Ericka was absolutely phenomenal. I came across her business through Yelp and sent her a message. She responded immediately and we scheduled an appointment. I needed a slip added to my dress as well as alterations to the length of my dress. Ericka matched the perfect color of slip. She was able to have the dress completed within 2 weeks after meeting her. Incredible! She is extremely talented. I loved how my dress turned out. I had zero complaints on the day of the event.. the slip didn't rise. I definitely plan on seeing Ericka for all future alterations and projects. read more

Ericka was incredibly friendly and helpful. I was late to get my bridesmaid dress fitted for my cousins wedding. Ericka got me on her schedule and helped shorten and alter the v neck of the dress. It was extremely low cut and she worked her magic and made the neckline stunning. My cousin was thrilled and loved the way it came out as well. Thank you again Ericka! Will definitely call you for any future event attire needs. read more

Ericka Engelman Couture - Bridesmaid dress neckline alterations. - Bridal Near Me - Salinas, California

If you're wanting the best of the best- see Ericka. My mother in law went on and on about this woman who custom made her gown 17 years ago. My friend who got married a few years ago also loved her seamstress. Difference was- my friends dress was mostly lace and the woman who did hers took all of the lace off, fitted the dress and put it all back on. I knew she knew how to work with lace. My mother in law insisted I call her gal & IT WAS THE SAME WOMAN- ERICKA! She has been in the business for so long I immediately knew my dress was in good hands. Going to her home was convenient & her hours were flexible. She immediately starts pinning and fitting- it felt SO DIFFERENT the second visit. She had ALOT of work to do on my dress and a lot of it was hand stitching lace on to the back of the sleeves. She 100% knows what she is doing and she is worth every penny! Ericka is so helpful and will make your dress fit PERFECTLY! Thank you for making my dress MINE! One of a kind and I am forever thankful- you helped making my wedding day PERFECT. read more

Ericka Engelman Couture - Before- I hated this dress and I think it shows - Bridal Near Me - Salinas, California

See all

Ericka created my vision of perfection for my girls' (Ages 9 & 1) to wear matching dresses to my wedding dress. I had bought my dress months beforehand and was searching for the perfect dresses for my girls to wear as this was a special day for them as well. After no luck in finding what I wanted I decided to purchase a second dress like mine and have it taken apart to create to smaller versions to match mommy exactly. And that's exactly what she did! My girls looked absolutely stunning. The whole experience of creating something I had envisioned come to life as a one of a kind creation for my girls couldn't have been better. Will definitely be coming back for future alterations and any custom work. Ericka is the best!! read more

Ericka Engelman Couture - Bridal Near Me - Salinas, California

See all

Ericka is amazing!! She took in a dress that I needed fairly quickly for an event. It was complicated with boning and draping and she did a PERFECT job!! read more

Ericka Engelman Couture - Bridal Near Me - Salinas, California

Ericka was wonderful and kind. I happened to call her thinking she had wedding dresses available. She referred me to someone who turned out to be wonderful too. I then called her back and she saw me right away to alter my dress for a better fit. All in a few days notice in time for my wedding on Friday. I appreciated her calmness which really helped me. I would definitely recommend Ericka! Thank you so much! read more

My wife and I will never be able to praise Ericka enough. She is an incredibly talented alterations specialist who made both my wedding suit and my wife's wedding dress picture perfect. My wife's dress was several sizes too large when she purchased it, but Ericka transformed her gown to ensure that it fit her perfectly. My suit was poorly altered when I bought it, but Ericka was able to correct the mistakes and create a custom suit that is truly mine. We will be forever in her debt! Thank you, Ericka! read more

See all

I can't say enough great things about Ericka! Not only is she so sweet and a great communicator, but she really knows her stuff and is SO talented! I very highly recommend her! She's also very timely and very fair in pricing! My wedding dress went from needing to be held on with giant clothespins at the bridal shop to fitting me perfectly! She also added a bustle that helped me feel so much better about walking over gravel at our wedding location. I will be forever grateful to Ericka for her beautiful work and making my dress feel perfect for the big day! read more

See all

Ericka was so nice and professional. I needed a dress shortened and I was running out of time. She was able to get it done quickly and it was the perfect length! read more

Ericka does phenomenal work! My dress was strapless, heavily beaded, and with multiple layers. It needed taken in at the waist and bust and the petticoat needed sewn in, plus a bit of a complicated bustle. As an added customization, I wanted beading to continue up to the V-neck mesh. She made me feel like all of this would be a breeze to do. I felt extremely comfortable leaving my dress with her, more than anyone else. You can tell when talking with Ericka that she has an expert understanding of materials and techniques. Needless to say, I left with my DREAM dress. On my wedding day, not once did I feel uncomfortable or like I needed to pull the dress up, and I got SO many compliments. I highly recommend Ericka Engelman and look forward to using her services in the future! read more

