Olga’s Bridal and Formal Couture

Olga is an unbelievably gifted professional. She was kind enough to move up the time frame of my alterations to accommodate illness within my family & still was able to make my wedding dress perfect with time to spare! She created new kind of bustle that is completely unique to my dress which suits the style perfectly. It creates a back and forth cascading effect when pinned. My mother, the original wearer of my dress, has been delighted throughout the entire process. She was nervous handing over her dress to anyone for alterations but Olga has inspired confidence at every turn. The final product is stunning & I cannot wait to wear it! If you are considering Olga for any type of alteration DO IT! You absolutely will not regret your decision! She is an undeniable expert with an outstanding eye for detail.

Olga and her granddaughter (also Olga!) did an amazing job with my wedding dress. I was so grateful she worked me into her completely busy schedule. I called about 6 months before the wedding and had to beg to be fit in. My dress was strapless, which always makes me nervous, but her additions made me feel completely comfortable and confident in the dress. She also created a gorgeous bustle. The only downside is that she was a bit pricier than other reviews led me to believe. Total alterations came out to $ 430, but my dress was also lace, which can drive up the price. In all fairness, I did get my dress for a super good deal at David’s Bridal so dress + alterations still came out cheaper than most wedding dresses alone. Aside from the price, she did an amazing job.

As with everyone else, we have a story to tell, My daughter lives across the country and we realized three weeks before the wedding that the dress needed to be hemmed and bustled. It was Thanksgiving week, and Olga gracefully agreed to meet the day after Thanksgiving. She added a bra inside the dress, about which we were initially uncertain, but ended up adding so much shape to the dress. Her lovely granddaughter (Olga Jr) steamed the dress for us, which helped so much with some pesky wrinkles under the arm.
Not that I am biased as the MOB, but I must say that the bride looked magnificent!
Thank you Olga, for saving the day, by being flexible and so very skilled!!! We are so lucky to have her in the Triangle.
(Tips: Remember to bring cash and your shoes. Her house is very easy to find)

Days before my wedding, my alteration did not turn out like I had expected. Someone referred me to Olga and she was fully booked but had a cancellation and took me in. I was in tears. I tried on the dress and she held my hand and said stop worrying I can fix. I will never forget that moment. I could breathe. I posted my before and after pictures. She is amazing. Thank you Olga, you saved my wedding!

Just dropped my gown off! I can not say enough good things about Olga, she is funny, very intelligent, sweet, and honest!!! I will keep everyone up to date on the progress, fitting next week!

Olga did a magnificent job on my wedding dress! I am so glad I made the wise decision to book her before I even found my dress. (I knew from reading her reviews that she books up fast, so I highly recommend that you book her the minute you’re engaged!) She did a great job taking my strapless dress in, adding cups, creating a stunning bustle, hemming it, and adding a sash. She even sewed a tiny blue flower in my skirts as my «something blue.» On my big day, I never once had to «tug» or «pull up» my dress, even as I danced the night away. Looking through her portfolio and seeing what she did for my dress, I can only say that she is a MASTER at what she does. So often I see horribly done bustles that look like they just tacked the train up on someone’s butt… but not Olga! Olga created a bustle that looked like it was part of the dress… it was amazing what she did with such a complicated organza skirt. I was very happy with Olga’s work and I highly recommend her.

Olga is a master. With little more than 2 months to go, she tailored both of my bridal gowns to a perfect fit, even offering to take them in more the week of the wedding if I continued to lose «stress weight.» She suggested adding extra corset-​ing & support solutions I never would have thought about.-my dresses looked perfect and fit comfortably all the way thru the long but wonderful marathon of pictures, hugs kisses & dancing. THANK YOU OLGA! If you can get on her packed schedule-​you will not regret it-​she is The BEST!

Olga was amazing! she had 30 days to tailor my gown and she did it in 2 weeks! shear perfection!

Summary version: Olga is the best!!! She works magic with her alterations and is honest, meticulous, and thoughtful!
Long version: I ordered my wedding gown from Victorian Rose Bridal (the worst), and when I went for my second fitting learned that no alterations were made. It was three weeks to the wedding day, and the store didn’t bother to call to inform me that they didn’t alter the dress as promised. I left the store, dress in hand, and searched Unilocal and found Olga and her rave reviews.
Olga found things that needed altered that the dress shop didn’t see. She made the dress fit perfectly and sewed in a blue flower for good luck. Olga is straight forward in her work, has a keen eye, and delivers on time. She even designs lovely customized gowns and veils. Call her in advance because she is booked solid — I happened to call just after she had a cancellation. I cannot say enough good things about her!

I cannot say enough good things about sweet Olga! She is HANDS DOWN… THE BEST! My wedding is Oct 2013, and I called her Oct 2012 to get an appointment. She was so busy… she really didn’t have any openings until Spring 2013. Thankfully, she fit me in on like the day before Thanksiving or something crazy like that. (which, to me, said a lot about her work ethic and desire to make brides happy.) :) I was very impressed from the start.
When you meet her, you can just tell she knows what she is doing. You don’t even have to talk or explain what you need – she could probably do it with her eyes closed. Since my first fitting with her, she had me come back to make sure it fit the right way, and then made any other changes as needed. I basically could have as many appointments as I needed until it was ‘just right.’ Her prices are also very reasonable-​considering how great of a job she does!
When my mom wanted to make sure she knew how to bustle my dress properly, Olga allowed my mom and I to come back to her house (she has her business on the side of her house) and she let me take a video of her teaching my mom how to do it. I mean – out of your way customer service! After my bridal portraits, she said I could bring the dress back to her house to get cleaned… which I did. Did I mention how AMAZING my dress looks!!! It fits like a glove and I couldn’t be more in love with how it fits and looks on me.
My advice to you – if you think there is even a CHANCE of you getting engaged this next year… go ahead and book Olga. You will not regret it, and you will have the most stress-​free wedding dress altering experience. (Not to mention, you get to meet Olga and her Ninja kitty!) ;) I am honestly going to miss going over to see her! She is the hidden gem of bridal gown alterations in Raleigh, and you will be very lucky to have her as a part of your special day.

