I work from my home in North Seattle, about a mile from Interstate 5. Contact me for an exact address! 

The sooner the better- space is limited!

I’m happy to put you on the calendar as early as you have selected a dress. You get your pick of appointments when you schedule in advance. 

Keep in mind that your first fitting will be about 8 weeks before your wedding date. 

Plan to spend an hour or so, though many times you'll be in and out much faster than that.

 I work by appointment in order to accommodate as many clients as possible, so I'm happy to work around your schedule. 

On weekdays,  my first available appointment time is 9am and my last appointment time is 5:30pm 

On weekends, I take appointments on Saturday mornings. 

Please note: 

While I do my best to flex to your needs you may need to request time off or otherwise adjust your schedule as fitting times are limited.

Most likely, you don't need one! 

We can both save a ton of time and energy by doing a consulation via email with pictures, videos, links and/or style name/numbers. 

The truth is that I simply don't have enought time to do an in-person consultation for every alteration, and it is very seldom necessary particularly for dresses that have been ordered to size and anticipate minimal/basic altering. 

That being said,  if your dress needs major surgery, doesn't currently close, or you are looking to make huge design changes to get your dream dress, you may be a good candidate for an in-person meeting.

 I charge a $75 fee for all in-person consultations.

How I wish I could help every person who comes to me! Turning people away is the worst part of my job.

 As it is, I am a one-woman show - I write every email and invoice, schedule and consult with every prospective client, stitch every bead, sew every hem, and fit every bride on my own. There is simply a limit to much I can achieve with my two hands.

I reccomend that you connect with an alterations specialist as far in advance as you feasibly can in order to ensure your spot.

A fitting is the appointment I put on the calendar when you are sure that you'd like me to complete alterations on your wedding dress.

 I will pin, measure, take notes, listen to your concerns,  reccomend shapewear and other extras, and otherwise do everything I can to make sure you have everything  you need to love your dress on your big day. 

During your fitting, you will need to have your shoes and undergarments. Some brides also like to have their accessories and viel/headpiece to see the whole look together! 

Nope! A fitting is for when the wedding is imminent and you've decided to proceed with me as your tailor, while a consulation is a feel-out appointment for getting familiar with each other, the garment, your needs, etc. 

Most brides do not need an in-person consulation because we have already covered everything that we would discuss in a consultation via email.

I take special care to thoughtfully consider and reply to each email and photo to provide an accurate estimate of cost and strategies to achieve your goals - this is email consulting, and it really does the heavy lifting.

Ultimately, this is the most respectful use of your (and my) time, and saves you money. 

We’ll do an initial fitting to figure out what changes need to be made. Once I’ve made the adjustments, you’ll come to try it on. If everything is perfect, you can take it home; if not, I’ll do some more work to get the right fit. 

About 4 out of 5 brides just need the one fitting! 

It’s really tempting to cross alterations off your list early - I get it. However, bodies aren’t static. I like to schedule fittings  about 8 weeks out from your wedding date in order to give your body limited time to change shape on us. 

No one wants to have to alter your dress twice!

Even more reason to hold off a bit! I really and truly believe that you don’t need to be a certain size to be beautiful, but I’m happy to support your fitness journey. Let me know that that’s the plan and we can make sure to accommodate your needs

Sure! It's nice to have a little support during your fitting. 

Keep in mind that I work from my home studio, so space is limited.  There truly isn't space for more than two guests. 

It's a good idea to only bring people along who uplift and support and leave those who criticize and bully at home.

 If your guest is being disruptive or unhelpful, I may ask them to leave. 

 My bridal alterations prices start at $295 + tax and any necessary materials. 

This includes a bustle, shortening straps, adjusting the bust/hip/waist (without lifting lace or appliques), and simple hems of up to two layers.

It's fairly normal for an alteration of a dress ordered to size to cost $295-550 +tax

The more that needs to be done, the higher the costs.

 Common things that add to the price are:

 -very full/wide hems

-lace edge hems

- extreme length changes

-complex edge finishes (including horsehair)

-many layered skirts

-lace appliques

-beading

- extreme fit issues

-design changes (like adding or removing elements, shortening or eliminating a train, or changing a neckline)

-extensive hand work

-sourcing matching materials

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but you get the idea.

I love it! 

It's wonderful to walk out with a dress same-day if you have a tighter timeline, to score a bargain on a fancier gown, or to lower your wedding's carbon footprint.

There are a few things to consider from an alterations prespective when buying a sample/resold gown:

•  I would shop with an alterations budget of at least $550 when looking at samples. The total can come in lower if the dress fits well as-is and needs a lite touch. However, it's not uncommon for the cost to fall between $1000-2000 to fit properly, particularly if it is very embellished or very oversized.
• Sample gowns will nearly always cost more to alter than a dress ordered to your size, unless it looks basically spot-on in the store. If you are clipped back quite a bit to "see the vision", that's an indication that you may require more exstensive alterations. 
• Some dresses are so oversized that the cost to cut them down exceeds the cost you paid for the dress, or may change the proportions so much that it may no longer be advisable. 
• Keep in mind that some dresses will need repairs in addition to alterations for stains, rips, tears, missing beading or buttons, etc.
• If you are petite or short-waisted, look for styles with a waist seam that can be adjusted to help the dress sit correctly on your frame. The seam might be hidden under embellishments - ask your in-store consultant to help you look. 

While it may seem a little counter-intuitive, how much length you need off of a hem doesn't change the amount of work involved in hemming at all.  1" is the exact same process (and the same amount of work/cost) as 3 or 4".

These are some things that add to the level of complexity in your hem:

- number of layers (4-5 is common, but I've seen as many as 9!)

- style of edge finishing (cut edge tulle or lace vs turned edges)

-  overall width or fullness of the skirt 

-horsehair trim

- lace edges

-embelishments and appliques sitting close to the edge

- hemming that exceeds 7"

PRO TIP: If yout dress is just a smidge too long,  you can try a taller heel height, or add a crinoline in lieu of hemming. 

While this can vary based on my workload, I try to get your dress ready to try again in 4-5 weeks at the most. 

For most bridal projects, I invoice once the dress is completed. You don’t owe anything until your dress is ready to pick up. 

I can accept payment as:

-Cash

-Check (made out to Bonnie Froelich)

-Debit or credit card via Square

-Venmo (@lemonthread)

-Square Cash ($bonniekfroelich)

-Paypal (paypal.me/lemonthreadcustom)

I try to make it easy for you!

Very little. 

When I worked at a costume shop, we sent our most precious items to Blue Sky Cleaners, which is a local chain. 

Most dry cleaners will have bridal services. Best of luck! 

Brides and events keep me really busy! 

With the number of potential bridal clients I am contacted by, I could fill three or four full calendars. 

If you are already scheduled for a bridal/event appointment, I'm happy to take a look at other things you might need altered. Otherwise, I am not taking on non-event projects at this time.

You will likely have better luck reaching out to someone who does less bridal-specific alterations. 

Try reaching out  Liv, my apprentice (livmaster@outlook.com), a local dry cleaner, or trusty Nordstrom to see what they can do for you.

I will be the first to say that I am not an expert in mens tailoring. Suiting is a very specialized artform, so it's always best to find a menswear tailor for big projects.

That being said, I'm happy to hem suit pants, shorten sleeves, and other lite tailoring. I'll let you know if the necessary work is outside my skill set. 

Your best resource for sizing is the bridal consultant at the dress store.  Each designer has different size charts, so you want someone who works with these dresses all the time to get the right size for you. 

The easiest dress to alter is a dress that fits well in at least one place - if your dress is too big all over, that's a good sign that the size down could be better.