Had a Dodgers jersey hemmed and it was done perfectly, even moved the original tag. She communicated well and it was ready before she thought she would have it done. read more

Luckily I found mart rita on my handy dandy yelp. She was such a doll! She has so much experience under her belt and you can definitely tell. She was patient and professional when I missed one of my Appointments and she still managed to have my dress ready days before my wedding! A bride needs a team that will relieve her from certain stress and I got that! Thank you Mary Rita! read more

Sew Elegant saved my wedding dress. At the recommendation of several friends, I went to Alts for my first bridal fitting--and the experience was horrific. I'm extremely flat chested, and I wanted to take in the bust of my dress, and Alts' solution was to stuff the chest with inserts and take in the neckline to fit against me. When I asked about taking the chest in, they said it would be "too big a job." For the ill-fitting solution, they quoted me $1600--nearly the cost of the dress. I left crying. Luckily, Sew Elegant was recommended by a local NYC facebook group and took one look at my flat chest in the dress and began pinning accordingly. Esin heard my sob story and was horrified, shaking her head and tsking, knowing that was not a feasible solution. She explained that she works on a custom mannequin with your measurements do every single alteration, so it's literally made to fit your specific body. She is so incredibly talented. The final dress was magical. Yes, it was a big job. I had to have the bust completely taken apart and made significantly smaller, but it was done perfectly. Like couture.I danced all night without worrying that anything was going to gap or fall. She also managed to create the most stunning bustle I had ever seen from my incredibly long train--oh, and I paid less than I would have at Alts for this custom perfection. read more

First encounter with Mary Rita was awesome. Love this lady. She had an amazing career in fashion and so knowledgeable. I clicked with her immediately. She provided me with advice for my veil and even tip for sewing machines. I am very excited to get my dress altered for my wedding. I will follow up on her work. But my first visit so far has been great! read more

When planning a wedding, you'll come in contact with a dozen different vendors from catering to coordinators and flowers to dresses...and some will leave a lasting impression on your heart! This is the experience I had with Mary Rita at Sew Elegant. She was recommended to my by both my coordinator and the bridal boutique where I purchased my dress. My wedding was a mere THREE WEEKS away when my dress (that I ordered 6 months earlier) finally arrived and needed LOTS of alterations. She got me in no problem within a week. I had my toddler with me because she was also trying on dresses to match mine. Mary Rita involved my daughter in each fitting and it was so precious. She confidently made the first measurements and we schedule another appointment for me to come it. I came in 2-3 more times over the next 2-3 weeks to make sure the alterations were progressing properly. At my final fitting, she sewed in a special surprise and even reached out on our wedding day to wish us the best in our future. She is a highly talented and sweet woman who I would highly recommend to anyone to trust with their expensive, special gown! read more

Sew Elegant Bridal Veils and Alterations - Bridal Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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Look no further, Mary Rita is the absolute best. I decided to elope and realized a week before the weeding I needed some alterations. She got my dress done in 3 days!! Prices are very reasonable and honesty, Wedding planning is so stressful. She is a breath of fresh air. Such a beautiful soul. So very thankful I was able to use her services. My dress fit perfectly all thanks to Her. read more

Sew Elegant Bridal Veils and Alterations - Bridal Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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Horrible botch job on dress. Took 4 months in advance and had it ready the weekend before the wedding. The house was dusty and full of dog hair. Ruined my beautiful pronovías gown and still charged full price. read more

