Hi everyone.

I just found my dress at Glamour Closet this past weekend! But I will need to have it shortened quite a bit. The dress is a Monique Lhuillier -- covered in lace and embroidery with a lot of embellishment at the hem.  To maintain the proportions and the design, I need to find someone who is very skilled with working with lace, since it can't simply be shortened by cutting it across the bottom.

Does anyone have any recommendations in the Bay Area?  I'm hoping not to spend an arm and a leg, but I will pay a premium for excellent workmanship.

Thanks!

bonnie hoffman was amazing!!

My dress fitted perfectly so no alterations needed. I used Kirsten Tucker for my bustle.  A lot of people used Si Arima, and had good results.  Look through project wedding's vendor list for more:

http://www.projectwedding.com/vendor/search/northern_california/alterations

My gown is all lace and I was pleased with the work of si arima. In fact I'm picking up my dress today from her..:) If my opinion about her changes after today, I'll be sure to post another reply.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/thuys-pro-bridal-alterations-milpitas

I'm taking my lace dress to Jacquie's Sew and Sew in Palo Alto

i went to thuy's in milpitas - see rkrupan's link :P, great results and good price. pics in my bio.

Thanks, everyone.  Your recommendations sound great.  After perusing yelp and visiting two different places, I decided to trust my dress with Louise Austrie in Oakland.  http://www.yelp.com/biz/louise-austrie-oakland

39 5-star yelp reviews were pretty persuasive, as well as the fact that she lives less than 10 minutes away from me so I can visit my dress any time. While the alterations are not inexpensive, I found that she was very willing to think creatively about how to bring the cost of alterations down as well as do the work while preserving the integrity of the dress so that it can be altered again down the road if I decide to sell it!