Alterations & Veils by Beatrice

This review is a bit delayed and I have mixed feelings about writing it. I used Beatrice’s services in 2011 for a rather in depth alteration of a vintage wedding dress that was several sizes too large. I had 5 – 6 appointments over the course of as many months, and as others have commented, she was quite scattered and I never really new what to expect in terms of her state. She talked a lot about other dresses/​brides, seemed to have taken on more than she could manage by herself, and there was always this strange undertone that I should be grateful that she made time for me. It was interesting to say the least.
The above eccentricities could have been overlooked had she delivered with my wedding dress, but sadly she did not. Since the final fitting didn’t include walking around in the dress, or sitting, I was unable to see that the internal slip layer was completely misaligned and on my wedding day it showed itself pretty quickly with all of the walking I did during our photo shoot. In all of my photos, my dress looks completely wrinkled around my waste line and in the pictures that show the dress from behind. the seam and bustle is clearly pulling to the left by about 3 – 4 inches. I spent $ 1000 for the alterations and certainly don’t feel the quality of the work I received came anywhere close to being commensurate to that price.
Honestly, I’m not sure how I would have handled it if I had discovered the problems before my actual wedding. Unfortunately, she didn’t have my dress finished until 2 days before I left for my destination wedding, so there would have been little time to get things right, but after all of the trash talking she did about other «demanding» customers, I certainly don’t believe she would have worked with me to solve the problem under such a tight timeline.

I found out about Beatrice through my bridesmaid’s friend who had good things to say about her so I decided to schedule a consultation appointment. I was a little disappointed from the beginning when Beatrice wasn’t aware of my appointment which made me think that she is unorganized. What made it worse is that she made it seem like it was my fault that she didn’t remember my appointment by telling me that I should have emailed or texted her to «make sure the appointment was still on». She also told me that she usually charges a $ 100 for a consultation that I was receiving which consisted of me trying on the dress, showing her what I need to get fixed, and her telling me a quote on how much everything will cost. She told me that she would just not charge me but I thought all of that was normal and didn’t understand why there would be a price to do all the simple things without even getting anything pinned. She also talked a lot about other brides and their dress by showing me other bride’s dresses and what she was working on which was very irrelevant to my appointment. The quote came out to be more than what the dress cost me. She has great reviews by other brides and I’m sure she is great at her work. However, her price is extremely unaffordable and I didn’t experience the best customer service, which is why I will not be booking her to alter my dress.

Beatrice was the best to work with. I had an extremely delicate dress and Beatrice altered it flawlessly.
I had ordered my dream dress from BHLDN and when it arrived it was too big and needed some altering. With about 4 months to go I contacted Beatrice after some extensive research which concluded she was one of the top options for brides with consistent results.
After a consultation and 3 sessions my dress was perfectly tailored to my body. By my fourth visit my dream dress had come to life.
The only down side for me was coming from downtown but I was able to schedule appointments around traffic which worked out great.
I was a bride on a budget and Beatrice was up front about all charges, reasonably priced and was well worth the result. I would recommend Beatrice to every soon to be bride I know.

A month out from my wedding, I went to Beatrice. My first wedding dress had come in from Etsy and just looked absolutely terrible so she helped take my measurements so I could purchase a second one. The cost of my measurements was $ 50, but if I were to get my dress altered from her, it would be applied toward the alteration.
When my 2^nd dress came in, this time purchased through BHLDN, it was absolutely stunning but it had a lot of work that needed to be done. First, there was an excessive about of fabric on the bottom of the dress that needed to be hemmed. Second, I was losing weight so it needed to be taken in quite a bit. Third, because of the alterations, all of the beading needed to be delicately put back into place.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to shop around for a more affordable seamstress. Beatrice is expensive but she does great work, is really personable and available. The overall cost to have my dress altered was $ 800. My dress was a $ 600 dress, so after alterations it ended up being a $ 1400 dress. I had a DIY wedding that cost less than $ 10k, so we were able to splurge on making sure the dress was absolutely stunning and I believe it was completely worth it.
If you have the time to shop around before your wedding, definitely do, but don’t pick a place because of the price tag. Keep in mind the work that has to be done on your dress and make sure that whoever you choose does quality work. This is your day and you should look absolutely fabulous.

