My Q&A with An Alterations Expert

Back in Nashville, I quickly became familiarized with the wedding industry while planning my own wedding. I was lucky enough to meet Sarah, the owner of Rudy Lou. I originally got to know Sarah through a bridal shop we worked at together, but when I needed alterations for my own gown, I KNEW she was the one.

Sarah specializes in taking vintage gowns and transforming them into something new. She will work her magic on your mother’s old dress while maintaining the integrity of the original piece. It is something quite spectacular to see something old convert to something just right for you.

When it comes to your wedding dress, you want to trust someone that is not only professional but understands a wedding gown is more than just a dress you wear one day. It is a memory forever. Sarah’s expertise inspired me to interview her, to get an in-depth look at why alterations are truly an integral part of your wedding dress experience.

Take a look at our interview below!

Sasha: Tell me a little bit about your business, who you are, and why you started working in the wedding industry?

Sarah: My name is Sarah Jameson; I am a 27-year-old Nashville Native. I started Rudy Lou three years ago as a custom bridal business. After graduating college with a fashion design degree, I was lost as to what I wanted my future career to be! I began working at a corporate bridal store, where I quickly fell in love with bridal but deep down, I knew the corporate world wasn't for me. I left this job to start my own path in the bridal business, where I would be able to control the environment my brides walked into and every little detail that goes into the Wedding Dress Experience for these brides

Sasha: What should a bride expect to spend on alterations?

Sarah: Typical bridal alterations tend to vary on styles and fabrics of your gown — If your gown is very simplistic and not needing complete restructure you can expect to spend around $250-$350. If your gown is full of detail and layers with added appliques and lace, a typical alteration cost can be anywhere from $400-800

Sasha: If you had to pick 2 main areas to focus on, what would they be?

Sarah: The 2 most important areas to focus on in bridal alterations would have to be:

1.     The hem — Your hem needs to be touching the top of the floor from hip to hip to ensure you will be able to step surely without hesitation that you are stepping on the gown itself!

2.     The bodice fit — The bodice fit is a HUGE part- this is where the weight of the gown sits and if your bodice is slipping down all night brides tend to *tug on the top of the gown. this will have the effect of you slipping out of your dress and extremely uncomfortable. you need to be wearing the dress. Not the dress wearing you.

Sasha: How much should a bride expect to spend if they are remaking a dress? For example, her mother's dress. 

Sarah: All of my reconstructed gowns I like to base off of budget- for some brides who like to wear these recreations for a shower or rehearsal dinner the average price point is $500-800. For a reconstructed gown that will be worn for the ceremony we typically do a LOT of detail work on these and they average range around $800-2,000 (again depending on what all you would like to change and add in.

Sasha: I have seen so many bustles go wrong, can you explain why it is so important to do a bustle correctly? 

Sarah: Bustles are such an important part of the alteration process. This is when you have shown the wedding your gown and now you are ready to hook it up and enjoy your night without the train holding you back. Bustles not only help your ease of movement in the gown they also are a key in keeping your gown from being ruined. Late in the night with friends and family hugging and dancing it is very easy for your train to be stepped on, ripped, spilled on and many other disasters! Bustles are the way to go if you are looking to hook up your train and not worry about all of the beautiful details of your gown being ruined! 

Once you find your dream dress, the easy part is done. Next, every bride should consider sitting down with an alterations expert. In order to look and feel your very best on your special day, alterations are a necessary step. A special thanks to Sarah for taking part in this interview — I hope this insight helps many brides understand the costs and value of doing alterations before your big day.

All my love,

Sasha

P.s. Below are just two samples of Sarah’s work, but to keep up do date on all things Rudy Lou give her a follow on Instagram @Rudy_Lou!

Do I really need a wedding planner?

