Hem and Veil — Local services in Portland

For many years, I have carried around my Mom’s wedding dress with me tucked into a plastic bin and hidden at the back of my closet. Upon, being proposed too, I dug it out and looked it over. It was in a sad state of affairs; stained and ripped all over and it hardly looked like a wedding dress.

On a whim, I took it over to Hem and Veil to see what options could be made. Jacquelyn, the shop owner said she thought she could save the dress and make an attempt at cleaning it up and work some alteration magic. With little hope, I went ahead and planned a dress shopping date with my mom, my brother’s fiancé, my future mother-in-law, and my fiancé's sister to explore all of my wedding dress hunting options.

On the day of the hunt, the group started off at the local David’s Bridal shop. Here, I tried on a broad assortment of dresses that didn't fit, looked cheaply made, and were 110% not my style. So, off the group went to Hem and Veil. Here Jacquelyn gave us total free range of the store, trying on some absolutely beautiful vintage gowns that had flair, classic lines and personality. Jacquelyn, had also worked some amazing magic and had hung my mom’s dress in the fitting room without anyone’s notion. As the dress trying on started to slow, I put on my mom’s dress, held my breath and stepped out for all to see.

The dress fit like a glove, it was restored beautiful and was everything I was looking for... it was beautiful. I remember tell everyone, “this is my dress!! this is my dress!!” unable to contain my excitement. My mom, with a surprised looks on her face question if it was right (she knows me well and I NEVER come to a decision this quickly) while looking very curiously at the dress. I was firm and I asked my mom "what do you think" and “does this dress look familiar”. It took maybe a minute, despite feel like a lifetime, but my mom finally said “yes, that dress is beautiful on you" and "it looks so similar to my wedding dress”. I exclaimed, “that’s because it IS your wedding dress!!”. Tears, laughter and surprise erupted from the group and filled the room. My mom hugged me and she was so surprised and shocked.

It was the perfect moment, and Jacquelyn help me pull it ALL off! I honestly, can't speak highly enough of Jacquelyn. Not only did she help me make this an extra special surprise happen, but the dress and alternations she did made it absolutely beautiful. Thank you! Thank...

Prior to this year I have had nothing but good experiences with Jacqueline at hem and veil and have recommended multiple family members and brides over the years…

Unfortunately though, I had reached out over a year in advance (called beginning of august 2022, my wedding isn’t until 9/02/2023) I already had my wedding dress and was looking to get on her books knowing how busy she is. She got back to me in a very timely manner and left me the following voice Mail:

“Hi this is Jacqueline at hem & veil returning your call about bridal alterations for September 2023 I'm not opening the books for next year until December of this year because I need to get through this very busy season before I start worrying about next year so feel free to call me in December or January to set up for next year thanks bye…”

Respectfully, I waited until a week into January to give her a call trying to be as mindful as possible about her time as well. Her response to me was that she is already booked for 2023 brides. I explained to her that the only reason I waited months to call back and book was because that was her request, but she was unwilling to work with me.

I have since had a very hard time searching for and finding a reputable seamstress. This review does not reflect the work of hem and veil, but I certainly will not be back nor recommend anyone to her given how terrible this is to...

I cannot rave about Jacquelyn enough! She literally saved my sister’s wedding dress at the very last minute!! Another seamstress had failed miserably on my sister’s dress. It was way too big and she claimed the only way to keep it up was to add straps. She then added straps that were the wrong color. My sister was understandably distraught. We called around and the only person willing to touch it with only a few days before the wedding was Jacquelyn. She gave us an estimate on the phone and told us she would take a look, but could make no guarantees. She squeezed us into her already packed schedule. We got down there 3 days before the wedding! She had my sister try on the dress, took one look at it and said oh no, we can’t have this. I can definitely fix it for you. She pinned it a bit, told us to go grab a coffee and come back in half an hour. When we came back the dress was already a million times better, but she went above and beyond my asking sure my sister felt comfortable and beautiful. While I know this is not how she normally does business and I would advise scheduling in advance with her, I am forever grateful that she saved the day for my sister, in just a few short hours. Thank you...