Abby Connolly
Seamstresses who have altered or designed wedding gowns have their fair share of fascinating wedding stories, having dealt with all kinds of people and ‘bridezillas.’
One seamstress recently found herself involved in family drama after telling her future sister-in-law she’d have to pay for the wedding dress she’d design for her after having horrible experiences with her in the past.
She’s a 24-year-old seamstress who works with private clients on commission. Two years ago, her sister got married, and she offered to design and make her wedding dress for free, then also make her bridesmaids dresses where she’d only charge the cost of the raw materials.
Her brother’s girlfriend was in her sister’s bridal party then, and she pulled her aside to ask her if she’d design her future wedding dress one day. She casually agreed, but then she learned how much of a diva her brother’s girlfriend could be.
“When actually making the gowns, my sister and her other five bridesmaids were so nice and pleasant to work with, but my brother’s girlfriend was a nightmare,” she recalled.
“She kept asking me to make changes after we finalized the designs, and I had already started making the dresses. She would cancel and just not show up to fittings [and] she complained constantly of how it looked tacky and unprofessional. She even ripped the fabric on purpose when I told her I could not make any more changes, and I had to go on a wild goose chase to get more of the same fabric in the right color.”
After that experience with her brother’s girlfriend, it dampened the idea of her ever designing a dress for her again, even though she’s worked with her fair share of bridezillas.
But then, two weeks ago, her brother proposed to his girlfriend, and she was asked once again to make a dress for her. She decided to approach the situation as a professional and had her future sister-in-law book a consultation.
At the appointment, she began taking her sister-in-law through her pricing options, which threw her off-guard.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
