Sandra Usherov Bridal

Sandra altered a bridesmaid dress for me earlier this year… she did a fantastic job and was super nice to work with. I am taking another bridesmaid dress to her to alter so I can wear again soon (it is a long purple strapless gown that she is going to shorten and change a bit!) and would recommend her to anyone. Fantastic person and tailor and dress maker!

I brought Sandra a previously worn wedding dress I had picked up from a bridal shop and while it was beautiful as is, it didn’t feel «me.» I came to Sandra with a few ideas about what I could do, but she really helped me solidify ideas by explaining what’s possible and encouraging playfulness with the dress. She transformed it over 3 fittings and every fitting experience was a joy. She’s hospitable, kind, helpful and SO good at what she does. On top of it all, her prices are incredibly reasonable –worth every penny!

When I contacted Sandra about rebuilding my grandmother’s wedding dress from the 1950’s (which fit pretty well, but looked a little bizarre in a 2015 context), I figured the job would involve making some basic structural and fit changes. But Sandra went above and beyond, suggesting beautiful details I never would have thought of, weighing in when I was shopping for a crinoline, and even creating hand-​sewn trims from leftover fabric. (I can honestly say my dress was couture!) She was also extremely accommodating, and her rates are totally affordable. The fact that she’s really cool to talk to is just the cherry on the cake. I’d recommend her to any bride.

Sandra is a wedding gem. She was incredibly easy to reach over email, scheduled two easygoing appointments at her home studio and created a beautiful bustle for my wedding dress – in peak wedding season. Highly recommended.

I am about ¹⁄₃ into my custom wedding dress process with Sandra and I am extremely excited!!! I’ve now met with her 3 times: 1. Dress Shopping for inspiration. I panicked with the large selection and went completely off course. Having access to my private wedding dress Pinterest board and completely understanding my vision, Sandra was able to point me back in the right direction. Then we grabbed a snack and chatted about the design, it was like she was in my head, she knew exactly what I wanted. She also offered up great ideas to enhance the style. 2. Fabric shopping. She took me to a few stores and it was much easier to narrow down fabric selections than I thought it would be. My homework was to make a final decision and buy my fabric within a month. DO NOT SLACK ON THIS! I procrastinated and the store barely had enough fabric. 3. First fitting in muslin. This was so much fun because you finally get to see your dream dress come to life. She made the dress a little big and a little long. At fist I was nervous, but it was actually exactly what we needed because it allowed us to pin and cut and shaped the dress exactly as we wanted.
Each time I’ve met with Sandra I leave beaming! Her knowledge and experience is very calming which makes it’s easy to make decisions. And her love for what she does just feeds into your own excitement and makes you feel like your on cloud nine! My 2^nd Muslim fit is coming up and I’m counting down the days!
Pictures to follow…

Can’t find the exact wedding dress you’re looking for? Found a dress you love but is way out of your price range? Stop, drop everything, and get in touch with Sandra. She’s your lifeline. I found a relatively simple dress that I loved, but was from a brand-​new-​über-​hot-​designer and when you added in the incredible alterations that would be needed since I’m only 5’1, it was more than double what I could spend. I met with Sandra and she worked with me to capture the parts of the dress that I liked while enhancing it for my body type, wedding location, and style. I was slightly nervous since the dress looked simple, but as you all know, simple requires perfect execution. Sandra reassured me that she could do it, and I am SO glad that I ended up going with her. She worked through multiple fittings to make a perfect muslin mock-​up so that she didn’t have to sew the delicate dress fabric more than once. She had endless patience for my waffling on certain aspects of the dress up until the 11^th hour and the endless stream of input (sometimes wanted, sometimes not) from my Mother and Sister. The end result was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen, and I could not have been happier. She’s truly amazing and I can’t say enough wonderful things about her.

