423- Bridal & Red Carpet Alterations: Expert Tips with Tailor Sara Rothan

Leah Haslage:

Hello, chillas. Welcome to the Bridechilla podcast, where we celebrate love and help you plan your wedding day. I'm your host, Leah Haslage, and I'm thrilled to be here with you. Whether you're just starting to plan or counting down the days, we're here to help you stay calm, cool, and collected throughout the wedding journey. We've got amazing guests and expert tips for you. So let's get this wedding party started and embrace your inner Bridechilla.

All right, chillas, we are here today with Sara Rothan, who is a garment engineer and alterations expert. And I adore Sara. We go way back to my Weddings Unveiled days. And I get so excited to watch your Instagram, especially your stories. You do like such cool videos showing your garment making process and like you give amazing tips so really check out Sara's Instagram when you get a chance after you listen to this episode.

Sara Rothan:

Thank you.

Seriously, you're killing the game. I remember when I first met you was like three or four years ago now.

Sara Rothan:

Something like that.

Leah Haslage:

You were just really getting started with doing that and like your tips are just awesome.

Sara Rothan:

I'm working on it. And you know what, the cool thing is that they're fueled by real life experiences, like questions that brides ask me in fittings, or like, I'm even getting now questions through social media, like TikTok and Instagram. So they're like, they're real life. They're really pertinent. People are really asking these questions. And that's really, my goal is to help people have that information.

Leah Haslage:

Well, Sara, for those not familiar with you, can you give us a little brief background on you and your career?

Sara Rothan:

Absolutely. So I went to school for fashion, not really having a sense of exactly what I wanted to do. And I interned at a bridal salon during my junior year and kind of fell in love with the redesigns actually, interestingly, and just really loved the set of challenges that each project kind of produces and then like solving them like a big puzzle. That was just like really satisfying and I kind of did some other things for a while but when I moved to LA I really focused on it and that's when I started working for Carolina Herrera as their alterations manager and through that made connections in working with Oscar de la Renta and Monique Lulier. And I've done a lot of work with the Atelier, Oscar's Atelier, to work on red carpet pieces for them. And of course my brides, my beautiful brides that I love, love to help.

Leah Haslage:

Oh yeah, the red carpet, by the way, when following you on Instagram, I live for award season to see who you are altering next because you get to work with some stellar celebrities.

Sara Rothan:

It's really cool. This last season was a little bit disappointing because I worked on several dresses but you know they have multiple options and they just happened to have chosen, nothing to do with the alterations obviously, to wear different dresses and I'm like no and of course I'm biased. I'm like the other look was so much better. But yeah, it's a lot of fun. It's an exciting, it's an exciting time, award season.

Leah Haslage:

You know, we're going to jump ahead a little bit because you mentioned how when in school, something you love is redesign. And we were talking before we started recording about how a huge trend for 24, 25, 26 brides is redesigning their mom's old wedding dress or old pieces that they find, maybe vintage pieces and I was telling you about how we had Jessica Bishop and Sari just got married and she took her mom's wedding dress and had it remade to be a two piece for the rehearsal dinner. So talk about your love of that and the trend right now. What you're thinking of it and what couples should know when looking to make that a possibility.

Sara Rothan:

Yeah, for sure. I mean, it is you know, the styles right now are so conducive to using vintage pieces from people's mothers, even sometimes grandmother. I had a bride who grandmother wore the dress and her mother wore the dress and then we redesigned it and she wore it but the styles are just it's really working so these like basque waists and these gathered skirts this is just you're seeing this absolutely everywhere so many brands are doing this and and so it's really easy to like kind of you know, maybe pull off some of the extra embellishments that were on your mother's dress and, you know, maybe give it a hem. Although, I mean, some of them are even using the embellishments. I mean, it's kind of a thrilling time because it's great to see those dresses come out of the boxes.

I mean, the other day I was fitting a bride. It was her second wedding and she wanted me to be there when she opened. It was the first time she was opening her original wedding dress. And it was from, I think she said, 96. And we opened it up together. And I was just blown away. First of all, I was in pristine condition, but also it was just like, so I was like, this is so right now. Like, wait, wait, why did you buy a second dress? You could have literally worn your first dress and did a bit of a redesign and it would have been so appropriate.

There's so many possibilities. I think brides don't realize how many possibilities are out there in terms of really making it your own and it feeling like yours while also being such a significant nod to the sentimental qualities. And I mean, I love that. I've even had a bride do a first look with her mom. She didn't tell her mom she was redesigning the dress. And then I was like, maybe you should do a first look. And then I was like, no, now you have to do a first look. And it's some of my favorite photos. It's mom's first look at her dress.

Leah Haslage:

What a wonderful idea.

Sara Rothan:

I know, I was like, ah, they make me so happy.

Leah Haslage:

Mom had to be so shocked.

Sara Rothan:

Like I mean there's photographic evidence and it's amazing, it's beyond.

