Debra Hedeen Custom Bridal

Debra altered both of my wedding gowns. One was a skirt/​cami ensemble from BHLDN that just needed to be hemmed and bustled, and the other was a Ivy & Aster dress that I bought at The Dress Theory’s sample sale. It was 3 sizes too big and needed a bustle, as well. The dress was silk chiffon with quite a few layers with very pretty draping at the hips. Debra was able to get to fit perfectly without compromising the draping and gathering, and the overall design of the dress. She was very prompt and extremely pleasant to work with during such a hectic time! HIGHLY recommended.

Debra is great. I had a very simple dress. She made me feel at home and was an integral to my wedding process as my family is far away. Apparently she’s altered dresses for generations of women. It was worth the drive to Ballard! If you want to support local here you go! Thanks Debra :).

Talk about a fairy god mother. After a horrible experience at a highly recommended shop downtown where I was left to believe I would need a new dress? someone recommended Debra on my facebook page. After that several other friends commented with only wonderful reviews. I called Debra right away and left a message. She returned my call the following morning and we set up my appointment for a few days later. I wasn’t sure if she would have availability but she did! My wedding is 8 weeks away and I have two gowns — a white gown that screams bridal for the ceremony and longer beaded gown for the reception. Not only was her space adorable — she’s been operating her own business for 34 years. She knows what’s up ! Her prices are reasonable and WORTH every penny. She put me at ease and her expertise is top notch. My fiancé came with me which was amazing and non traditional (just like me). I’ve already emailed 3 friends with her details because I want them to have the best experience too! Debra is amazing. you will love her.

I bought my wedding gown on the east coast while I was home visiting my parents, but I needed to find a local seamstress to alter it before my Seattle wedding. Debra was recommended by my wedding planner and I couldn’t have asked for a better option.
Despite working with brides all day long, when I met Debra she greeted me with a hug and genuine interest in my wedding details. While I didn’t need major alterations, the work Debra did was flawless. (My husband kept telling me that the dress looked like it had been built just for me because it fit so perfectly!) I especially loved the bustle she created. Not only did it allow me to dance all night, but it added a unique dimension to the skirt without hiding any of the beading on the waist.
Debra is an extremely skilled seamstress and I would recommend her to any bride.

I went with Debra to alter my wedding dress and left in shock and in tears because when I picked up my dress the week of my wedding, there was a small purple stain on the back of the dress. When I pointed it out, she said «Hmm, I don’t know how it got there. I don’t bring food or anything up here.» That may be, but it was not there when I dropped it off. I told her that I had never put it on prior to my first fitting with her. It came straight from the boutique and into her hands. She then said, «Hmm, well you can never know with those sweat shops in China. Their conditions are horrid.» My gown is designer, mind you, not made in an Asian sweat shop and I was insulted by her comment. She tried rubbing white cloth chalk on the dress, but my gown was silk and ivory and it was not helping at all. It was such a huge disappointment. My gown was low back and very simple with no embellishments, so the only focal point of the dress was the back of the gown. Rather than risk having the gown handled further by a dry cleaner, I wore the dress as is at my wedding.
Other things to note:
1. She doesn’t require you take off your shoes in her workshop. The ground is dusty and dirty and if you have a train (which mine did), it will drag and get immediately dirty. Yes, this will happen on the day of your wedding, no doubt about that, but it’s best practice to maintain as clean a facility as you can to minimize the opportunity for staining as much as possible.
2. Expensive. Her quotes are far above other tailors I’ve used (Eltsa Custom Sewing, or P.A. Jens). I was in such shock over the stain, I didn’t even bother to negotiate the price down. She said to me, «how bout we just take off $ 50 or something.» I paid nearly full price for a damaged gown.
3. Alterations were not as hoped. Unlike other tailors who have you come in multiple times for several fittings in order to course correct as needed, she insisted on only seeing me once. At the consultation, and at the final fitting. I had several alterations being done, so would have preferred more fittings for piece of mind. I didn’t push back and that was my fault. As I feared, the low back was no longer as low as when I was fitted at the consultation nor when I tried on the dress in the boutique. The straps were taken in way too much and the whole gown was hiked up much higher than the designer intended.
4. Unresponsive. I emailed and called a couple of times to schedule my final pick up date, and no reply. I had to call again a week later and when she answered, we scheduled my final pick up date then.
Perhaps my experience really was just one in a hundred, but on your wedding day, you don’t want to be that statistic.

I had a great experience. She was sweet and accomodating. I was never worried. The back of my dress was lace with buttons. She noticed that it puckered or didn’t lay flat. I would never have noticed and didn’t care. For no extra cost, she tried like 3 things until one of them worked so that it would lay perfectly flat. She also took the headpiece off my mom’s veil so I could use it as a mantilla style veil without harming the lace.
She was very good.

