Ellen's Couture

n address some other issues I didn’t realize about the dress making it look perfect! When I consulted with her it was like a breath of fresh air compared to the experience I was having with the first seamstress. I highly recommend her!

me understand the alterations that needed to be done -- even going so far as to help me explain to a local dry cleaner near my vendor exactly how the dress should be pressed before the wedding! Thank you so much Ellen, you're the best!

n to every detail. To start, my dress was super intricate -- beaded from head to toe--and didn't truly flatter me when I went in. (Like I loved it enough to buy it but it needed lots of work).. For process, we started exactly three months from my wedding and it was a perfect timeline (I had an early Spring wedding though, maybe build in more time if you are in prime summer time). Ellen always told me when the next fitting would be appropriate (I had three total and a final to try it on and pick it up). She actually finished out early from the quoted timeline and was able to squeeze in my rehearsal dress at the last minute (2 weeks out). She worked fast and the precision was extremely high quality - I was super impressed. In terms of pricing, she was 100% worth her price tag. Ellen quoted me on the job initially over email (it was not cheap, but I will say that most alterations places in NYC are not and I have read and heard that you get what you pay for). I didn't want to risk hiring someone who didn't have experience with beading. The end price was marginally higher than the quote but due to some additional work after seeing the dress in person (which I anticipated since she had quoted me via email after only seeing a picture). I also tipped because the job was so well done and so timely. Finally, her personality is direct and I found that super refreshing in a somewhat overly agreeable wedding industry. I really wanted a seamstress to tell me outright what needed to be done and what the plan would be. We had a great rapport and I asked her a LOT of opinions on things like shoes, veil, jewelry, etc. I even vented to her about the possibility of rain forecast a week out and she totally reassured me. I really appreciated her opinions throughout the process, especially as the day of came closer! I cannot thank Ellen and her and her team enough for the labor of love they put into my dress, the center piece of my wedding style. I am only sad I cannot wear this work of art again, haha. I would definitely recommend Ellen!

d, and what wouldn't; I appreciated it so much. For months leading up to the wedding, she dealt with my weight fluctuations and the dress fit perfectly by our big day.

ou need to have done (i.e., she said that my dress could get away without being hemmed, which I really appreciated!). For my dress she put in a bustle (that my coordinator later in the day of my wedding as they were doing it up for me commented that it was the most well made, easy to follow bustle that they had ever come across), and added a belt and boning on the side of my dress for me. You could tell that she had a great eye for fit and size, and quickly knew exactly what needed to be done the minute I stepped out of the fitting room. Also, when I picked up my dress on the last appointment, they steamed it and put it in a bag to protect it as I transported it up to my venue, which I really appreciated since that was one area I was a little nervous about in terms of getting it up without being too crumpled. She was also extremely reasonable with everything she did and after the bustle was done and I came in to try it on and we realized that a slight hem on the sides was needed to make things even when the dress was bustled due to the train, they made sure I was okay with the additional price before doing it, and again, she didn't push me to have it done and said it was fine without it and it would be up to me if I wanted to include it. She also, made sure when she sewed my belt onto the dress to do it in a way that I could take the belt off in the future to reuse, which was so great of her to think about! I really appreciated my experience at Ellen's, especially since it was often just myself going there during lunch-hour and was worried I would be overwhelmed, but it was certainly not the case! There is no doubt in my mind that I would recommend Ellen to any future brides getting married!

The work they did was practically invisible. They did a fantastic job on the dress, added a shoulder seam, added loops for my belt, added a bustle, and hemmed the dress. They also steamed my veil which I thought was very nice of them! I ended up having about four visits in total. She also showed my mom and sister how to do the bustle and it worked wonderfully the day of the wedding.

and I feel like each time I was in the shop she gave me her full attention. I would highly recommend using Ellen if in the NYC area for any bridal needs.

as a dream to work with.

nts and witnessed at least 4 other bridal final appointments). I was first nervous about having to go into the city for alterations but surprisingly I was able to find street parking near by everytime. As for the work I saw she did, she worked well with tulle, lace, and satin dresses. I don't think there is a fabric she can't handle. I had an applique lace trumpet dress and everything was perfect with the dress - the bustle worked out perfectly. I'm so happy I chose her for my alterations! You can't just trust anyone with your wedding dress and she was the perfect choice!

ike many brides, but Ellen did a fantastic job and my dress came out looking beautiful and fitting perfectly. She obviously has a lot of experience working on wedding gowns, so things that seemed like monumental tasks to me (taking the dress down 2 sizes but keeping its structure, accommodating my changing size, working with delicate lace and multiple layers, etc), were just routine for her. My mother, mother-in-law and sister, all of whom helped me pick out the dress in the first place and liked it in the beginning, thought that the alterations made the dress look different in a great way - like it was made just for me. Well done!

a perfectly fitted dress for my wedding. She did amazing work with the lace, took in the dress, took it up, added a 5 button bustle and added in cups. I would recommend Ellen to anyone in the NYC area, especially for lace work!

und. Ironically it was also the closest. They did three separate fittings for me. I only had the hem taken up as my dress fit perfectly as is, but they also added a belt to it and a very simple and easy-to-use bustle on the back. Would definitely recommend!