Leah Haslage:

Let's go to step one. How do you find a reputable alterations person? What should couples be looking for when they're looking to find someone to alter their dress, their suit, their jumpsuit, whatever the look and vibe they're going for?

Sara Rothan:

Definitely. I think, I mean, always my favorite is word of mouth. Ask your friends, ask your colleagues, ask the people around you because I feel like there's very few recommendations that are as good as those that come from the people that you care for in your life and who've kind of been through it. Jumping on the internet is something you can do and I have had some clients find me that way. But even as somebody who does this, I don't know specifically if there are things that I could look for where I would feel confident saying this person is great. So I think the more like, you know, the comments that you can read the nature of the comments, if you are finding someone online is going to be really your best bet if you don't have any personal recommendations.

Leah Haslage:

So search those reviews out.

Sara Rothan:

Honestly, yeah, I mean, reviews reveal a lot. I feel like, why are people rating something highly versus not so much?

Leah Haslage:

Do you think if they're active on social, like you are, is a big sign, too, of their work? Because you can see it more and they're engaged.

Sara Rothan:

Definitely. I think that that means a lot. I have had a handful of brides reach out and say that just from looking at my content, they feel like they're like, I have to work with you because I feel like I really understand how passionate you are and meticulous. And when I do the breakdowns of the red carpet stuff, like how can it be better? That's like my whole life is like wanting to make it the best it can be.

And so I think that does matter. So social media, but I think, I mean, that's going to be the younger players game on the whole. You know, some of the women that have been doing this for, you know, 40 plus years probably aren't going to be on social media and they're out there, you know, obviously doing an amazing job. So don't limit yourself, but that's certainly a resource.

Leah Haslage:

Oh, that's a great point, though. The longtime experts may not be necessarily, so word of mouth would be the best way to go with that. So I know once you find your outfit, your dress, whichever you choose, getting a hemming, for example, is going to be different than adding shapewear and changing completely how the neckline is and all that. But what's a good reference point for once you get your look, to the wedding day, how soon should you start the alterations process and how many alterations appointments should you be considering in the meantime?

Sara Rothan:

I feel like I don't want to speak for all tailors on this because everyone's kind of doing it a little bit differently I feel like okay but as a ballpark I would say availability is a bit a bigger issue. So I would be like regardless of when the tailor may want to start, given your timeline, I think it's crucial to find somebody you know, I would say, gosh, ideally, three, four months out, so that you have you just want it's and bride seem to love this, like this peace of mind, checked it off of the list that is sorted. I know what I'm doing with that. And that feels that gives a little bit of peace.

So the sooner you can have somebody lined up and talk to them about what they require, whether they require a deposit, when they would want to start given the variables of your address, I personally am a huge fan of the dress being finished not much before two weeks before the wedding because you're wanting to get that last fitting to get your most accurate read on your body at the time. So that's certainly a variable. Of course, that doesn't apply if you're just getting a hem, but it's rare to find a dress that only needs a hem, in my personal opinion.

Leah Haslage:

There's always some kind of nip and tuck that needs to be done.

Sara Rothan:

I am striving for perfection over here, so I'm like, you don't need to do this, but you know what I'd love to do.

Leah Haslage:

So I remember back in my bridesmaids consultant days, and even when looking for my own dress when I got married, Brides, not all, but tend to have in their mind that they're going to lose all this weight. And so they order a different size than may be recommended. And then there's also the other cases where, oops, someone gets pregnant, right? Brides and bridesmaids. So what is your advice and take on people that plan on sweating for the weddings, so to speak, or end up getting pregnant. What's your advice if someone's like, okay, I know it says I should get a bridal 12, but I think I'm gonna be an eight in six months. You can be honest, Sara.

Sara Rothan:

You know, as a tailor, I always want to take in and I think going through the wedding planning process is such an emotional time. I can't imagine the toll that would take on your mental well-being if you got to that point and you maybe didn't manage to make the goal that you were hoping to. And like, I would say protect your mental stability. I would go with, you know, the recommended. I wouldn't go more than a size down depending on it.

And I mean, now that there's some products such as Ozempic, I've been hearing from some of my friends that work in the industry that that's a whole different thing than, you know, just eating a little bit more consciously and whatever else.

Leah Haslage:

It's gotten kind of extreme.

Sara Rothan:

As a tailor, this is incredibly biased, I'm going to say, order the size that the sales associate is suggesting and work out your arms. Because the alterations are not so significantly impacted. I mean, like, I don't know, for myself, I got to a point where I thought I was going to do that. And then I got about three months before the wedding and I was like, you know what? No, this is my body. This is fine. And I felt this like true peacefulness, which I think is the challenge.

Leah Haslage:

Weight, so to speak, lifted off of you.

Sara Rothan:

The weight did lift off of me. And it was the emotional weight of it. And that was so, so much more powerful than I think anything else.