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I was referred to this lady from some women in our HOA community. I decided not to take my Brides maid gown to David's Bridal and instead take it to her. I went the day of the appointment and left a little nervous about leaving my gown. Here are the reasons: 1. The place was super filthy and it smelled awful. 2. There was dog hair everywhere on the rugs. 3. She said she would have my gown done literally a week before the wedding. 4. She seemed super busy since she has rooms full of gowns needing alterations. 5. She seemed flaky to me. I had to text her a week before wedding event to follow up on my dress and she assured me she would have it done the Saturday before the wedding. Saturday came and she text me she had to reschedule for Sunday. Sunday came and she told me she had to reschedule for Monday or Tuesday. At that point I was a little upset and stressed out because she clearly knew I was to be on an airplane with my gown on that Wednesday. Well I wasn't taking a chance so I kindly ask her for my gown. Mind you she had my gown for a little over a month. I clearly told Her I couldn't pick it up until a certain time and she told me she already put it outside. If my gown would of been stole, then what? B Long story short I ended up picking up my gown and taking it to David's Bridal. They were kind enough to help me out and put a rush on my alterations. This lady cost me an extra 40.00 because of the extra rush I had to put on my gown. Her excuse was that she was sick and still recovering from the flu which to be honest I'm not too Sure I believe. Also, if she was sick days before she first stated she would have my gown done she should of informed me there and then that she would not be able to finish it due to being sick. Now she did have more than a month to finish's it!!! Please don't take your gowns here especially if it's your wedding gown and if you do take it at least three months before. read more

She was so easy to do business with. It's obvious she loves what she does I'm so happy I found her. read more

Sew Elegant Bridal Veils and Alterations - She hemmed my dress perfectly - Bridal Near Me - Bakersfield, California

I had many alterations done to my dress.. Mary Rita did an excellent job, she's very professional and made sure that even during covid my self and my bridesmaids were comfortable!! Definitely recommend her!! read more

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Mary Rita is super knowledgeable on alterations and I completely trusted her on her suggestions that I didnt really think of to begin with and the dress turned out more beautiful than I had expected! Thank you so much for making my special day even greater! read more

Sew Elegant Bridal Veils and Alterations - Bridal Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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very unprofessional and rude comments while bride was in dress and another customer was inside during the time. you never talk about someone's weight in their wedding dress, ever. So disrespectful. read more

I found Mary Rita because she was recommended by a bridal shop in Bakersfield. I texted Mary Rita and made an appointment with her at 7:00PM on Friday. I showed up at her place at the agreed upon time. I rang the door bell, waited, rang the door bell again, waited, and decided to call her. I could hear her phone ringing and her voice talking to someone from inside the house. I left a voice message, and rang the door bell again. I waited another minute before I decided to leave. I am a very patient and understanding person so I know that things happen. However, I did not receive a phone call or text message back. This is a huge red flag to me, and speaks a lot about her professionalism. I have moved onto another seamstress (not in Bakersfield) due to zero communication from Mary Rita. I would not be able to trust someone with an expensive wedding dress that cannot bother to send me a text or call me to reschedule so therefore I would not recommend this seamstress for something as important as a wedding dress. Lesson learned. Always go with your gut feeling when it comes to something as special and important as a wedding dress. Note: After reading the other reviews, I am glad that Mary Rita did not open her front door for me. Yikes!!! read more

Came here after several recommendations. Mary Rita did not disappoint. Being a plus size bride there is no was a standard sized dress is going to fit me just right everywhere. There was work to be done. She thinks about everything. It is not just how the dress looks on you (although I have never had anything fit this well). She thinks about your comfort, your ability to move, how to make the bustle easy and yet beautiful. This speaks a lot from someone who absolutely can't stand traditional bustles. Mary Rita is friendly, welcoming and very knowledgeable. I was confident that my dress was in the right hands. I was blessed by my experience. Pictures will be added after the wedding. read more

