How Much To Tip A Seamstress? (If You Decide To)

If you do decide to tip your seamstress, a good general recommendation is between 10-20%. It’s a starting place for sure.

In reality, the how much has a lot of variables, and they can be broken down into several different categories.

These include the following.

The more of these factors you have, the more likely you will lean towards giving a little extra except for the initial price.

If you have a very high price, then we may think otherwise.

Initial Price

The first thing you want to do is if you have been offered a contract with a seamstress for them to do X amount of dresses for a maximum of this cost with a cost breakdown, then it is important to scour the page for gratuity included.

Likely you will not come across this, but from time to time, a business owner will put it in the price and let you know.

It is also really important to note that a service fee is not the same as gratuity.

It’s a fee for all the services you will be acquiring. Having said that, this isn’t as common as you think, but better to be prepared than not.

If the initial price is really high, there is a good chance that they already put some cushioning in there.

In this case, you don’t need to tip.

This is different than tipping a makeup artist or a salon artist.

You can think of it like every time you go to the salon, you tip regardless of whether you are the bride or not. But when you get something stitched up, not so much.

IF the price is incredibly low and it seems like you have been given a discount or a favor, consider thawing some extra cash their way.

It can be either be something like 10-20 percent or an extra $30.

This point plays off somewhat of the first one.

It’s kind of a double-edged sword, sort to speak.

The more girls you have at the wedding that will be getting their alterations done, the more work it will be for the seamstress.

Now, the seamstress may need to have a team helping them if they have quite a lot of girls.

Usually, the head seamstress will work with the bride while the store’s team will take on the girls.

The reason why this can be a double-edged sword is that you will want to appreciate them from the work they do when the number increases, but you also know the price is going to start going up and up.

Tipping Etiquette for Group Appointments

When dress shopping with a group, tipping can become more complicated. Here are some tips for showing appreciation to your consultant during a group appointment:

• If one person is the bride and others are guests, the bride should handle all tips. Guests are not expected to tip.
• For group appointments where everyone is a bride, consider pooling tips and presenting them together. This shows unity and avoids confusion.
• If splitting tips, agree ahead of time on amounts and who will take care of tipping. Communicate with your consultant so they know what to expect.
• Even with shared tips, write personal thank you notes to show your individual gratitude. Small gestures go a long way.
• For large groups, ask if the salon adds gratuity to the bill before tipping on top of that amount. Clarify policies.
• If you divided the appointments due to group size, consider tipping after each part. Don’t wait until the end.

The thoughtfulness of a tip matters more than the amount. With some planning and communication, group tips can be seamlessly incorporated into the dress shopping experience.

Does your wedding gown need to be hemmed?

Changes to a wedding gown The reality is that most dresses will need some level of alterations (like raising the hem or tightening the straps), and while your dress may only need a few minor tweaks, having it properly tailored can make all the difference.

You probably won’t be prepared to walk down the aisle until you’ve had some significant alterations made once you’ve said “yes” to your bridesmaid dress. Even in the rare instance that your dress fits almost perfectly, you’ll probably still need to make a few minor adjustments to make sure it fits perfectly on your wedding day. Even though it might be tempting to skip alterations in order to save some money, proper tailoring can make your dream dress look even better than you had hoped.

Even if you are confident in your sewing abilities, we strongly advise having your dress altered by a professional because alterations are more difficult than they first appear. Extra care, attention, and occasionally even special needles or thread are needed when working with delicate or heavily embellished fabrics. Make sure a professional completes this crucial step, if possible.

Budget Well

When it comes to alterations, you don’t necessarily need to tip your seamstress because in general, the costs can add up quickly, and there is some cushion built into paying them.

In general, it is slightly different than the salon because you would tip to go into a salon even if it was for a basic haircut.

When it comes to tipping your seamstress, it usually is because they’ve done a great job and have put in extra time and effort to help you out.

They may have even given you a great discount to use.

Where it gets confusing is the more work a seamstress does, the more inclined you may feel to tip.

If you decide to tip, you have our suggestions!

And if you wondering who else you may need to tip and how much, then check out my following guides:

• How Much To Tip Wedding Florist?
• Do You Tip A Wedding Venue Coordinator?
• Do You Tip A Makeup Artist?
• Do You Tip A Wedding Photographer?

Hey, I’m Allison – a recent bride, an expectant mother and the chief editor here at Everlasting Occasion. Here I document all the knowledge and experience I accumulated while researching and planning my dream wedding and ahead of our new baby. Here, I try to answer those many questions couples have when planning their dream wedding, while equally, helping expectant parents ahead of their new arrival!