Leah Haslage:

And like you started to say, as a tailor, you can take in, it's really hard to let out.

Sara Rothan:

Yes, not a lot of dresses, like some dresses, a fair number of dresses, let's say, do not have seam allowance. So we're talking about nothing that I can do to let it out. short of maybe, you know, insert like a kind of lace-up corset into the back or try and source fabric that matches, fingers crossed that you can, and then add on. But that's far more challenging than taking a dress in.

And the other thing to consider for other people like me who are a different size on the top and they are on the bottom is to think about like when that sales associate is suggesting a certain size is it is it because sure bridal sizing is awful and mean or is it that the hips are a slim fit and if you're more hippie than they need to order the size for your biggest measurement so like If that's your hips area, then that's the size of the dress they need to get. And then if your bodice is smaller, then that top part is going to be very big, but it's going to fit your hips. And so you have to kind of think of what you're ordering it for.

Leah Haslage:

And then that's where alterations comes in, to fix the bodice and tweak everything up.

Sara Rothan:

And that's completely standard. That is what we do, is make it fit to your body regardless of you know, any particularities of your body. The dress should fit you. You shouldn't fit the dress. That's kind of full stop my answer.

Leah Haslage:

Yes. There's the quote right there. I love that.

Sara Rothan:

People worry about like, oh, you know, at that second fitting when we really snatched it in. And they're like, they're like, oh, this is snug. The zipper isn't just zipping right up in two seconds. Like, did I gain weight? I'm like, no. They're like, I should stop eating. I'm like, no. First of all, I made it. This is the sweet spot right here. And second of all, the dress should always be fitting, you know, regardless of everything. I feel that very passionately.

Leah Haslage:

So with fabrics like chiffons, tools, special beading, are there certain fabrics and designs that are hard to tailor or alter or you need to be conscious of when ordering?

Sara Rothan:

I mean, ideally, a bride shouldn't have to worry about their tailor's ability to work on any particular fabric. In my opinion, there are, of course, you know, people are just starting out or less experienced. They might not feel as comfortable working with some materials. But really, I honestly don't think of preferable fabrics versus non-preferable fabrics and alterations. Like I, with the exception of gazar, my nemesis.

I don't think of it as being like more difficult it just is what it is but there are of course variables and I do give tips on this on my social media. Bits of information that might be helpful to know when you're purchasing your dress and not so much about whether the fabric is going to be difficult to work with per se but if the fabric is going to behave in a way that maybe you don't love for your wedding day.

So for example, if you're going to be traveling from, you know, a church to your reception or from wherever you're getting ready to your church or your original destination, some fabrics are going to wrinkle.

Leah Haslage:

Satin.

Sara Rothan:

Yeah. So yeah, exactly. And so unless you want to like slip out of it and give it a quick steam on location or you don't care. But if that's going to bother you, then that becomes a variable you should likely consider in the beginning.

Leah Haslage:

That's a great tip.

Sara Rothan:

So I think there's a lot of information that it feels really important to me that that occurs before I meet my client that they didn't know because the sales associate didn't know to warn them about one of the variables. Or they just said something like, oh, you're a tailor will fix it. And I'm like, I can't alter physics, though. Like, I can do a lot of things. You know, we get called out for having magic sometimes, but we aren't actually magic in that we can't do magic. you know, make things appear or make things disappear or variables completely shift that were sometimes, you know, maybe the bride was told that we could fix that. So something to keep in mind when you're shopping. There are a lot of variables.

Like, I mean, my kind of go-to explanation of this is like, if you are a big dancer, you like lots of movement and that's your thing, but you choose a dress with an off-the-shoulder sleeve, that limits your mobility. So if that's not a part of the conversation when you fall in love with your dress, then you get to alterations and they're like, what do you mean I can't dance? Dancing is my thing. That's like what I'm looking forward to the most. So we have to have a conversation about that.

Leah Haslage:

Oh, that's true. Like if you love to dance, maybe not get that mermaid dress with the corset that barely can move.

Sara Rothan:

Right. And you know, it's just absolutely different for every bride. And there's like, I asked the same questions to like all my brides all the time, and they all have such an array of answers that that is their answer. And so one can't possibly, you know, cover them all.

Leah Haslage:

What's some fun ways we can personalize our look?

Sara Rothan:

I feel like I'm such a, like, anything is possible kind of a person. And the more outrageous it is, the more excited I am to do it. So I'm going to be like, you can do anything. And of course, there's always going to be specifically limitations based on your dress and the variables of your dress. But on the whole, I mean, adding sleeves, taking away sleeves, changing the shape of the sleeve, you know, necklines, dropping the back, creating a buildup, putting a slit in the skirt, but all of these things have like little asterisks by them. So keep that in mind.