Beatrice did an incredible job with my dress. I bought it as a sample and it was about one or two sizes too big. She pointed out areas that I never would have realized needed to be altered, but needed to be done to make my dress fit perfectly. She even suggested moving the straps inward a little bit which made the dress so much more flattering. I could not be happier with how my dress turned out! Thank you!

Beatrice does amazing work and made my wedding gown exactly how I imagined and made it reality. She is so talented!!! Her work speaks for itself! I found her online and looked at the reviews and the reviews don’t lie!

Beatrice was great to work with and I really enjoyed getting to know her. She takes her time and makes sure you are happy with everything.

Great work, I had a very intricately detailed gown and Beatrice made it look perfect! Was far too large when it came in and she fixed it perfectly. Would highly recommend, worth the expense.

Beatrice did a great job. My daughter looked lovely at her wedding but alterations are not cheap!

Beatrice does wonderful work! My dress was way to big for me (2 – 3 sizes too big!) and had to be taken in all over. She pretty much had to take it all apart and completely rebuild it. She did an amazing job! My dress went from hanging off of me everywhere to looking completely gorgeous and fitting me perfectly.
Beatrice has been doing this for a long time and has many dresses/​projects hanging in her studio. She is very good at what she does and she’s also a joy to be around!

This review is based on my experience going through the quote process for my wedding dress alterations.
After finding Beatrice via Unilocal,I scheduled a consultation with her to come in, put the dress on and receive a quote. I called the morning of the consultation to confirm, and she had forgotten to write my appointment down, but promised to squeeze me in. My mother and met with her and were quoted an extremely high price for the alterations. Beatrice said she actually should charge us more, but she would cut us a deal. She suggested the dress would require nine fittings.
While it seemed that Beatrice was very talented and had a track record of being trusted by her clients, and my dress is heavily beaded, we declined because of the sticker shock and decided to explore other options. Ultimately, I worked with another extremely well-​reviewed shop to have the same set of alterations made with more efficient fittings at a price quote that was 25% what Beatrice was asking.
In talking through the alterations process with this team, it became clear to me that if, in our protectiveness of the wedding dress, we had heeded Beatrice’s warnings that it was very risky to take the dress anywhere less expensive, we would have ended up paying way more money than was needed.
While I can’t make a personal comment on Beatrice’s skill as we did not move forward with her, I feel obligated to share my experience. In the wedding planning process that can be so overwhelming, I recommend taking time to consider your options and ensuring that prices you are being quoted are warranted. Ultimately, if you want extreme attention to detail, a very high number of fittings and don’t have a strict budget, Beatrice might be the right person for you.

I was beyond happy with my experience with Beatrice for the alterations of my wedding dress! I brought my dress to her in January for my May wedding with a lot of work to be done. She is extremely knowledgable with wedding dress fabrics and all aspects of alterations. She lowered the neckline, lowered the back to a V, took in the bust, sides, waist, and hips, and added the bustle. We discussed my alteration needs and wants on the first visit where she provided me with a quote for her services. I liked this method rather than being surprised at the end with a new or higher price. We spaced my fittings out so that I would pick up my dress just under 3 weeks before my wedding date. At each fitting, I loved my dress more and more. The more she worked on my dress the more it began to fit like a glove! In addition to being an extremely talented and knowledgable tailor, she is so sweet and very professional! I needed to reschedule a couple of fittings due to my work schedule and she was pleasantly accommodating.
Your wedding dress is probably the most important garment you will ever wear — I highly recommend Alterations by Beatrice to alter any wedding dress! Her work is fantastic! I am so happy I had such a wonderful experience with Beatrice who essentially gave me the most beautiful wedding dress!

I had an amazing experience with Beatrice! I had to have my bridesmaid dress completely transformed on the top. It was a size 8 and I am a size ²⁄₄ normally. She was wonderful and was able to make it the perfect fit after the first alteration! I highly recommend!

