IN-HOUSE ATELIER POLICIES
Fitting Rate: At this time, no upfront money is required to book a first fitting. Please use the online price/policy sheet to estimate costs. Also feel free to call or email the store with additional questions.
Consultation Rate: If a client is unsure of using us, or wants a firm estimate upfront, a $40 consultation rate will be charged at the initial meeting. If you decide to not move forward, this covers my time and expertise, looking at any fabric or swatch samples we have, trying on the garment, getting a firm estimate of costs, etc. This is a one-hour meeting. If the client DOES end up using our services, this charge will be applied toward deposit.
All custom design work NOT included in a flat rates is done at a rate of $50/hr. This will be estimated at the time of fitting, for your approval. If work is extensive, like a vintage re-do, it will be treated like Custom Work.
$100 deposit is due at each fitting.
Final Balance is due when the work is complete.
All work must be tried on before it leaves the studio. Please remember that we are committed to making it right and want to be sure you are happy when you leave with your garment.
Any materials not included in flat rates (fabric, lace, buttons, etc.) are subject to additional costs for both the material itself, and possible swatching time/costs.
Turn-around: We do so much specialty work that our turn around for general alterations is always about 2-3 weeks, but can increase during the bridal season. Please call or email the store for more specific info. We require a minimum of 6 weeks for bridal alterations. If more extensive work (vintage redesign and custom designs) 3-6 months is usually needed. Our schedule does fill up, and we do limit fittings when needed, so we advise booking your consultation or fitting as early as possible to get on the calendar.
Rush Fees: Bridal…if your turnaround is less than 6 weeks, we will determine if we are able to help you based on workload, and the particular circumstances. Our schedule is very full and last minute work requires working overtime, so we charge between $100-$250 rush fee in addition to the alterations costs. If you live out of town, or know ahead of time that you need to schedule something with a short turn-around, please call us to discuss
General Alterations: We generally do not charge rush fees for general alterations…we will simply pass on the work. We refer last minute alterations or items we do not sew (curtains, house wares, tents, backpacks, etc.) to Lynn’s Alterations & Sew-On, across the street. They have a great reputation.
Storage: For liability reasons, we do not hold a client’s garments for more than the necessary time for us to finish the work. Please do not consider our studio a storage space for your garments. If you are getting something steamed by us, and your event is 3 weeks or less away, we will hold it until pick-up. Otherwise, you will take your item with you and bring it back the week before your event. We only store gowns purchased at the store if a fitting has been arranged and is within 6 months of purchase.
Accessories: We love to create customized accessories for each client’s needs. These are bespoke, are priced separately, require anywhere from 4-8 weeks to create, and require full payment upfront.