Like, you know, there are situations in which, you know, theoretically, one could do something like that, and then but specifically because of whatever variables, maybe not on your dress. I mean, really, you need to speak with an expert to know exactly what's possible. But the beautiful thing is in speaking with that person, then you're gonna like, I don't know, at least how it is for me, you're it was like a brainstorm, like, Like, just, we could do this, we could do this, and I've got this other crazy idea. So a lot of things are possible, it just depends on your dress specifically. But I always encourage people, dream big. Like, what's the dream? Like, what is, what would you love ideally? What's the best case scenario? And let's see how many of those things we can accomplish. Because it's gonna be a couple of them at least.

Leah Haslage:

I love that, and I agree with it. Dream big.

Sara Rothan:

Yeah, like, what would you have if you could have anything?

Leah Haslage:

Yeah. And that's why sometimes just customizing your dress from scratch, too, is a way to go. Which I know you love to do, and you've worked on a lot lately.

Sara Rothan:

I love a custom dress moment. Definitely, it's best suited to a temperament, has a clear vision, and it's generally something that's not easily achievable. Or, like, you can't just buy it off the rack. And they kind of like the adventure of like we have an idea of what's going to happen but it kind of evolves through the process in a way that you couldn't even exactly know because questions arise as you're creating it and so there's a perfect balance of having a vision for it but not being like fixated if something shifts a little bit. Right now, I'm working on this lime green wedding dress that's going to have multiple detachable parts. And so it's going to have a whole evolution. And I'm just, how fun. It's just going to blast.

Leah Haslage:

That's amazing. So see, you can really dream big. Lime green and detachable pieces.

Sara Rothan:

Yes. It's going to be so epic. I'm beyond excited.

Leah Haslage:

That's going to be in a publication. I can feel it.

Sara Rothan:

Yeah, I hope so, goodness. It's gonna be a standout moment.

Leah Haslage:

Are custom pieces like that typically more than if you were to buy a dress and if you went to like Kleinfeld's in New York?

Sara Rothan:

Okay, so here's the thing though. Kleinfeld's in New York has a massive range of prices. So no, in that sense, I'm sure you could have a dress custom made for the range that Kleinfeld offers. No, that's not fair. There's such a range of pricing out there.

Leah Haslage:

Yeah, all boutiques. I was just saying Kleinfeld's, but like all boutiques. I mean, depending on your designer and that, like if you're doing an Allure versus an Oscar de la Renta, it's going to be different. Both are great. It's just a different price range.

Sara Rothan:

Of course. And sometimes I feel like I, you know, again, I'm hesitant to speak for like other tailors, especially in other cities. I feel like where you live hugely impacts pricing.

Leah Haslage:

Well, yeah, you being in L.A. is different than me being in Cleveland.

Sara Rothan:

Yeah.

Leah Haslage:

And then UK pricing and Asia. Like everyone's going to have different…

Sara Rothan:

Right. And so like my kind of perspective on pricing is I'm sure quite different because I do work in the luxury world of bride alterations. So, you know, my pricing is going to be quite a bit different than some other places. Yeah, I mean, ultimately, well, I'll take the green, my green bride, for example, she basically when I told her my pricing was like, that's about what I was planning on paying for a dress anyway. So for her, it was, you know, basically she was within her budget. Yeah. And it was going to be completely personalized to her. So it really worked out. But I think it's worth it if you're interested in going custom, it's definitely worth doing some research and reaching out to people in your area to get a sense of pricing because it might not be as daunting as it may seem.

Leah Haslage:

And probably similar to dress shopping in general, like if you're looking for a simple, chic sheath, say that three times, versus a heavily beaded corseted top with a full satin ball skirt. I mean, store pricing versus customization, they could end up being near the same, but you're getting this customized to your body, to your style.

Sara Rothan:

Right, exactly. Like you're including your alterations budget, which my friends, we should all have an alterations budget. Keep that in mind. Don't forget about it. We don't want you to feel irked at the whole process because you didn't plan on paying for this, but you really should.

Leah Haslage:

Yes, thank you for saying that because it is such an important point. I know I overlooked it when I had gotten married and even with my bridesmaid's dresses since I was in three weddings, you don't think about it and then you're like, oh, I have to take this hem up because, you know, this shop, this mass retailer, all the dresses are made long to make sure they cover taller brides. And then I'm spending like 120 bucks to have it super hemmed because I'm 5'3". Exactly. Yeah. It's something to consider not only as brides, but also maids as well.

Leah Haslage:

And mother of the brides. Yeah. And grooms.

Sara Rothan:

I mean, yeah, definitely. And, you know, grooms too.

Leah Haslage:

Yeah, with suiting, is it similar in time span with when you should start getting alterations done for your suit to make sure? Because let me tell you, there's nothing sharper than a nice fitted suit. Don't look sloppy.