Do I really need a wedding planner is a question I hear from potential clients, friends and even from family. It is usually followed by an, “I’m just going to do it all myself”, “I don’t need someone to make my centerpieces”, or “I’m super organized and I’ve got this!”. Even though all of that may be true, who is going to make sure YOUR day goes perfectly? Who is going to make sure your tables and chairs arrive on time while you sit back and get pampered? Who is going to set up your sweetheart, welcome, and gift table? Who is going to pack up your car at the end of the night so you can dance the night away? That is where I come in with timelines, layouts, emergency kit and all. But I truly do SO much more than just that.

If I am planning my wedding could a wedding planner still be right for me?

How Could You Knot’s month-of package or even day-of package is great for those independent brides (or grooms) that have an exact vision of what they want and just need help tying up loose ends. With my month-of package, I come in six weeks prior to your wedding day and go all in! I read over final invoices to make sure you are getting the right amount of services and attention and are not being over charged. I also become the main point of contact for your vendors ensuring that we finalize load in and load out times. I make an overall timeline for the big day that will be sent out to all of your vendors so that everyone is on the same page. You would not believe how many times I have heard stories about missing photo ops and big moments such as the cake cutting, family photos, or even the bouquet toss! Aside from just the timeline, I will make a layout specific to your venue and checklists for everything and everyone. I will take all items that you have for your wedding, like favors and pictures the night before to make sure it gets to your venue and is all accounted for.

How Could You Knot really just wants to make sure you have your best day ever, so the answer is, yes you really do need a wedding planner. Do not miss out on enjoying every minute of your day because you have to make sure your caterer is on time or that your photographer is getting the shots you’ve always dreamed of. We are here for you and your fiancé, so whether it be you needing another drink or just wanting to make sure you have a few moments alone throughout the day, we make sure it happens. Of course we offer endless options when it comes to planning services and design packages that we will go over eventually. I just feel like this question is heard so often that I wanted to give you all an answer!

Who is How Could You Knot?

Who is How Could You Knot?

Welcome to my FIRST blog post! I thought the best way to start was to introduce myself to the world wide web. On my website I have a little “about” page that tells a bit about me, but I thought I would give you five fun facts!

1. I started working in the wedding industry in 2012 and was hooked every since. I was assisting a planner in Florida with a very large wedding. There was a little bit of chaos but a whole lot of love and it left me wanting more! I will most likely ugly cry (behind the scenes of course) on your big day. What can I say? I am sucker for love!

2. A wedding planner is one way to describe me, but I am also a wife and a boy mom. I got married in 2017 to my husband, Josh, and it was the best day ever. I hired my own day of coordinator, but I did all of the planning and design myself. I still cry (not shocking) at my wedding video, hence why I think hiring a wedding videographer is something to make a priority in your overall budget. My two boys, Kaysen and Nolan are my world. They are both sweet as can be and can make me smile on any bad day.

3. Speaking of kids, I cannot forget my two furbabies Lola and Boomer! I probably am way too obsessed with the two of them, but if you met them you would understand why! If you have a dog of honor or a best dog that you want to make part of your wedding, you will not get any push back from me!

4. When I married my husband, I also married into the crazy fandom of Philadelphia sports. I can promise you, if I am not at a wedding on the weekends I am at some type of sporting event. I will not be mad if Gritty or Swoop makes an appearance at your big day.

5. The last three things I would say that describe me would be- a lover of all things Disney, Justin Timberlake and Grey’s Anatomy. I am a huge fan of all three! I grew up in Florida, so I practically lived at Disney. My favorite rides are Tower of Terror and Test Track. I have loved Justin since my teeny bopper days listening to ‘Nync. I am seeing his Man of the Woods Concert again in Philadelphia in the spring of 2019, and I could not be more excited! I promise I will answer your calls and texts on Thursday night when Grey’s is on, but you better know I will probably have to gossip about that week’s episode!! This last sentence is a (very) honorable mention to all things Bachelor/Bachelorette.

I hope this has given you a little look at who I am and most of the things I love! I cannot wait to get to know future South Jersey/Philadelphia brides in the same way!

Xoxo, Sasha