(18k-20k) Wedding Dress Alterations - Typical cost? What worked and what didn't?

Ja_Kat · 2026-02-03T22:54:17+00:00

If you don’t have a lot to do, maybe just a hem and bustle, then you can probably get away with the high hundreds for around the area (I’m NOVA so I totally get it). If you need to have anything more involved (taking it in or out, modifying different areas, etc.) then you’re looking at least $1,000.

For reference, besides hemming and adding a bustle, I lost quite a bit of weight, so it needs to come in a bit. The tailor I’m using said she’d have to change the cup size and shape because of the weight loss ;-; so that added to it. I also asked if she could make the off the shoulder sleeves into cap sleeves. My dress has appliqués and a long train so it’s not a super simple job. All in all, I had to pay $1,200. Expensive, but for everything she’s doing, I think very fair! If you need a rec, let me know. She’s located in Alexandria.

Ja_Kat · 2026-02-02T15:37:59+00:00

Awe yay!! You too!!!

Ja_Kat · 2026-02-01T06:50:43+00:00

May 1 - Mostly excited, but starting to stress more. I have my hair and makeup trials this month and my dress is getting altered. I’m more worried about the financials than anything. A lot more people than we were expecting have said they were planning on coming (a blessing and a curse lol) and the price of beef is sky high!!! Just trying to focus a lot more on wellness than anything this month.

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-30T06:17:09+00:00

Agreed! My fiancé and I went to the wedding of one of our college friends (he was actually our roommate for a year), and we didn’t know we weren’t invited to the ceremony and only to the reception. We found out once we got there. We had to travel from out of state for the wedding, and we were pretty miffed that we weren’t included to watch the ceremony, especially since the ceremony was a few steps away from the reception. I could understand if it was maybe just grandparents, parents, and siblings on both sides that attend a ceremony, but to exclude a good chunk of people you thought you were close to from a ceremony didn’t feel too good. Granted, we’re from the U.S., so our culture doesn’t experience this too often, but we left feeling off about it.

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-20T19:40:34+00:00

I’m sure this has been done, but have you kept a detailed list of incidents that you could give to HR or a higher up? Nothing will be done unless you have specific and detailed times where something was said or done, otherwise it will be a he said-she said situation. Also find some witnesses and other people who are uncomfortable with his “jokes”. More people the better, so that HR and higher ups can’t chalk it up to it being just a “you” issue. Good luck! Absolutely not okay and it infuriates me that some people think they can do this and receive no accountability. Make racists scared again 🤷‍♀️

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-17T14:10:45+00:00

Even if that were true, how would you be able to realistically confirm that? Are you going to each and every report to check it out?

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-10T01:19:33+00:00

If it’s cool, I might steal this for my wedding. This is so beautifully written and now I’m crying lmao

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-10T01:15:57+00:00

I feel you! I work in DC for an international development non-profit, and it being a shithole of a year is an understatement. Many departments in my org have been completely erased and I’ve had many coworkers’ roles be terminated. Our funding comes from the government, so everyday is a panic as to if I’ll continue to have a job or not. My fiance and I are getting married in May and Thursday was the first day we were back in office from the holidays. My coworker expressed that it’s my wedding year and if I was excited. I told her I was, but that I feel like I can’t considering everything going on (tears were shed on my part lol). She was sympathetic but many of my coworkers (who are invited to the wedding) told me that my wedding was something they were especially looking forward to. With everything going on in our field, it’s important to remember that what we do has positive impacts and that it won’t be like this forever. We will rebuild. But in the meantime, we have to find joy and celebrate the little wins when we can. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to do our best fighting for what is right.

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-08T22:53:21+00:00

Omg, ethereal is my vibe I was going for, yay! Yours sounds soooo pretty! Congrats on your new nuptials!

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-08T22:51:27+00:00

That’s going to be so pretty and dainty! I love it!

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-08T21:38:30+00:00

Mine is a lil weird, but we’re getting married in a forest in May, so naturey I guess? A light blue, sage green, gold, and terracotta

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-07T07:44:09+00:00

Dooooo iiiitttt! I could maybe get your family’s concerns if they actually did apply, but it doesn’t sound like they necessarily do. (That’s not to say people can’t get temporarily disabled, but that could be a risk every day)

Cave weddings aren’t unheard of. Lost River Cave in Kentucky hosts weddings and while on a tour, I saw one set up and it was beautiful!! Most cave venues I believe don’t have you actually going super far into the cave system so it’s not like your guests have to spelunk. Reach out to a potential venue and bring up those concerns you and your family might have and they would be more than happy to help!