Sara Rothan:

I agree. I don't know. I'm just gonna beg out of these questions where I don't feel qualified to answer. You know, I joke, I have this sweet little friend who's got a shop just down the street, Luigi. He's this 86-year-old Italian tailor. And we’ve just become fast friends and but we talk a lot about how technically we're both tailoring but in such a different way that our experiences are like he's like I don't want to do women's wear and I'm like fair I don't really want to do suiting like they're very different specialties even though technically we're we're both doing you know hand sewing and marking. And a lot of the skills are the same, but it's really just a different focus. So hard to say, but I think it never hurts, again, to be prepared. And so to do the research ahead of time and better more time than less, and then defer to whatever your local, you know, whoever you're going to go with really suggests.

Leah Haslage:

So to summarize the money and budget part. It's going to be different based on regions and needs. Definitely include alterations in your budgeting.

Sara Rothan:

Absolutely. Crucial.

Leah Haslage:

Know there's probably going to be a deposit. Yes. And what's deposit ranges normally? I mean, I'm sure every tailor's different, but is it usually like half down?

Sara Rothan:

I, honestly, I do not know. I'm sorry. I literally just started charging a deposit myself because I just wasn't. But now that weddings having a massed the way that they have and then they're like, well, that's why I'm suddenly slammed at this season because everyone came out of the woodwork and like, yes, we want to work with you. I'm like, I need to be able to like cut it off when I can't do anymore. So it needs to be kind of on the books more officially. So deposits, like I get asked that actually a lot at my first fitting. Brides will say, and I have a concierge service, so I go to my clients' homes here in LA. So they'll be like, oh, you know, what do I, do I owe you a deposit? And I kind of like joke slash not joking. I'm like, I'm taking your address. And they're like, oh, yeah, OK, I get where you're going with this.

Leah Haslage:

You're not getting this dress. Until I’m fully paid.

Sara Rothan:

Basically, like, I've got your dress.

Leah Haslage:

This is our barter system. I give you a dress, you give me money, end of deal.

Sara Rothan:

Correct. Exactly. But again, just like the more in advance that you can research and kind of get these things settled. And it's also going to be a peace of mind thing. You're going to feel like you're more prepared to do it all in advance and have all of this information so that when you get to the actual process of doing it, you kind of have a sense of how it's going to unfold. So it's like it's a kindness to your future self and your future sanity.

Leah Haslage:

We'll be right back after a quick break.

Leah Haslage:

How much do you recommend people consider getting like their bras or shapewear put into their dress or outfit?

Sara Rothan:

I'll say on the whole, the only things that I tend to stitch in are cups, because they're free-floating cups that just create a really lovely shape in the dress. Some of them sure might augment a little bit and really change the shape, but on the whole, the cups get stitched in, and the rest of the undergarments, it's rare that I stitch them into the dress. There have been a few occasions where maybe I've given them one attachment point, but it's really per each individual situation to determine that.

But on the whole, I don't do that. The dresses either have a foundation in them so they have corsetry and boning in which case we're getting the fit on that so accurate that there's no need to wear anything else other than maybe like I said a cup stitched in. Otherwise it's like a slinky kind of dress that frankly you have to figure out what undergarments you can wear under that because they tend to show you know, lines, etc.

Leah Haslage:

Yeah. Might just be a pasties kind of day.

Sara Rothan:

Right. Exactly. But like, test them out in advance because sometimes, you know, you can see more than you want to in a different style or shape or brand might, you know, be less visible. I mean, my new fixation, definitely, for the last few years has been tape because the range of what tape can accomplish will blow your mind.

Leah Haslage:

Really?

Sara Rothan:

It's massive, yes.

Leah Haslage:

I haven't played with it yet when I've worn formal wear.

Sara Rothan:

It is, honestly, I'm not even that busty and I'm finding reasons to use it and kind of see what can be done with it. I mean, one of the really cool things is that the number of women, which is almost every woman I've ever encountered, doesn't like the charms, which that's what I call the space between your chest and your arms. It's that little kind of fold that allows for mobility. So you can move your arms around. But when you're just like standing upright, it can kind of create a little crinkle or crease. And almost every body I've ever encountered, female body, has that naturally built in. And the tape can actually, you can kind of displace that extra bit of skin a little bit with the tape, where that's the focus.

It's not even about maybe changing the bust line or anything else. that tape can do that, so kind of pull some of your excess skin out of the way, or if like, on the back, it's, you know, different places you might not like the silhouette overall, the tape can actually smooth things out.

Leah Haslage:

Like a facelift for your side boob.

Sara Rothan:

I mean, basically, yeah. So, I mean, that's a pretty cool thing. My number one recommendation with this will be practice, practice, practice. Do not be doing this for the first time on your wedding day.

Leah Haslage:

Don't do the first thing of anything on your wedding day.

Sara Rothan:

Correct. That is accurate. That is true. Don't ever do something for the first time on your wedding day. But like the practice of it is really crucial. I've ended up actually physically helping people figure out what to do to accomplish their particular goals with the tape in fittings leading up to the wedding day. And then I like, now go practice this at home. I want you to be somewhat comfortable with this if you're going to do it. But it can make a significant difference. So it's worth it.

