Sue’s Bridal Rental & Alterations

Sue did an amazing job on my wedding dress! Everything was perfect!!! I would definitely recommend her to anyone who doesn’t feel like relying on an overpriced bridal retailer for alterations!

I went to Sue because the bride for the wedding I was in was using her for her alterations. I needed my dress shortened about 1 – 2 inches, I’m pretty short. I also was going to have her make some other adjustments. She was pretty pricey, but it was convenient. We picked up some of the other bridesmaid dresses that day who had had similar alterations and when we brought the dresses to the girls, they did not fit right. I immediately called Sue and asked her not to do any other alterations except for the hem because I didn’t want the same thing to happen to my dresses. She did agre, however, when I asked her to have the dress completed in two weeks from that date she became very rude with me, telling me she was altering my dress as a FAVOR because she was altering the brides dress for the wedding. Now, a favor to me means that I’m not paying you more than I probably should be to hem my dress, no a favor is doing something for less money or even for free, which was NOT the case. She then told me if I didn’t like her time line I could come and get the dress and continued to emphasize that me paying her for a service was actually a FAVOR and she didn’t have to do this at all. She was not nice to me at all and we finally settled on a date in three weeks from the date we spoke. I was not able to take my dress anywhere else because I did not have time after picking it up from her, so the other alterations did not get done.
Final assessment: If you are looking for someone who can get your dress altered in a timely manner with good customer service, Sue may not be it for you. On a side note, the bride’s dress turned out to be beautiful and I know she was very happy with her work. Perhaps she only specializes in bridal gowns. .. I would NOT go back to her, just based on the way she treated me.

I ordered my dress in a size 6 which was perfect for me. All I needed was a bustle. The store I ordered my custom dress from is known for their very expensive alterations so I decided to find a bridal seamstress on my own. My wedding reception date was October 23, 2011 and I made an appointment with Sue for September 17, 2011. She was very thorough in assessing the needs of my very layered skirt and even offered to take off some length for me at the front of the dress so that I wouldn’t trip. I hadn’t thought of that but on my wedding day I realised how invaluable this decision was. Anyways, she had my dress ready for pickup on October 21, 2011. The bustles were so beautiful and intricate. My maid of honour needed a map to do it. lol. When my dress was bustled it looked so natural that you couldn’t even tell that that wasn’t the original style of the dress. I don’t particularly like obvious bustles.
I would definitely recommend Sue to any bride who wants meticulous alterations. She is not cheap but not expensive either. Just book at least 6 weeks in advance to be safe especially if you have a lot of alterations to be done.
She was never rude to me although I will say that her accent is heavy and that special care needs to be taken when communicating with her over the phone.

Extremely RUDE! I called because I just wanted a new zipper to be put into a dress (non bridal) and she hung up on me! She asked me when I needed the dress by and I tried to explain that I don’t need it by a particular date, just in the next week or two or when she could get to the alteration. As in, like a normal seamstress or alteration place would work, they take a week or two or even three but they get to it when it goes into the schedule. And all she said was «Oh no, sorry I’m booked. Good luck.» and hung up the phone! I’m not sure she even understood what I was trying to ask even though I tried to explain three times.

Sue did a wonderful job on my dress. I was looking for a seamstress who struck the appropriate balance between high quality work and reasonable pricing. My dress was quite complicated (had many layers), and although she ended up needing to add more bustles than she originally anticipated, she did not increase the price from the original quote. I went to her approximately 6 weeks before my wedding and she was able to fit me in and complete the job to my satisfaction. She is a wonderful woman with a great spirit and a true passion for what she does. If you have more complicated alterations, be realistic and give her enough time do the great work that she is capable of.

Overall, I thought Sue did good work with my dress and my mother’s dress for my wedding. Her instincts were great about how and where to add straps to my dress and the alterations to my mother’s dress came out just fantastic.
I wasn’t as thrilled with my dress, though. At the couple of fittings I had in the months leading up the wedding, I had been concerned about how tight it was, and had asked Sue about letting it out a little (I have a HUGE ribcage). She recommended that we not because it would be a lot of work, and affect the way the dress would hang. Well I’m sure you all know how this ends. I picked it up two week out and it fit like a glove. Tried it on two days before, and we couldn’t get it zipped up, and the zipper broke in the trying. Panicked, I called Sue and every other seamstress around, but Sue didn’t call me back until much later the next day, so I wound up having someone else fix it. She was willing to take on the emergency repair, even commenting on how she’d stay up all night if she had to get it done in time.
One of the other things that I’d asked her to do was to take the modest train off the dress. She did, clucking about how much work it would be to move the trim, and charged me extra. I was willing to pay, but have to admit I was a little disappointed when I saw the pictures later! The skirt’s two layers were uneven and not straight! It made a very expensive dress look cheap. Very disappointing.
No doubt Sue’s got talent, but I get the impression that she’s TOO busy, maybe rushing through projects? I don’t know, but don’t do what I did and drive an hour out of your way.