To my surprise, I found my wedding dress on BHLDN, and ordered it in 2 sizes. I was really confused about which size to keep, and knew that either way, the dress would need alterations. Luckily, my mom read about Sandra online and I made an appointment to visit her adorable home/​studio in Fort Greene. I am so glad we decided to work together. Sandra helped me choose which size dress to keep and then perfectly altered my delicate, intricately-​beaded gown, removing the train (as I had requested) and inserting cups so I’d have a little more cleavage. She had awesome tips on how to accessorize the dress and even made quick tweaks to the gown while I waited at my last appointment. I’m totally confident it will look perfect when I wear it in just four weeks! But probably the most fun part of working with Sandra (other than getting to know her — she’s awesome) was flipping through her book of custom designed dresses. They are gorgeous and she really worked with each bride to envision and create what that bride dreamed up. If I’d known about this earlier in my wedding planning process, I probably would have hired Sandra to make a dress for me. Go to Sandra!

Sandra is AMAZING! I went to her for an alteration on my bridesmaid dress. There were 4 bridesmaids in the wedding and we all had the same problem — the dress was too big in the chest. Since we are all from different locations we all went to different seamstresses for our alterations. I was the only one who went to Sandra. On the day of the wedding, I was the only bridesmaid with a dress that fit perfectly. Two of the girls had to wear «chicken cutlets» and one wore a padded bra to try and fill the space that wasn’t taken in. I was done and ready to party as soon as I was zipped up! :)
THE DRESS FIT PERFECTLY! One bridesmaid told me they took her dress in from the back because they couldn’t take it in from the sides. Well, Sandra was able to take mine in on the sides and it solved all the problems. This shows me that Sandra is an EXPERT at what she does and that she clearly understands all sorts of seems and fabrics.
I’ve also seen photos of her custom wedding gowns and they are GORGEOUS! She is a true artist! :)

I purchased a Claire Pettibone gown out of state and was on the hunt for someone local and experienced to do some alterations. I came across Sandra’s Unilocal page and her personal website and right away, I got a great feeling about her. Luckily for me, she was able to accept my dress and it was an absolutely wonderful experience.
I was one of those «bundle of nerves» sort of brides, but each time I came to visit Sandra at her charming apartment /​workspace, her warm personality calmed me right down. We would spend most of our time chatting like friends! She is patient, kind, and so helpful with her suggestions. Best of all, she is very knowledgable about the wedding business and familiar with Pettibone and other designers. With her marvelous handiwork and attention to detail, I felt so beautiful on my wedding day. In fact, I almost wish Sandra had made a custom gown for me. Her creations I have seen online are breathtaking.
If there were 10 stars possible, I would give that to Sandra Usherov Bridal. Highly, highly recommended!

I was referred to Sandra by a friend who said she did wonderful work. I was a little skeptical at first because I had never heard of her before, but her studio was close by so I decided to make an appointment and run the job by her to «feel» her out.
I met her at her immaculate studio in Fort Green and fell in love with her immediately. She was super sweet, very supportive, but most importantly, very very calm. It was my first time being a bridesmaid in a VERY important wedding (I’m talking million dollar Great Gatsby type wedding, 1,000 guests being held at a private museum in California). I was going to be surrounded by a bunch of people from high school that I hadn’t seen in ages, so in a way it was like the high school reunion I never wanted. It was important that I made a good impression. But, not surprisingly, the bridesmaids dress was hideous and fit me awkwardly. I looked like a seal dressed in a pear costume. I needed this fixed, pronto. The problem was I had to alter the dress without it looking like it had been altered. The bride (zilla) had specifically said that she didn’t want anyone to change or alter the dress.
When I told Sandra this, she was very understanding and dealt with my neurosis very well. What I liked her her also, was that she was very confident. She told me exactly what needed to be done to make the dress fit my body type and complement my curves and height. She assured me she would be stealthy about the alterations and clean everything up seamlessly so no one would ever know I had changed it.
Less than two weeks later I went to go pick up the dress. I slipped the dress on almost in slow motion because I was apprehensive about how the dress would look. The wedding was a week away, so if it didnt work out, I wouldnt have much time to fix it. But ALAS, the dress FIT LIKE A GLOVE and I stood there staring at myself in the mirror, amazed that it was the same dress! I couldn’t believe it! Somehow she made it so the dress actually looked flattering! I kept asking her over and over how she did it, and she said she changed the waist line, took in some of the weird puffiness out on the sides etc etc. I was totally flabbergasted and so, so grateful. Now I could go to this wedding confident, not having to feel self conscious in a dress that made me look ridiculous.
I just came back from the wedding this weekend. It was a beautiful but ridiculous affair (people spraying 200 $ bottles of champaign all over the dance floor, fighter jets flying over the ceremony, opera singers, lots of taxidermy). As I hoped, no one expected a thing. I even got compliments on how cute the dress looked on me, which we all know is rare for a bridesmaid dress.
So, point is, go to Sandra with you most delicate, prized wedding designs and dresses. This girl is professional and patient. I loved working with her. If I ever decide to get married, I’m going back to her.