Leah Haslage:

Do you have a certain brand of tape that you prefer over others?

Sara Rothan:

Not particularly. I had a client who had gone with Good Lines and I liked some of the pre-cut kind of, I'm going to call them triangles, they aren't because they're rounded, but they've kind of three point curves. And that's a nice, kind of quick way to do it. And I actually have a reel that is a TikTok that is like a comparison when we did one side and we didn't do the other and just that's just like one piece of this tape. Like I said, it's pretty crazy. The most crucial point on the tape is to read the removal instructions on your particular brand before you just go ripping that stuff off because some brands… Some brands suggest using lotions or coconut oil or what have you to help remove it. And if you don't do that.

Leah Haslage:

It's like a turn to a wax appointment if you don't do it right.

Sara Rothan:

But I had a bride who'd done that as a bridesmaid and then was freaking out that the abrasion that had occurred on her skin wasn't going to go away in time for her wedding. So I try not to terrify people, but just you don't need to do that. That's why we're warning you now. Yeah, like, just keep an eye out for those removal instructions is my biggest tip on the tape.

Leah Haslage:

So you hope as an alterations expert, as a garment engineer, that the client is going to be happy. But what if the client isn't? Like, what are the next steps? What can be done?

Sara Rothan:

I mean, it's very situational. And like, knock on wood, literally. I've never had a bride who is just unhappy at the overall outcome. Maybe sometimes there's elements that they were hoping would be a little bit different for whatever reason. I live in fear of encountering this situation.

Leah Haslage:

I'm not trying to instill a fear in you. I'm just trying to help others. Is this where communication is really clear? Do you have just so much communication between you and your clients that way? So anyone listening, be super clear on what you're looking for to avoid the situation.

Sara Rothan:

Correct. Like, I think oftentimes brides go to a tailor thinking of them as an expert, which is, you know, of course that makes perfect sense. but there's always a range of how people do things and how people communicate. And so there's sometimes I hear from brides, oh, like, well, I don't know if this is possible, but you're the expert, you're the expert. Sure, I'm the expert in how to make things happen, you know, how to tailor things. But I am not an expert in your preference or what you are going to prefer. And I feel like because I probably have low-key anxiety about being in this situation.

I am hyper communicative throughout the whole process because I want to be really clear that I am achieving the bride's vision for the dress. And if I can try and illustrate an example briefly, there are a lot of dresses that have wide set points on a dress. So like a big kind of scoop and then there's kind of cat ear points, if you will, almost shape that's coming into the charms area, right? So it kind of covers that area up a little bit and we're seeing a lot of these styles. If the bodice is big on the top, so around where it's setting against your skin on the top of the dress, standard practice is we're going to take it in at the side seams. But if you have a really wide setting point, and I apply that, that circumferential, that tension, like pulling it around your body, those points are going to widen, right?

They're going to be pulled further out, and then that's going to make wherever those points are set even wider. So depending on where it started, that makes a big difference in terms of how it looks to the bride. And the brides are often going on the sample dress that they tried on, which is one not probably the size that they ordered, which means the proportions are off.

And so it's really valuable for me and I'll be like, well, it's one of the first things I look at when a bride puts on a dress in their first fitting. I'm like, okay. where are you picturing these points are setting on your day because I can take it in from the side and it won't matter on this case if I take it in from the side or the back both of those are going to be pulling that dress towards the back which means widening those points alternatively I can take it in at the side front seams the princess seams going over the bust or sometimes at least on the under layers at the center front and then if I do that those points are going to move in a little bit or I can split the difference and I can take some in from the side and some in from the front

Leah Haslage:

Being very clear on where you want it makes the difference on your end.

Sara Rothan:

The thinking is, my job is to make it fit. And there's a couple different ways we can do that. It can physically fit you, but aesthetically, the way it looks is going to be wildly different to the bride's eye, okay? To the common onlooker, they're probably not going to notice the difference. But the bride's like, these are like two completely different dresses, and I like one of those, and I hate the other one. And so, that communication is such an important part of it.

And so I will say this to anyone going through this alterations process, absolutely communicate everything, that every thought that you have, don't worry about it sounding stupid. Don't worry about it. Like the fact that you're not an expert, you don't have to be. If it's aesthetic and it's like based on your preference for how it looks, speak up because I've literally pinned dresses and then at the very end of the fitting the bride will be like, I don't know if it matters I'm not sure if this is important but is there any way it could look you know fill in the blank. And in getting that extra bit of information I actually repinned the dress. I changed how I wanted to physically make the alterations so that it would be more in line with her aesthetic goal for the dress. So that communication is just super, super, super, super crucial.

Leah Haslage:

It's not a moment to be shy.