Mary Rita is the real deal! The REAL deal! Moments after my engagement I had a vision of what my dress would look like. I had never seen anything like my vision so I didn't really know where to begin. I yelped a seamstress in town and Sew Elegant came up. Thank goodness for Yelp!! I called on a Sunday evening Mary Rita called me back the next morning. I explained what I was looking for, where I was looking and how much money I had to spend. This wonderful lady told me exactly the process to take. She told me where to go for my first time trying on dresses and exactly how much she thought something would take to make from scratch. After a few dress hiccups I called her again and she and I decided I'd buy my dress from an Etsy seller from China and she would fix whatever we ended up receiving in the mail. She needed a base to work off. So I purchased my skirt and the day it arrived I made my appointment with her. Mary Rita had my dress from June 17th to August 2nd and what she managed to do in that short time is amazing. She took my two piece gown & turned it into a major show stopper. My dress was beautiful when it arrived from China but somehow Mary Rita elevated it into something breathtaking. She was able to change minor details and have it look majorly amazing. Not only did she complete my dress and have me leaving feeling like a zillion dollar model, she also added a six pence for good luck and offered her marriage words of wisdom. From the get go Mary Rita made me feel at ease every time I'd see and talk to her. She gave me comfort in all areas of the dress and took away ALL of my stress. I adore her and her work is flawless! read more

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My sister in law went to get her wedding dress altered and this woman Mary which is the owner of this shop had the audacity to comment on her "gaining weight" and making other comments such as "you need to stay away from the cupcakes". Very rude and unprofessional especially considering there was other customers were. Would not recommend this place to anyone and will never be stepping foot in the shop again. read more

I'm perplexed here... For one, Mary Rita is a true genius with a needle and thread, there is no doubt here! My dress came out amazing and was truly altered to my body. However, as a nervous bride I would rather have had more support from her. She consistently forgot alterations (although they eventually got done), never wrote things down, and was just in general all over the place. She is definitely a zany woman by nature, which is rather appealing, but when it comes to getting things done I prefer structure, notes, etc. So I was just going off of blind faith and lots of reviews in trusting her. Also, she really works down to the wire, and my mother had to pick up my dress on the way to my rehearsal dinner! She runs her business out of her house, which is great, but just something to be mindful of! I would definitely go back to her, but now I know how she works...give yourself extra time, it will be needed! read more

Called to make an appointment and was booked for a little over a week out, only for the day to arrive and getting a text from her to reschedule just before my appointment. She asked me to choose times that would work the following week but left me on read! All that wait for nothing read more

So far so good! I had my first fitting with Mary Rita a few days ago and it went beautifully! I have several alterations that need to be done to my dress and I'm confident Mary Rita will deliver. Her shop is in her home and everything is neatly organized. She takes her time to talk to you about what you want and is fair with her pricing. She has the dresses she's working on very neatly organized and I'm looking forward to my future fittings. I'll update my review once my dress is complete. UPDATE 11/27/2018: Mary Rita was a dream to work with. I had two dresses that needed to be altered and also a veil which was very last minute. She had my dresses done the week of my wedding and everything was beautifully set up for me to take home. My dresses fit like a glove and I received so many compliments on them. I would recommend Mary Rita to any bride-to-be. read more

My dress fit like a glove after Mary Rita's alterations, which may I add she had approximately 3 wks from start to finish to get it done in. Idk how she does it, but it takes a very special type of PATIENT person to deal w/all that lace, beading, stitching, etc. & she nailed it! Wouldn't recommend anyone else. read more

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I was recommended by three people when I started planning my wedding to have Mary Rita do the alterations. They did say she takes on many clients and it might be hard to get in but I had the best experience! She transformed my dress to fit perfectly to my body. She worked around my schedule and always fit me in. I 100% recommend her for wedding or any alterations! Not only did she transform my dress but also took on my mother's dress and she was so very pleased as well! Everything was right on time. Any issue I had, she took care of and I could not of been more pleased with the outcome! She even texted me on my wedding day wishing me good luck and that was so very sweet! Mary Rita goes above and beyond for her brides :) read more

Sew Elegant Bridal Veils and Alterations - I wish I had a before picture. She completely reshaped the top from straight across to sweetheart. And much more! - Bridal Near Me - Bakersfield, California