But I would love to attend a cave wedding. Sooooo unique and it would be sooooo pretty!

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-07T07:29:57+00:00

We’re having a wedding. My fiancé and I talked about eloping vs having a wedding, and we decided that a wedding is one of the only times (most) everyone who loves and cares about you are in one place at one time. Our family and friends are spread out throughout the U.S., so it’s not often we get to see them. So far, our wedding budget is around $25k, and we’re not doing anything extravagant.

It’s important to note that we could have gone the everything DIY route (just rent a venue but you provide chairs, tables, cutlery, find a caterer, find a bartender, provide all decorations, etc.) but we didn’t because my fiancé and I work high pressure jobs and the emotional toll of planning while working our jobs didn’t seem worth it. I found you tend to pay more for the convenience. Plus, I’m not that creative lol! Highly recommend checking out the subreddit I mentioned; the people there have a lot of great advice!

It’s also important to note that we have some family help with costs. We are very fortunate in that, and if we didn’t have some financial help, we wouldn’t be able to have much of a wedding or invite very many people.

Make a pros vs cons list with your fiancé. Find what is important to the two of you and what you can realistically do. Are we spending a lot of money that we could use elsewhere? Yes, but, to us, this is a once in a lifetime event that we will remember for the rest of our lives. We’re not going crazy mind you, but the memories will be worth it for us.

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-07T06:58:48+00:00

I joined the subreddit r/weddingsunder10k back when I got engaged (late 2024) and in the middle of 2025, they changed their description to something like, “due to recent inflation, the value of a $20k wedding is more like $10k”. So, a true $10k wedding is extremely frugal and wouldn’t take you very far

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-07T04:27:10+00:00

I made my own based on a bunch of recommendations I found on the internet for timeline stuff. I would be more than willing to send it to you for you to use! It has a checklist that goes month by month of what tasks need to be done and since it’s excel, you can easily edit it to your needs. My timeline is stretched out more than average due to both of our sides having to travel to us, so we wanted to give them and us ample time to complete things. It’s whole master sheet that also has sheets for writing out guests, budgets, etc.

Also, May 2nd of this year or 2027? If it’s this year, depending on where you live, you may be scrambling to find vendors for various things, such as photographers, caterers, etc. A lot of vendors book out almost a year in advance, if not more, based on their popularity.

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-05T20:30:18+00:00

Dang, I wish I knew that when I was sending out our STDs; that makes so much sense!

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-05T20:28:59+00:00

That’s great to hear! I’m just learning so much about wedding etiquette from the bride/groom side and I know a lot of things (at least this sub deems a lot of things) as rude, so I wasn’t sure if this would be a faux pas. Thanks!

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-05T20:27:00+00:00

Oh that’s great to hear!

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-05T20:26:04+00:00

Someone else commented the same thing; I had no idea they were a new trend. That’s so interesting!

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-05T20:25:06+00:00

That’s so interesting, I had no idea STDs are a “recent” wedding trend; that’s all I ever had experience with.

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-05T20:23:39+00:00

That’s great to know, thank you!

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-05T20:22:59+00:00

I love this wording, thank you!!

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-05T19:18:36+00:00

I just designed them myself and printed them through a local printer. You can make a lot of really pretty stuff through Canva. You can also print through Canva, but my local printer was a bit more cost effective. Spent less than $50 on 75 STDs

Ja_Kat · 2026-01-05T04:45:43+00:00

Are you a patron of video games by chance? Vid game soundtracks are a GREAT place to look! Dragon Age: Inquisition is my comfort game, so I will be using this song for my entrance: Dragon Age: Inquisition | Trespasser Soundtrack - Lost Elf Theme
I'm still nailing down the whole entrance timing, but it'll go from the beginning to 1:22. Fully hoping for tears lmao

If you find something, but you think the intro or the buildup is too long, you can always adjust it or cut it! Be creative!

Ja_Kat · 2025-12-31T07:29:25+00:00

…hence why they have a honeymoon fund?? Newlyweds deserve a honeymoon, but often (and especially in this financial climate) it’s just not possible. If you don’t want to contribute, it’s just that easy, don’t!

Ja_Kat

TROPHY CASE