Sara Rothan:

No. Speak up. Don't worry about it. I'm never going to judge you for asking a question.

Leah Haslage:

That's why alterations experts are there for. They want to know what you're wanting. Because if not, then it's going to end up not being what you want, and then you're going to be pissed off. But it's not their fault. Like, you need to speak up.

Sara Rothan:

Yeah, we don't know what we don't know. We know if we made it fit you or not, but be as clear as you can and speak up as much as you possibly think to. And honestly, I always tell my brides, like, if any questions, concerns come up between fittings, also let me know about that. Oh. So that If you're like, I've been thinking about it, and I actually hate the idea of cutting the hem off, cutting the train off, or whatever it was that they maybe just thought that they wanted to do in the fitting, then by all means, let me know as soon as you can.

Leah Haslage:

Any final piece of advice before we get to the fun question?

Sara Rothan:

My advice would be; inform yourself about the process as much as possible. So obviously you should all be looking to my tips and tricks and bits of information on social media because I try and address as many things as I possibly can and I've even answered a couple brides who are getting their alterations done maybe across the country and were freaking out about whether something was possible. They sent me photos and so I responded and I'm like, yes, it's all possible. You're going to get there.

So reach out and ask your questions and if the tailor that you're working with is not answering your questions or can't answer your questions or I've had a lot of this this season I've talked to brides that were told that something wasn't possible based on their preference. And then, you know, they looked around and they reached out to me and I've been like, well, that's absolutely possible.

Leah Haslage:

It's just that person can't do it.

Sara Rothan:

Right. And in fact, one of my brides had two different tailors tell her that something wasn't possible. And it absolutely was. And we did it. So if you're not getting the answers, answers that you like, and hopefully it's not just about your particular dress, but if you're not feeling like your tailor is hearing you and really endeavoring to achieve those goals, then there's a world in which you get a second opinion, like you would for any other number of things.

Leah Haslage:

I love your dream big, anything is possible attitude. Like it makes my heart so happy.

Sara Rothan:

Thank you. I mean, it's really because I feel like I'm not really in the business of making dresses fit. I'm in the business of achieving, like making happy brides is kind of how I think of it. And, you know, I love a challenge. I get a lot of brides who ask me if I've worked on a particular dress before. And I think maybe there's too much, they place too much value in that because I feel like the nature of my job is to be competent at working on dresses I've never seen the insides of before, never worked on before. It's like, for me, it's part of the fun and it's part of the challenge, but I obviously geek out on this stuff pretty hard, so.

Leah Haslage:

Speaking of geeking out, when we last met up in 2021 on Weddings Unveiled, the last question I asked you was, what is your favorite celebrity and royal wedding looks? And at the time for celebrity, it was Gwen Stefani to Gavin Rossdale. This is when she was engaged to Blake. They weren't even married yet. And your favorite royal was Kate Middleton. And you liked Megan's, but you had issues with the fit. And since that interview, I've had so many people say the exact same thing, FYI. It wasn't just you. The upper fit was just like off.

Sara Rothan:

No, it was terrible. I think I still sometimes get articles on my phone about Katy Perry calling it out.

Leah Haslage:

Really?

Sara Rothan:

Stress. Yeah. And people are like, see, like that was such a mean thing to say. And I'm like, or was it accurate? Because it wasn't, you know, a beautiful fit.

Leah Haslage:

So since 2021, do you have the same opinion on your favorite celebrity and royal wedding looks, or do you have new takes?

Sara Rothan:

I still love Gwen's dress. I think because I work with wedding dresses all the time, I love how all the dresses that my brides choose for them and for their love of it and like again it kind of falls into the category of like what people love for themselves. I think what I was drawn to with Gwen's dress is that it was just really fun and different and it was like a little more, you know, exciting. I actually just this morning saw photos of Christina Hendricks from Mad Men wedding dress that just came out. And it was just like, not at all my style, but also I really loved it.

Leah Haslage:

Yeah, it fit her perfectly. That was in like New Orleans or Savannah or something, right? It was beautiful. I can't remember if Christian Siriano did the wedding dress. I know he did like the stuff leading up to the wedding.

Sara Rothan:

I don't know. I just saw it this morning. I was confused because I thought she just got married. I was like, did she have another wedding? I don't know what happened, but it was, it was like three tiered, with lace and a mantilla style. It was so pretty. And I just, I think I don't have a specific answer. And I feel like that's a great one.

Leah Haslage:

And it hasn't been brought up yet. Her wedding look is so unique and so vintage. And her body was like snatched in it. It was perfection.

Sara Rothan:

Yeah, it looked amazing. It was just so tailored. And I think that's what I'm like, kind of my go to. Like, I love something. It's just like a little bit different. Yeah. And just like profoundly personalized to the bride.

Leah Haslage:

Such a unique look. We'll try to have it up on social, so y'all can see it if you haven't seen it yet.