Olga is AMAZING! I was in a terrible bind because I was pregnant for my little sister’s wedding and the bridesmaids dresses came in late. By the time I was able to try it on, we were just a week from the wedding day, and it was not even close to zipping! I took it to a tailor in a shopping center to see if it was possible to fix it (the zipper was nearly 5 inches apart). She said yes and that I could pick it up Thursday night (wedding was on Saturday). Well, when I picked it up, it still did not fit… no where near! I was in a major bind. What was I going to do?!? Who could help me on such short notice and was it even possible to fix the dress in one day?
OLGA TO THE RESCUE! A couple of friends recommended Olga and due to my situation (pregnant and in need), she squeezed me in and was able to fix my dress in one day. Not only did she fix it, but she gave it a beautiful corset back which everyone loved.
I am so grateful for Olga. Her kindness and hard work allowed me to get out of a hopeless situation and I didn’t ruin my little sis’s wedding! I will say that she made a major exception for me due to my pregnancy, but otherwise she was booked up so definitely make an appointment in advance!

Olga is the greatest! My dress was ordered a little big for me, so she hemmed the bottom up, added cups, and added a bustle. It looks perfect now! She even sewed a little blue bow on the underneath side of the skirt for my something blue :) Olga is so sweet and really works to make sure you’re happy with the end result. The price she charged me was well below what I was expecting to pay. Make sure you call WAY in advance to make sure she can fit you in. She books up quick!

If you are looking to get an important dress altered — LOOK NO FURTHER.
She does run her business out of her home — and looks can be a little deceiving but step right in instead.
She is so amazingly nice and will make you look amazing. I was worried about my alterations because I needed so much taken in and worried it wasn’t going to be able to happen. I have very large breasts but my waist is smaller — I had to purchase my dress to fit my boobs (which was 4 sizes larger than the size my waist needed). Needless to say I needed a lot taken in and a lot of extra work to hold the girls up. My dress also had some beading on it so I was worried how it would look once all the fabric was taken out… but
Olga was fantastic. She put in a built in bra so I didnt even have to wear one — and let me tell you how amazing it was. She did a custom bustle to match the feel of my dress and I absolutely loved it. I looked stunning and I know it was all thanks to her.
Even despite all the alterations I had done — it was so reasonably priced. One of my bridesmaids was so impressed she had Olga alter her wedding gown too!
And say hello to her kitty Ninja — his full name is My Big Fat Ninja Killer — how fun.
I even tried to tip her because I was just so impressed how she transformed my dress — but she wouldn’t let me. She gave it back and told me to use it on my honeymoon… I’m sold.
But if you are thinking about it — BOOK HER EARLY. she books up sooooooo quick.

Olga not only does fantastic alterations, but she made my wedding dress 100% custom from scratch! I showed her a picture of what I wanted, she let me know how much fabric to buy (and what types). Once I brought her the fabric, she took about a dozen measurements and about two weeks later, I had a dress! It only needed one more fitting before it was ready to go. Olga gave me the dress of my dreams for less than I could have found it anywhere else.
I highly recommend her if you are looking for a custom made wedding dress!

I cannot thank Olga enough for her work on my wedding dress! She is the best at what she does; the reviews are right on. Extremely skilled, incredibly sweet and one of the hardest working women I’ve met. I made the unfortunate decision to have the bridal shop where I bought my dress do the initial alterations and they did VERY shoddy work and the bustle was all wrong. I knew I was going to call Olga, but I didn’t get my hopes up because it was so last-​minute. She agreed to take a look and while I was there, she pointed out even more issues with the dress. I panicked internally and she must have sensed it, because she said she would do her best in the short time that she had to fix the problem areas. She went above and beyond and I am so grateful.

I found Olga through
. She had 33 reviews, all 5 stars, so I thought that either she wrote them all herself, or she must be REALLY good. As I learned later, she is not just good — she is amazing!
When I called her, she told me she was completely booked for the coming 4 months, but since my gown didn’t require much work, she managed to find time for me. She gave me great advice about what can and cannot be done with my gown, and what would work best. She was patient trying different ideas, until I was satisfied. When I returned to pick up my dress, it looked exactly as promised. (My gown was ready in less than 2 weeks, but again, no major alterations, 7 bustles, 1 layer removed, few minor adjustments in front, all of that cost less than $ 100)
In addition to being good at what she does (alterations!), Olga is a very nice person, very patient and professional. She’s really sweet, and she also has this typically Eastern European no-B.S. attitude (I can say that because I’m from the neighborhood, too!). It was so sweet of her to attach this tiny blue ribbon for good luck to the underneath of my gown…
(Olga is listed on Unilocal under «Olga Samarskaya», but I think she’s moved to a different location since that review was posted.)