Debra is wonderful! She is great at what she does and is an absolutely lovely person. Debra did my alterations for my wedding gown in time for my August wedding. She did a great job, and kept the price reasonable. She even called me back on my wedding day after I called her with a question about the bustle on my dress. She was so lovely and helpful throughout the entire process. I highly recommend her for all your wedding dress alteration needs!

Debra did the alterations for my wedding dress and created my lace wedding veil.
1. For my veil, I brought her my mom’s old wedding dress and asked her to create a long completely lace veil out of the fabric. WOW– it only took her a few days and it was perfect.
2. She completely reconstructed the back of my wedding dress– it was a very unique Carolina Herrera wedding dress that was slightly too tight in the back so she took out the zipper and added a corset. I LOVED the corset even more than I loved the original zipper look! (sorry Carolina!)
The services she provides are fast and affordable and the quality of her work was very impressive.
Thank you Debra!

Debra is amazing. I had her alter my wedding dress for my July wedding. She added a corset to the back and made it look amazing! She meets with you and gives you a free quote and she stuck to that number which was very reasonable. Highly recommend.

Deb is just amazing. She did a wonderful job on my dress. She is super friendly and does excellent work. I drove 1 ½ hours one way to make sure she is the one to alter my dress. Highly recommended!

Thank GOD for Debra! She saved the day last year when an unnamed bridal shop ordered my very pricy custom beaded dress too BIG and after getting a quote at another unnamed alterations shop on the Eastside for almost the cost of my entire dress — Debra was able to quote me a very reasonable price AND alter my dress in a way without cutting/​chopping/​re-​beading or otherwise ruining the integrity of my beautiful dress and the open back. I LOVED that she was able to give such a fair and good price for altering, hemming and creating a bustle — all while doing it with less than 2 weeks until my wedding date. I was really thrilled with her work and was so happy to know that my dress fits. Plus she is just so sweet & friendly and I love her adorable studio in her super cute farmhouse style home in Ballard!
I would not have trusted anyone else to touch my dress except Debra and I will definitely be returning for any future alterations I or my friends & family may need.
She has 30+ years of experience and can handle even the most delicate, custom beaded designer gowns many Seattle brides enjoy purchasing from local boutiques.

Very nice lady who did a lovely job altering my wedding dress

Debra was wonderful to work with and isn’t satisfied until everything is just right with your dress. Getting fitted is a very soothing experience which is nice when you’re usually neck deep in crazy planning details.
I definitely recommend her.

I was recommended to Debra through a couple of different wedding websites. I was trying to find an affordable but reliable person to do the alterations on my wedding dress. It’s hard not to be slightly nervous when you are handing over your wedding dress to a complete stranger.
Debra was absolutely amazing though. :D I read the reviews on here and knew to call in advance to schedule my initial appointment. When I called the first time she put me down in her book and told me to call back closer to the wedding to finalize the exact appointment but that she would reserve a spot for me for sure.
When I did call back she had no problem scheduling my appointment. At the actual appointment she was extremely friendly and she made me feel confident in leaving my dress with her. At the final fitting I was amazed to see that my dress alterations looked so perfect and I was so excited. She did such a fabulous job and at such a great price. Before the wedding she steamed the dress and it looked absolutely stunning.
Anyone who had a bad review on here was just because they wanted her to do items that weren’t wedding dresses, or didn’t call until the last minute. People need to realize that she is just one woman and that she can book up if you wait too long.
Debra is amazing and so wonderful, I highly recommend her to anyone.

Debra was amazing. She not only does impeccable work, but she is very sweet as well. She took in the straps for my dress and also reworked the sides so that the dress would curve with my hips. I highly recommend Debra for your wedding dress alterations.

Amazing.
The very first thing she did when I called was ask when the wedding was and what changes I’d need; very professional to assure she had the capacity to take on my request.
Skip forward one pinning appointment and a verification fitting…
$ 60 got me a perfectly fixed bridesmaid dress taken in for the bodice. The dress in its original condition was falling off so badly it would have sat around my hips, but after Debra had her way with it I was able to dance the night away with minimal tugging (come on, who honestly leaves themselves be in a strapless dress? :-)) and zero discomfort. I’ve got girls on the small side, so this holding up well was quite the accomplishment. Thank you, Debra!

Could not have asked for a better experience tailoring my wedding dress. Debra makes you feel at home in her charming sewing room with antique furniture. She is a pro and fixed my dress exactly how I wanted it and was always so nice and reliable through the whole process.

