how much I spent on that bustle.
Also– If you want to take your dress home in a garment bag from the salon, it will cost you $ 20. To avoid this charge, bring your own garment bag with you to your final fitting.

Susan isn’t a warm or friendly individual when talking to her in person.
She comes off as very brash/​abrasive, arrogant and if you want something different you will be harshly criticized. Not to mention she asks questions that are inappropriate. Like, how much is your wedding dress? Why is that her business? (Read more you’ll see why she’s asks!)
In addition, she talks down to her employees in front of you and the tension that you feel is really uncomfortable. Most of them walk around with their heads down and you can tell the morale amongst her team is low.
I came in knowing exactly what I wanted, three things: sweet heart neckline, take-​in the bust area and beading/​embellishments on my bodice. She wanted to give me a bustle and I told her no, I didn’t need one.
However, that was a problem for her to hear! I told her that I was going to purchase a simpler dress for my reception in the future, so no bustle is needed.
She criticized me and yelled: «you’re only going to wear it for 30 minutes?»
So disgustingly unbelievable. I was shocked that she had the nerve to state that after I told her I’m on a budget. And I didn’t want anymore services especially because the work cost more than my dress (caught a sale!). But that was an issue for her, she wanted more of my money.
Not only did I experience this, but talking to her on the phone about it, she was arrogant. She made it seem like she was doing me a favor with the price. To me the prices should be a flat rate no matter what bride needs the work.
But nope. She says that she charges brides with expensive wedding dresses ($ 1,000+) more money for the same exact work. To me that’s unethical. If you have prices they should be consistent and not based on social status.
Weddings are hard enough when planning independently, especially on a budget. No one wants to have a provider for their wedding dress who is going to be nasty. I could not see myself wanting to return to her location for 3 – 4 fittings. I certainly would never refer anyone to her either. There are more people in New York to go to for bridal work. But she will tell you otherwise, as if no one else is a seamstress.
There is no doubt that she is a good seamstress (dress restorer/​recycler) based on other reviews, but that is not a pass to be rude, nasty or biased to brides in need of her services.
Demand your respect and take your money to another professional who will be most gracious that you picked them to help you prepare for your special day. Never settle for less than what is minimum. Respect.
Brides beware. Save yourself the headaches or unnecessary stress.
November 1, 2014 at 8:18pm
Oh by the way, if you write a review on her, one that deserves ONE STAR, she will send you a threatening email.

Susan did an amazing job with my dress! I was worried that my 7-​week time frame would be an issue for getting alterations done in the city, but it was no problem for Susan and her team! I absolutely LOVED my dress. They took in the bust, hemmed it and put a bustle in. Good prices for the area esp. with the excellent quality of the work done!

I would have to agree with Mrs. G, this was the absolute most stressful part of my whole wedding experience. Susan is only nice and friendly on the surface. You will not learn this on your 1^st visit/​appt you’ll learn later on and it comes out in spurts here and there. A rude comment here an eyeroll there, she is very passive aggressive. Her real personality and demeanor is just plain cold, condescending and unprofessional. She made me question if she was the same person I originally met a few appts in. She repeatedly questioned me about how much I paid for my dress on numerous occasions (I wonder why this is so important to her? I read here she’s done this to someone else to size them up and it makes total sense).
There were times that I would ask for things that were in my original quote to be taken care of & two appts later they were still overlooked. When I questioned her about it she would turn cold. She would have no remorse or apology and was just nonchalant about it. I started to feel like I was begging for what I was actually paying her for! I was an emotional wreck during this process. I couldn’t believe her behavior. I’m not speaking about just one or two oversights either. For what she charges (she is very expensive) her place which is her home is veryyy small. I mean come on – she has those dollar store full mirrors in her living room for you to use but charges you high end boutique prices! It doesn’t make sense. I thought all of the emotional stress would somehow be worth it in the end & I sadly learned it just wasn’t worth it. I should have took my loses and bolted.
How can you really see how great her work is if you can’t even see yourself fully in the small mirror? Just do yourself the favor that I didn’t do for myself and go someplace else.