I was referred to Sandra by a good friend of mine. She altered her wedding dress and created a top for her reception gown. She raved about how exceptional her work was. From the moment I met Sandra, I fell in love with her amazing personality, work ethic, professionalism, and her extraordinary alterations.
Sandra altered two sample wedding dresses for me, a mermaid style and a ballroom dress. Once she was done with it…(sigh) THEY FIT ME LIKE A GLOVE! If you are searching for a seamstress… let it end here. You won’t find any one better. She is a sweetheart! I have also seen the beautiful gowns she has created and ones she has reworked. Breathtaking! She does it all…

I don’t know if I can find the words to describe how beautiful I felt in my wedding dress that Sandra created for me. Sandra not only made me the perfect dress, she confidently and caringly worked with me through every step of the way.
I had a hazy initial idea of what I wanted, and after our first meeting I was beyond excited about the design. Sandra asked questions, made suggestions and made me feel at ease about the whole process. At the very first fitting, my custom dress from scratch was so spot on, it only required the tiniest adjustment in the shoulder straps.
The final garment was more than I could have imagined. Sandra’s attention to detail, her exceptional garment construction skills, and her talented and creative eye were all evident in my dress. Sandra designed a dress for me that not only made me feel beautiful, and fit me like a glove, it also shined with my personality and was truly a one of a kind.
I was (and still am) so impressed with Sandra’s ability that I have recommended her fabulous skills to every newly engaged lady that I meet. I highly suggest contacting her to make your wedding dress dream come true.

Sandra made my DREAM wedding dress… I could not have been more happy!
The dress was exactly what I envisioned, but better. Her draping and sewing talents, suggestions and creativity were priceless. While she had definite opinions, she does not have an ego. She really cares about getting it RIGHT, and exactly what you want.
The fabric, style and fit of my dress were perfection. It was so flattering and comfortable, and it stayed in place all night! Sandra took my vision and added beautiful details that made it all the more special… she hand-​stitched vintage lace trim over every interior seam, she added antique fastenings from her own personal collection, she hid sweet mementos from the women in my family into the interior… it was seriously so beyond my expectations that it took my breath away! It was a dress that was truly worthy of the day it was worn :)
She also created a birdcage headpiece for me and styled my whole look! I mean, really– she just went so above and beyond! I cannot recommend her enough!
(Edited to add) My dress was obviously special enough to catch the eye of the people at the Ruffled Blog! They featured our wedding!

Sandra not only sold me my wedding gown, but also did all the necessary alterations in advance of my wedding. I bought a designer sample dress that needed a lot of work in the months preceding my wedding. Sandra was so detail-​oriented, and had a great vision for my dress, which required several fittings. She also created a perfect veil for me, using part of my mother’s dress.
I highly recommend Sandra to anyone looking for help with their wedding/​bridesmaid dresses. She is so accommodating and so talented!