See all

I came Erika to have my wedding dress fitted. It really just needed to come in the bust, other than that everything fit well. I really loved working with her. She was super flexible with my schedule, always polite, and is very reasonably priced. She will not over charge or try to push you into anything. I really wanted to give 5 stars but I can't. The morning of my wedding as I went to put my dress on I noticed the beaded overlay was not attached to the bodice. I am so lucky to have had my grandma with me because she was able to hand sew it on. I didn't get a picture because it was a really stressful morning but I would suggest looking over everything super thoroughly before you leave her home. I also feel that boning was left out of the bodice as there were some serious wrinkles. I am attaching a before picture from when I purchased the dress, and one from my wedding day. read more

Ericka Engelman Couture - Not wrinkled, just too big. - Bridal Near Me - Salinas, California

See all

Ericka did a fabulous job with altering my mother's (who has passed on) wedding dress to be my wedding dress! She helped with ideas and did beautiful work. She is very professional and super kind and easy to talk to. I would definitely recommend her! read more

Amazing service and work. I'm short and my dress had a lot of detail. Ericka was able to remove the detail, shorten the bodice, create a bustle and it looked amazing. She is a true professional and the best seamstress. We had dress changes for my daughters a week before the wedding. They needed to be hemmed and she made it happen. read more

See all

I needed some alterations to a dress I'd bought online, and found Ericka to be amazing. I didn't have much time, and she managed to get it done in plenty of time even though she was in the midst of a major remodel. Her price was fair, and the finishing work on my dress is stellar. read more

Ericka did a great job altering my daughter's prom dress and was a pleasure to work with.

Ericka recently altered my wedding gown as well as my bridesmaids' dresses, and they are absolutely perfect! She is so talented - she took a look at them, knew what needed to be done, and had them pinned in moments. She offered me options for my gown, and never once tried to sell me on something that I did not need or want. The time frame and the pricing for the alterations were perfectly reasonable (more than reasonable given the quality of her craftsmanship), and anyone who has planned a wedding knows that very little in the process is quick or reasonably priced. Ericka is incredibly talented and very professional, but beyond that she is just a lovely person. I felt very welcomed from the moment we met, and had a great time chatting with her throughout the appointments. I cannot recommend her enough! read more

Ericka creates beautiful designs, knows her craft, & is a true professional. I am the first to admit that I was not the easiest client; I bought a dress from Ericka in 2010 but didn't end up wearing it until 2013, so we worked together for 3 years! During this time Ericka deconstructed & reconstructed the dress into my dream wedding dress. Her craftsmanship was impeccable, it was fitted to a tee, & I didn't know I could be so in love with a bustle. Thanks again, Ericka, for your patience, care, & creating my dream wedding dress! read more

See all

I needed to find someone to make alterations on my wedding dress. After multiple recommendations and research I decided to go with Ericka. Ericka is a gem, the type of professional that takes pride in her craft and is thoughtful about every stitch. She hemmed up my dress and created a bustle. The bustle was created with ribbons giving it a feminine classic feel. She even went ahead and added a blue ribbon so I could have "something blue". Her attention to detail showcases her experience and I am so grateful she cared for my dress. read more

Ericka did a a WONDERFUL job of altering my wife's wedding dress and my wedding dress. A two-bride wedding might be more difficult for some seamstresses to work with, but not Ericka! She was so easy to work with and she made our dresses fit us beautifully. When it was time for my wife's dress to get steam-cleaned, Ericka even went to the dry cleaner herself to make sure that they did a good job and she delivered the dress to our apartment. I will definitely be going back to Ericka for any of my other alteration or dress-making needs! read more

Ericka Engelman Couture - This picture was taken at our second-to-last dress alteration appointment. Ericka did a beautiful job with our dresses. - Bridal Near Me - Salinas, California

I decided to wear my great Aunts and mothers wedding dress. With it being a 50+year old dress being passed down I couldn't find a single person who would dare touch it. Finally one of the seamstress I went to said the only person that could do this would be Ericka. So I contacted her for a meet and she reassured me that she would be able to fix my dress to the exact way that I wanted it. Ericka listened to me and made my dress even more beautiful than I could have imagined. She even heamed my great aunts my mother's and now my wedding dates in the dress in a light blue. She was very responsive and kind and made me feel at ease everyone we spoke. I loved working with her. She was able heam my husband's barong made of pineapple leaves the weekend before the wedding. She is amazing and like a fairy god mother. If I could give her 10 stars I would! She is definitely the best! read more