Sara Rothan:

Yeah, it was just like there was some really beautiful lace, especially in the veil and some of the detailing on the arms. That was so beautiful and just different. It was different.

Leah Haslage:

All right, Sara, so how can we check out your reels and see your work on social and your website?

Sara Rothan:

Yes, I would absolutely love that. So my website is srothan.com. My socials are s.rothan. And I also have, I guess, the Dress Rescue, which is something we didn't really talk about, but it's where I kind of last minute save dresses that have gone through alterations with another tailor and did not come out to the bride’s liking, but they only got it about a week before their wedding. So we call it dress rescue because, well, that's what we're doing in a very short time, which, you know, hats off to red carpet alterations that have honed that skill set in me to do very quick turnaround, you know, massive changes.

Leah Haslage:

What made you decide to have dress rescue?

Sara Rothan:

Frankly, the need, unfortunately, the idea that I mean, I encountered it a couple of times, and I was like, this is unfortunately a real thing. And I, you know, there's a part of me that like hates to even like talk about it, because I don't want to freak brides out that this is, this is something that can and does happen.

Leah Haslage:

Yeah, this is reality. We're the no bullshit podcast. This is the truth.

Sara Rothan:

I mean, unfortunately, yeah, there have been alteration situations where the dress was tailored and it did not look good at the end. And like I said, about a week before the wedding. So we're talking, you know, massive overhaul. And it kind of came out of like, well, unfortunately this is a thing that happens and I want to do everything in my power to help that situation because the emotions are obviously running so high.

One of my brides was just like I've been so on top of every single detail about my wedding. I was the girl that dreamed about her wedding day when I was little. and I got to this situation and I just can't fathom how this happened and the poor thing was just like tears. So yeah being able to kind of like swoop in and help out in that situation is some of the most gratifying work. I just want to be able to help in that situation.

And so it kind of became its own separate service. And since then, I've actually, through social media, had a couple of people reach out, find, you know, people desperate on TikTok that find themselves in that situation and are relieved to see that somebody is kind of addressing like hashtag dress emergency, et cetera.

Leah Haslage:

You're a superhero for brides.

Sara Rothan:

I, you know, I do everything I can. I really, I really try.

Leah Haslage:

How can we get info on that? On Dress Rescue?

Sara Rothan

Um, so, and that's just, uh, Dress Rescue, at Dress Rescue. on both TikTok and Instagram. We actually just launched YouTube, which is for longer format stories about the alterations process, dress rescues, but also redesigns for people who want to like dive a little deeper and hear some of the, you know, nitty gritty specifics of the of the process for a lot of the projects that I've worked on. So from Custom to Dress Rescue, all of it, that's gonna be on YouTube.

Leah Haslage:

I can't wait to geek out on it.

Sara Rothan:

It's definitely for nerds. Oh my gosh, I thought of my tip. I thought of my big tip. You wanted your big tip and I just now got it.

Leah Haslage:

Yes, let's close this out with your big tip.

Sara Rothan:

Okay, here's the big tip, and it ties in delightfully with how do you get referrals for your wedding dress. Okay, my lovely brides, here's the thing. Tag your tailor in your social media. Hashtag tag your tailor. Here's why.

One, new tailors like to get credit too. It's kind of crucial to how you look in your gorgeous dress with your beautiful makeup and your beautiful hair and your gorgeous flowers. It's nice to give credit to everyone involved in the process, one. But two, really importantly, it helps other brides because if you don't have a friend to pass that information along, and tell you where they went, they loved working with somebody, then you're looking on social media at these kind of epic, beautiful weddings that get posted. And you're looking at the list of credits, and if you see who the tailor is, then you can look if that tailor happens to be near you. And if people started doing this more, there would be a greater recognition for this part of the process, but also it would help other brides find tailors that they feel like they can trust because they've been previously vetted by other people. I think it's, I don't know, it's my little movement I'm trying to start.

Leah Haslage:

No, I think it's really important and it's a great point because just like giving credit to your photographer and your florist and everyone else, the alterations expert is just as important because they're helping make you look so good for the big day.

Sara Rothan:

Makes such a massive difference having a dress that fits you versus not. It would just be super helpful for other brides. So that's my solid out.

Leah Haslage:

Great tips and so great to catch up with you again today, Sara. Thank you again. And thanks, Chilla fans, for listening. Talk to you next time.

Thanks for joining us today! Be sure to subscribe wherever you get podcasts so you never miss an episode. Give us a follow on social media and visit thebridechilla.com. To leave a question you'd like to hear answered on the show, head to speakpipe.com/bridechillapodcast, also linked in the description.

Bridechilla is a production of Evergreen Podcasts. Thanks to our producer and engineer, Gray Sienna Longfellow, and our executive producers, Brigid Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. And of course, a special thanks to Aleisha, our OG bridechilla, and Meghan Ely of OFD Consulting. I'm your host, Leah Haslage. Until next time, Chillas!