Something You Couture — Local services in Birmingham

What should have been one of the most “high end” bridal alterations experiences in town felt like negotiating the price of a used iPhone 6 in a dark alley at a Craigslist meetup. So glad I got law enforcement involved, have it all recorded, and filed a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

Run, hop, skip, jump, speed too fast and furiously - don’t walk, away from this bridal studio! If you go and get conned with a surprise $700 invoice you weren’t quoted for after you’ve already paid $1200 for standard wedding dress alterations, don’t say you weren’t warned.

Ashley will lie to your face and is a con artist; we have her acknowledging and apologizing in a voice recording that she didn’t quote me for 5 extra hours of work on my dress, after I had already paid her for the 9 hours agreed upon. I insisted I didn't owe a bill for time I didn't approve. She still held my dress hostage until four days before I left on a plane for my wedding, and had her husband come out and demand I pay her.

This all started when she became very flustered by simple questions about why it took so much longer and how photos from the second fitting appeared to have areas completed that I was charged for on the second invoice, work that supposedly happened at a later time. I told her if she could stand behind her work and charges, my questions shouldn't stump her like they did. She tried to dodge those simple questions by stating she’d refund me for my two fittings (totaling $250), but it gets even better. She sent the same refund confirmation twice to make it seem like she’d made good on her promise. I’ve still not received confirmation for the second $125 refund after confronting her twice and her husband once about it.

Please, if you do forgo this warning - get everything in writing. Even If you pay a large sum at your second fitting, and the receipt says your outstanding balance is $0 - get something else in writing that states that the balance is in fact $0. Do not go by verbal agreement, her word is as unreliable as that of any other con artist.

She was never able to provide me with an itemized receipt or an explanation for why it took so much extra time, nor with an explanation for why I wasn’t given a chance to consent to the five extra hours of work, despite admitting on voice recording that she didn’t quote me or request permission. I lost count of how many times I requested an itemized detailed invoice and will never get it. Despite no answers, it was no money, no dress, end of story! I called to cops to supervise our meeting to make sure she wouldn't get in my face again like she did when I asked legitimate questions about all the red flags I was seeing, was met outside by her husband, and ultimately, forced to pay under duress. The transaction literally occurred in the alley on the side of her studio.

If you like surprise $700 invoices and having your belongings held hostage by scam artists, call Ashley today! Otherwise, stay far away from Something You Couture.

It makes me sad to wonder how many other stressed out brides she has taken advantage of, because I saw another review here describing practically the same experience, and networked with another client who also described the same thing.

Regarding the work: there are strings hanging everywhere, a pull in the delicate silk, the lace on one sleeve is cut and flaps open awkwardly (as in one side flaps out and the other does not), and most buttons are sewn in very snugly, but a couple are very loose? Stitching on back side of cuff looks shoddy and haphazard. This was all work that they supposedly did so carefully it took a total of 14 hours and cost me $1866.88. This place is...

This shop was recommended to us from Bustle where I got my dress, my wedding was in December and I started alterations in October. They recommended 2 fittings, my dress only needed to have the hem shortened and the shoulder straps shortened, but by the second visit after this had been pointed out, no alterations had been made even though it had been almost 2 months. The assistants were extremely nice, but they talked about being very busy. They said they would make the final adjustments after the appointment was over , but I was confused then why we had needed 2 fittings since it was the same feedback again. We were supposed to take it home that day, and they quickly took the dress back with the pins and hemmed/did their stuff. Shortly after they brought it back out, one shoulder strap still had pins which luckily we caught and then they fixed (they hadn’t seen it). Unfortunately, we trusted they had done everything, and took it home. My wedding was 12/19, so on the day of the wedding, the shop was closed, and we found out they had not actually done any hemming and there was still pins holding the hem up on the bottom of my dress. My grandmother had to hand hem the dress, so I got limited picture time and only got a few shots and was rushed/very stressed. When my mom called back after the holidays, the owner said they could fix the dress for us, but it was after the wedding so what was the point? My mom inquired about a partial refund since we paid about $400 for the two appointments plus my moms alterations, but they offered no refund at all. Very nice people but it seems they were rushed and only spent the 15 min we were there for the 2nd fitting to do any work, which doesn’t seem $200-300...

(tl;dr see last paragraph)

I bought a sample dress off the rack at a wedding dress store, so I expected there would be some work to do on the dress. I didn't know anything about alterations specialists in Birmingham, so I browsed high-end, local wedding dress shops' websites looking for recommendations, and Something You Couture was mentioned multiple times. I made an appointment online, which was very easy to do, and paid the 1-hour appointment fee.

I showed up for my appointment and was immediately greeted and instructed on where to go and to remove my shoes to keep the floor clean (for all the white dresses--smart!). I was expecting to be told my dress needed to be hemmed for my medium-height heel, but Ashley watched me walk around the space in my dress and shoes and told me honestly that my dress didn't need hemming.

I also needed styling advice for these super long ribbony straps that were intended to wrap around the waist somehow. Ashley and her team gave me a few options, took photos and videos so I could see from all sides, and ultimately added some simple snaps to guide me when I put my dress on at my wedding later. I love the style we ended up with, and I would have never thought of it myself.

Finally, the zipper needed to be reinforced. All of this was done within my hour-long appointment time, so I was not charged any additional costs! I walked out that same day carrying my improved, ready-to-wear wedding dress, having only paid for an hour of their time. This shows honesty, expertise, and professionalism, and I had such a positive experience which far exceeded my expectations! My mom almost didn't believe me. I am so thankful for Ashley and Something...