Ericka Engelman Couture - Bridal Near Me - Salinas, California

See all

I had a very limited selection of dresses to choose from because I was set on getting a long-sleeved gown with some spice. So, when I found a long-sleeved all lace Israeli-designed (Berta Bridal) dress that was almost what I wanted (but still needed a lot tweaking), I knew I needed to find an amazing seamstress. I started to research the alterations recommendations that the bridal boutique suggested, but they had ~3.5 stars with some scary reviews. Then I asked my wedding planner if she knew of anyone and she immediately responded with Ericka's contact info. She gave her a glowing review, but I was hesitant because I live in Redwood City and she's out of Salinas. Nevertheless, I contacted Ericka and told her what I was thinking and wanted to get her perspective. She was very thorough and patient throughout the entire process. I've posted the photos below of Ericka's work, which included replacing all of the lace/applique along the neckline and back of the dress with a completely different lace, changing the belled sleeves to a fitted style with buttons, removing the strap along the top of the back of the dress and replacing it with a strap along my lower back, buttons down the entire back of the dress, and the normal hemming and fitting of the sleeves. I am an EXTREMELY picky person that focuses on the most unnecessary of details. I also don't work well with sales-y people that try to convince me that I'll like something that I'm on the fence about. Ericka understood my neurosis, and - even though she provided me with many suggestions and her honest opinion - she wanted to make sure I was happy. I mean, how many seamstresses would drive to my hotel (from Salinas to Carmel) the afternoon before the wedding to add some more lace to the dress? All of my married bridesmaids were floored when she showed up and got right to work. Ericka also designed and made my cathedral length veil....I seriously wish I could wear it every day. If you are questionable at all about who you should choose as a seamstress, I can't tell you enough that your search should end with Ericka. She is worth her weight in gold. read more

See all

Love her styles, love the fabrics, love her! I modeled for Ericka in SF and her collection is incredible. She has such attention to detail. I'd suggest her to anyone! read more

Erika made a velvet shirt-jac for me. I must tell you, this garment looks so elegant. It screams, "I am not mass produced!" Outstanding tailoring is what I was looking for and I got it! Yes, I am picky although probably not as picky as others. I have had four other tailors make my clothes, but none quite as skillful or committed as Erika who does take the time to ensure that the fit is what it should be. What I like about custom made clothing is that it allows the wearer to have what he/she would rather wear. Fashions come and go but style does not. read more

Ericka was very helpful in working on my mom's wedding dress. It was a piece that had 2 layers of satin and chiffon, and we needed a different color than the one it came with. Ericka helped us source the perfect fabric, and worked with the style my mom wanted. She was great at walking us through the process of timing, fitting, and delivery. Mom was SO HAPPY! And she looked so beautiful on her wedding day. I highly recommend. read more

Ericka altered my wedding dress for my August wedding. I bought it at a consignment shop so the dress fit my body fairly well, but it was too short and the cups were too big for me. Ericka did amazing work taking some of the delicate lace and satin from the train (she had to take off the train to take material from where it attached to the dress so that the finished edge was still the same) to sew on the front to extend the length. She did such nice work making it look natural and as if the dress was always meant to be just the right length for me. She also put cups in the bodice and removed some of the ribbing so that fit me just right as well. Because she was so adept, her prices for this work were incredible fair and reasonable. She was so easy going and great to work with - in an process where it seems everything else is very stress inducing! read more

Love this place. She altered my wedding dress (referral from my best friend) and I have taken everything to her since. They are so helpful and professional. She makes beautiful designs that she has on display in her store. read more

Erika fitted and altered my wedding dress and I could not have been happier with her work - she did such a beautiful job! I went to her by recommendation of my wedding planner. Erika was flawless in her execution, and she was a joy to work with (she often stayed past her closing hour to accommodate my schedule, as I was coming down from San Francisco). She also held my mom's dresses for the wedding weekend a month prior to the wedding, and steamed them on the wedding day. I would recommend Erika to anyone getting married in the area - she is wonderfully talented! read more

Erika is awesome ! I got my wedding dress made smaller and added sleeves to a strapless gown and you couldn't even tell it was added ! it looked like the sleeves came with the dress. She's so patient and really does what you want not what she thinks looks good ! She wants you to be happy at all times. However i did take my own fabric with me. She's Awesome and I totally recommend her ! read more

Ericka was recommended to me to alter my wedding dress by my wedding venue. I had one consultation before her where I felt like they had no idea what to do. When I went to Ericka, she immediately knew what to do with my dress. Within minutes she had it pinned perfectly. She listened to my requests, and the end result was beautiful. She also altered my sister's bridesmaid dress, which turned out wonderfully as well. She is fairly priced, and very personable to work with. I would highly recommend her to anyone! read more