November 2020 by Susan C.
Warning! Long review but worth the read! Renate was my godsend!! They say third times a charm and that was definitely true in my case. I said yes to my dress at the 2020 Wedding Show in January, right before Covid hit our nation hard. I wanted a romantic, soft dress with clean lines, no harsh details or seams and I found it! Before I said yes, I asked over and over if my dress that I was falling in love with could be altered because I am a petite woman, both short and small, so I had to make sure! They insisted. I don't know if it was a sales tactic or if they were actually telling the truth because the first two seamstresses I went to were not able to help me. The first seamstress, bless her heart, said she couldn't do it but tried to help me by offering to alter my dress completely with pickups/bustles on each side of my dress. She said she couldn't do it because there was no seam, which was not what the boutique told me when I asked them. I continued to look for another seamstress. The second one came highly recommended. I looked her up on Yelp and she had great reviews. Unfortunately, I didn't experience all the hype everyone else raved about. I put on my dress, walked out of the dressing room and she said, 'No. I can't do it.' She didn't touch the dress, think about it, nothing. I even asked her if she can do what the first seamstress recommended. She told me no. At this point, I was so mad at that experience and was losing hope at the same time that I was lied to by the boutique and may need to find another dress with my wedding 3 months away! Then one of my good girlfriends reached out to me with a referral. Her cousin-in-law recommended Renate. This time, I didn't want to waste the seamstress' time or mine, plus Covid, so I emailed her my request with photos of my dress and we spoke on the phone prior to meeting. I shared my first two seamstress experiences with her and Renate couldn't be more sweet. She revived my hope when she said, 'I've been doing this for over 30 years. There has not been a dress I could not alter. I'd like to see your dress and take it from there. This will be like a problem solver for me and I love a good challenge!' At this time, we were about 2 months away from my wedding departure date. From the moment I walked into her shop, she was amazing. She took my dress from me, guided me to the dressing room, unzipped my bag, took out my dress, unzipped my dress, complimented how beautiful it was, etc. Needless to say, it was a far more pleasant experience than the other two. I put on the dress and Renate went to work. I needed her to take it in on the sides, take it up in length and still have it be the same dress I walked in with. She did not doubt her ability to do what I needed her to do with my dress and she was able to complete it in a month's time! Perhaps that timeframe was due to Covid but regardless, she delivered and provided the best experience a bride needed! She understands this is an important event in one's life and she intently ensures your experience is fun, great and with no worries. She executed that beautifully! I have shared some pictures of when I first tried the dress on, to first fitting, second fitting, then wedding day. With all of that said, I highly recommend Renate! Thank you for your amazing work, Renate! You're the best!!