Susan and her staff did an absolutely superb job on my wedding dress. From the moment I emailed to schedule an appointment through the day I picked up my dress, my experience with the Wedding Dresser was professional and comforting. It was very obvious, from the minute I walked in the door, that Susan knows exactly what she is doing. Alterations are second nature to her and she was very accommodating to all of my needs and concerns. The Wedding Dresser not only did a perfect job on my dress, they provided my headpiece as well. Susan and her staff were amazing and I strongly reccommend them for both alterations and accessories.

I had a disastrous bridesmaid shopping experience (curse you bridal boutiques and your sample sizes!) and was seriously freaking out over my ill-​fitting dress. At the very last minute (as in, 3 days before the wedding), Susan and her awesome team of assistants totally saved the day and worked some serious magic. The result — I was able to feel confident and just enjoy my sister’s special day! And I actually got a ton of compliments on the dress — one person told me it was totally re-​wearable (the ultimate compliment for a bridesmaid dress, haha) and another told me I looked like Joan from Mad Men. (Wowie! :blushes:) If my guy and I ever do decide to do the wedding thing, I know where I’ll be going…

Getting my dress altered here was one of the more stressful parts of the wedding preparation — I had to recheck her work and I really hate not being able to rely on professionals to do their job. I should’ve known how it’d go down when I was trying to make the initial appt — SHE sent a confirmation email to the wrong address, but admitted no wrong doings. This was the theme.
Consultation: My dress already fit (NO alterations for bust/​bodice). Alterations to get done included:
1. Add bra cups
2. Move one appliqué
3. Shorten/​mend hemline
4. Add bustles
She quoted me ~$ 360 for the job. Since she argued that the bustles were elaborate, had great reviews, and her location was convenient, I decided to go with her.
Second visit: Before putting the dress on, she says my dress was «ready» and I could even «take it home today.» HA!
1. Bra cups added (but not the ones she showed me — she showed me silicone-​type ones initially, but added foam ones she advised against during consultation)
2. The appliqué was NOT moved and she got huffy saying *I* must be wrong and must need ANOTHER one moved!!!
3. The dress was hemmed unevenly, showing the underskirt in parts — which may also be related to:
4. Ohhh the bustles were done completely UNEVENLY.
I was pretty pissed. The only thing that prevented me from blowing up was that I was actually embarrassed for her — I assumed whoever she farmed out the work screwed up. I decided not to argue and just asked her to fix these things.
Last visit: I come with two backups to make sure things were done properly. The appliqué was moved this time. *Sigh of Relief* Then, she started to get irritated that my bridesmaid was not getting the bustles done as quickly as she would like, tried to take over, only to realize that it was because there was an extra lone bustle tie and a set placed incorrectly! Seriously?! Her assistant made more corrections as we waited.
At the time it came to pay, the total was higher than the price I was quoted (she says she added things up wrong initially).
Her team’s failures to get these jobs done correctly caused undue stress. I did not purchase accessories she tried really hard to sell me each visit (I already had pieces from mom), did not use her to alter my dresses for other events, and do not recommend her service to my bridesmaids/​friends/​fellow Unilocalers.

Susan did a beautiful job on my wedding dress, altering the straps and adding a bustle so I didn’t trip all over myself on the big day. I returned to her a year later to work her magic on an ill-​fitting bridesmaid dress and she did not disappoint. She’s pleasant, professional and her prices are always really reasonable. My husband and I moved to the neighborhood several months ago so now that we’re neighbors, I anticipate going back to her for all my alteration needs.
P. S. To the prissy reviewers below who complained about the «dodgy» neighborhood, you obviously haven’t been reading the NYT Real Estate section lately! PLG is a beautifully diverse neighborhood and for those who find that intimidating, perhaps you should stay in your overly-​gentrified Manhattan neighborhood.