I have hear of Sue to be the“gem of Naperville” in the bridal alterations world. This woman works out of her home tirelessly night and day during the bridal season. This means… get into to her right away. She gives you the kind of service that an aunt or mother would give to her daughter. She cares about you and your dress and making sure that you are 100% satified. She altered my dress for my wedding and all was done with two visits. She measures accurately and gets the job done fast. She is also the sweetest and cutest lady that you have ever seen standing at about 4’10!!! What I thought was adorable was that everytime I left, she would hand me a bottle of water for the road! LOL However, she is serious about her work and getting it done right, so dont you dare forget your shoes or undergarments at home!

Sue seriously knows what she’s doing! I looked high and low to find a good place to get my wedding dress altered. It just need minor adjustments, but I was still nervous about letting go of my perfect dress. I only had to meet with her twice — once to get things set up and once to try on my dress as a «final» fitting. Things went perfectly. She even took the time on small details to help my maid of honor bustle my dress properly. The dress looked perfect and I felt perfet as well. Well worth the money she receives.
Just book early because she knows exactly what she can handle and will turn people down when she’s at max capacity. I would happily send ANYONE else there.

I cannot praise Sue enough! In the craziness of wedding preparations, Sue was a port in the storm. She is kind, personable and inspires confidence in each bride that her dress will fit perfectly on her wedding day. Her technical knowledge is amazing, and her alterations precise. She has the patience of a saint! As the mother of the bride, she taught me how to bustle my daughter’s dress, even drawing me a diagram in case I needed help on her wedding day! Alterations typically require three visits: the first to fit and pin/​baste the dress, the second for the fitting (after which she will create the bustle). The third visit isfor pick-​up and final try-​on (the latter only if the bride wishes to). She sweetly ends each visit with a bottled water and a hug. Our time with Sue was a wonderful experience, a highlight of all of the wedding craziness. NOTE: Please phone in ample time before the wedding to ensure her availability.

I had my wedding this past May and waited until late April to call Sue because I was trying to lose just enough weight for the dress to properly button first (!). Thankfully, she graciously agreed to alter my dress 4 weeks shy of my wedding day. Brides: do not do what I did. it was an amazing bout of good luck that I got anyone to say yes, let alone someone as awesome and proficient as Sue! Although the timeline was much more rushed compared to the dresses she receives months and months in advance, I never got the feeling that she would give me less than her best work, and the final product showed all of the love and care she put into the dress. I would absolutely work with Sue again — she is every bit as energetic and knowledgeable as the previous reviews indicate, and the way she treated me even reminded me of my own Asian mother (a good thing!). Thank you so much, Sue!

One of the best «vendors» I used for my wedding. I got married in another state, but brought my dress to Illinois to have it altered. I found Sue online & got lucky!
She met with me three times. She not only altered my dress, but also fixed my undergarments & veil. My dress fit perfectly & I couldn’t have been happier with her work!
She is wonderful. I will go back for other alterations!

If I could, I would give Sue 10 stars! I chose her for my bridal alterations based on suggestions from fellow Chicago brides. I was sort of nervous going to her at first b/​c she works out of her home. As soon as I walked through her door she made me feel at ease! Her whole demeanor is amazing. She’s so peppy and truly loves her job. She is incredibly talented and very humble.
Her prices are very fair too. I could go on and on about how wonderful she is! My mom, who lives about an hour away from Naperville, wanted Sue to work on her mother of the bride dress but she already made other arrangements.
Sue is amazingly talented and an incredibly pleasant vendor to work with. She’s definitey a gem!

Sue is a doll! Tons of enthusiasm and energy, and an eye for detail. You can just relax and know that Sue has it taken care of. She is so well-​seasoned when it comes to wedding gown alterations. Her pricing is straight-​forward and very reasonable. It is so refreshing to work with someone who is not wrapped up in the slimy bridal industry!
She runs her business out of her home, so the whole experience is very comfortable. To be honest, even at my first fitting i felt like I was having my aunt do my alterations… I felt that at home.
Make alterations the one easy part of planning for your big day — visit Sue!

Sue is wonderful. I called her after the department store I purchased my Marisa dress from wanted to charge me $ 700 for alterations. My dress was very complicated — a lot of small, wispy layers — and was a few sizes too big. Sue had to take each layer in by hand and pretty much take out and replace the structure of the dress. By my wedding day, the dress fit perfectly — better than I could have ever imagined. I can’t recommend Sue highly enough. She’s energetic, friendly and accommodating and has very reasonable fees. She knows what she is doing.

What can’t I say about Sue. She is a pleasure to be around. Very thoughtful and an amazing seamstress. Her prices are low too so that helps. My dress had a lot of beading and lace and she had to take in the top about 4 inches, you would have no idea she did anything because she matched the lace and beading up perfectly. When I came in to pick up the dress and learn how to bustle the dress my maid of honor was pleasently surpirsed to find snaps instead of strings. She hid them very well too, you couldn’t tell they were on there. I would recommend Sue to any bride that is looking for a great, inexpensive seamstress in the Naperville area.