I received my wedding dress 2 weeks before my wedding from my grandmother, who had insisted on altering it for me — and it was completely ruined. It was cut too short, it didn’t fit at all in the bust, the lace was pinned on wrong, and there were pins still in it! I cried for about 5 hours, then by some miracle, found Beatrice. She not only agreed to fix my dress in time for the wedding, she also made time to fit in 3 fittings with me! She is a true perfectionist and is the only person I would ever trust again with such an expensive gown. She made sure I was 100% happy, giving me everything I asked for and more. By the end, the dress fit better than I could have ever imagined — it looked like it was made for me! She spent hours with me, making sure everything was perfect.
Take my advice — this is the most important dress you will ever wear in your life. Don’t trust anyone to alter it except Beatrice. She is the only person who will make sure that the alterations are done correctly. She doesn’t do short-​cuts and she won’t stop working on it until it’s perfect.
Thank you, Beatrice!

Beatrice took time and care with my dress and made everything about it perfect for me. I visited her 6 total times to make everything just right. My dress was fully lace, so her precision and carefulness were key. I would recommend her to anyone with the time to make their dress perfect!

By the time I got to Beatrice, I was a little brokenhearted over my wedding dress. After paying a TON of $$ to have my dress «altered», my dress was hanging on me like a tablecloth. I began doubting whether or not the dress was even the one for me.
I took my dress to Beatrice and she immediately pointed out the trouble spots (which were everywhere)! After bursting out into tears, she assured me that she could fix it and make the dress fit me beautifully. I had faith that she knew what she was doing and it helped to see that there were many other wedding dresses there that she was working on. We agreed upon a price and got started.
Beatrice showed me examples of other brides who had come in with less than flattering dresses. She scanned through to show me «before» and «after» pictures and it was evident that she was doing WONDERFUL work to these dresses. She really truly cares about making your dress fit how you would like it to fit.
I had to come to probably 7 or 8 fittings with Beatrice because I kept losing weight. Beatrice kept taking it in for me without extra charge. My dress had a lot of beading and it required skilled hands. She added extra boning to the bodice of my dress for a great fit.
At my last fitting, I zipped up my dress and knew that it FIT LIKE A GLOVE! It was such a relief and an awesome moment! This time my tears were happy!
I cannot thank Beatrice enough for saving me from my «dressaster»! I have never felt more beautiful than I did on my wedding day and my dress and its perfect fit had a lot to do with that. I just wish that I had gone to Beatrice from the beginning. Highly recommended.

Beatrice is pricey for sure, but if you want your dress to be impeccable and fit like a glove, then it’s worth the money. My dress fit me fine and I would have only gotten the bustle and the hem fixed, but Beatrice took it a step further and took in the sides and the top, making it flatter my figure even more. I loved my wedding dress and got so many compliments.

I bought my wedding dress five years ago, but just got married in April 2012. I went to Beatrice because the dress needed to be let out slightly, hemmed a few inches and needed a bustle. Each of these tasks becomes all the more difficult because of the innate complexities of the dress. Beatrice was very meticulous and did a fabulous job. Equally important, she had a great attitude — she has a passion for what she does and was very supportive in the lead up to my wedding. Should we take in more or less if I gain weight or lose? «Don’t worry, you will stay the same» — in the weeks leading up to one of the most important days of your life, that reassurance is wonderful. Thanks, Beatrice!

I found Beatrice by happenstance and it was a blessing! I had a wedding dress that I was absolutely in love with, but like most wedding dresses, didn’t fit me correctly. Beatrice was fantastic from the very first visit. She made me feel comfortable, and most importantly did FANTASTIC work on my dress. She has an eye, it’s truly a talent. She makes the dress fit your body perfectly, accentuating all the right curves and hiding all of the wrong ones. My dress was strapless so I was a bit worried about the «back fat» or «arm pit roll» that you get with a snug strapless… I didn’t have it! She also made a beautiful bustle, fixed the length, added boning, took off 7 inches AND when I got sick a week before the wedding and lost a few pounds, she took it in AGAIN.
If you are looking for to have a special gown altered, I honestly wouldn’t choose anyone else. You’d be silly… Good Work Beatrice and Thank you for making me look AMAZING on my special day :-)

I used Beatrice to make my wedding veil. I brought my dress in because I wanted her to get an idea of what kind of veil we should make, and I also thought there was a slight chance I might need to get it altered. She knew exactly what kind of veil would go with the dress, and it was just as I had envisioned. I tried my dress on for her, and she said it didn’t need any alterations. She didn’t charge me for that at all. She had the veil complete within a couple of weeks or less, and the price was much lower than if I had purchased a veil elsewhere. I highly recommend her services. She was very professional and efficient.