Seriously, if you’re getting married, and you’re wearing a dress, you need to go to Debra. She is a rock star with a needle and thread. I didn’t need a whole lot done to my dress (only some minor hemming) but she did it with grace and expertise and a big smile.
A few things to know, since there seems to be some unhappy people out there:
–She only does wedding dresses! As a private business run out of her home, she has the liberty to pick and choose what she wants to work on and since she’s in such high demand, she can make the decision to only work on wedding dresses. Bummer, since I’d love to have her customize a bunch of my stuff, but it’s true.
–Take your shoes, bra, and underthings you’ll be wearing on your wedding day. When you put your dress on to be fitted, she wants to know EXACTLY where to pin you.
–Call in advance. Like 3 – 4 months in advance. She might not schedule you for your first fitting for 6 weeks out, but better to be safe and get yourself on her calendar. This lady is busy! I picked up my dress yesterday for my wedding this weekend and she told me she has 20 dresses going out for this weekend alone! And this is getting towards the end of her season! Wow!
So treat your dress right– go to Debra and you won’t be sorry.

Deb was awesome! I called her up to make an appointment 6 weeks before my wedding, I had my second fitting 2 weeks later and then she steamed my gown and had it ready for pick up the week of my wedding. She always answered my voice mails and was awesome to work with.
She took in the bust of my dress, which had intricate lace and beading– it looked perfect. She also did a hem in the front and added a beautiful french bustle. All for $ 160. I couldn’t recommend her more!

Debra saved my wedding dress!
Almost a year before my wedding I bought a strapless organiza A-​line gown with angled draped pick-​ups all over. It’s an absolutely gorgeous dress with a sweetheart neckline, 3D floral embellishment, and a sweep train. After trying on more than 40 dresses it was the only one that felt like «the one.»
A couple months before my wedding I realized that diet and exercise had caused my dress to now be several sizes too big! I took it to David’s Bridal for an alterations appointment and the unprofessional and cold sales person quoted me more than $ 300 to have the dress taken in. And it would cost even more to have it hemmed and bustled. Plus I still had more than two months to go before my wedding and planned on losing more weight, but they insisted that I needed to leave the dress with them that day, so no guarantees I wouldn’t have to have additional alterations done.
I found Debra online and was very impressed with her reviews, so I called her right away. I explained my situation and she said the alterations would be no problem for her and she only needed to see me four weeks before my big day. I went to my consultation appointment at Debra’s home in Ballard which is an adorable old two-​story white house. She does her work upstairs in room just filled with gorgeous wedding dresses, it seemed like something out of a fairy tale. Debra took one look at my dress, came at me with some pins, and that was that. I loved her confidence and left feeling absolutely sure that my dress was in good hands.
My wedding gown ended up fitting absolutely PERFECT! Debra probably had to take it in several sizes but you’d never be able to tell it was even touched. She also did the bustle, hemmed the front, and steamed the dress and veil for me. Everything was waiting for me the afternoon before my wedding along with a hug for good luck from Debra. The total cost was only $ 219.
I can’t thank Debra enough for how much she helped make my fairy tale come true. I would recommend her to any bride looking for any amount of alterations to a wedding gown, without question!

She may deal predominantly in wedding dresses, but nowhere did it say this is all she would touch. I have a dress I needed let out in the bust as I have a larger then average chest. I had no strict deadline for needing it done. I called her to set up an appointment to have it looked at. When I got her call back she informed me it was not worth her time.
This really upset me as I was willing to pay good money to have this adorable dress let out. I would have understood if she actually looked at the dress and turned me away, but no she wouldn’t even give me the time. I am so unimpressed and hurt.
If you are not going to have a bridal dress altered go elsewhere. Everyday looks appear to be in capable of filling her hours as I was so informed.

Debra is awesome. I wasn’t sure about adding straps to my gown, I didn’t want them but thought I might need them or what other alterations I might need. I went to Debra and she zipped my dress up and it fit perfectly, she assured me the fit was secure and it would stay put all night (she was right)!
All I needed was the bustle and a nice steam which she did. She is very open and honest and makes sure you look and feel beautiful in your gown. I wish I had more for her to alter because I also just enjoyed working with her. Quick service, fair price, she was kind enough to hold my dress for a couple weeks so I just picked it up the day before my wedding and dropped at my venue. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Debra is absolutely fantastic! I highly recommend her to anyone in need of alterations, especially brides and bridesmaids.
She’s altered my wedding gown, my sister’s, a friend’s, and on another occasion a bridesmaid dress for me. She’s very pleasant, knowledgeable, and prompt with alterations.
Details of my wedding gown alterations:
Changed from a straight strapless neckline to a slight sweetheart and took the sides in. Absolutely beautiful work! Go to her, you won’t be disappointed!