If I could give 0 stars I would! Do not take any of your dresses to Mary Rita. A few of my bridesmaids went to Mary Rita. They took their dresses in months to weeks in advance and still didn't get the dresses until the Thursday (one of Friday morning) before the wedding. She would only respond to one of the bridesmaids and say "tell the rest" First bridesmaid- check out the photo on that botch job of a hem... still charged her $75 for it. Completely ruined the dress. Pins were still left in the dress. Second bridesmaids got her dress back nearly two inches too short and her response was "well you won't been In heels all night" like it was her decision to make. Charged her $75. Third bridesmaid requested it to be done two weeks earlier and Mary Rita wouldn't respond to any of her text. She also altered the breast seams when they didn't need it and that caused the structure of the dress to be compromised so loose fabric bunched up leaving a lumpy appearance. Charged her $75 Over priced for a shit job. read more

Sew Elegant Bridal Veils and Alterations - Lumpy appearance from her alterations - Bridal Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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Where to begin... Just as you're doing, I first looked through the yelp reviews. Read testimonials that mention a bit of 'down to the wire' great work and happy clients. Also had a friend and cousin recommend Mary-Rita. After purchasing my dress and losing 5lbs I was ready to go see Mary Rita. I felt confident choosing her for my wedding dress alterations. Two months prior to the big day, I went to her house and tried on my dress for her. I Shared what alterations I'd like to have done, got a quote and confirmed when she wanted me bring it back to begin working on it. At this point Mary Rita could have easily told me she didn't want to or was too busy to work on my dress. She did not. We scheduled completion pickup date of 10/6 (two days before flying out for my destination wedding). I was asked to drop it off no later than the 15th of Sept. I got the dress to her a week earlier than requested. I'm not sure where this went south for Mary Rita. By my second fitting I was being told my dress is stressful and later she named it her "disaster dress" . A week away from completion/pick up date, I was starting to sweat. There was a lot that remained untouched (hem, strap beading, seam down the front, bustle). I reminded myself that others mentioned she works down to the wire. The chest area was looking worse than when I dropped it off. She tried a few things to fix her errors but still couldn't quite get it. Continuing to take her frustration out on me, she said that's just how it's going to be. Keep in mind, she does NOT use a measuring tape for anything. The dress is tighter on one breast than the other . She told me it was probably my breast because some women have one larger than the other. (I think I'd know if I had uneven breasts by this age and the dress did not fit unevenly prior to altering- see attached pictures). I was also told by Mary Rita it would've been less stressful to alter my dress if it was full of lace and/or beading that could cover the imperfections of her work. Then I was asked when my flight is. Pick up date was moved to the same day I was driving to LAX. I went yesterday to pick up my dress, the bustle was still being worked on. It looked horrible and clearly rushed. The train ruined from all of the bunched areas where her color coded hoops and ribbons were sewn on the dress. I understand they have to be attached to it, that wasn't the problem. The layers of fabric all placed unevenly with one another when tacked, causing the bunching. Yesterday I was also given the beads back in the same bag I brought them in as she told me she doesn't have time "to finish that " she gave me my beads and some glue she says is good because I'll need to do them myself. Knots in my stomach and watery eyes at this point. I bag up my dress ( she had offered and bragged about how she'll pack all of my day-of wedding items in the luggage I had taken to her house and didn't do that either) and hand her a check for the full $300 (she's not cheap) even though her work was not completed and I was clearly unhappy with what she did do. Mary Rita expressed no remorse. Through words nor actions. As I handed her the check she didn't hesitate to tell me she only accepts cash. Not only is work incomplete, done poorly, it's a holiday (banks closed) and I'm trying to get to LAX -she has no consideration. I made it clear to her that I will not go get cash, she could've told me in advance that she only accepts cash. She then took the check. She also does not clean dresses for pick up. Plan to pay additional for that service elsewhere because you will see that her home is not clean and the dresses are drug all over and stepped on while she carries it around. I drove away in tears, heartbroken because the dress I fell in love with was not lookin right... and even more heartbroken that there are people like Mary Rita who can sleep at night knowing how they treated someone and allowing them to pay the full price for an incomplete, poor job. You're probably wondering why I didn't go off on her. My mom raised me to be respectful and well mannered. It was also clear that she didn't care. If she did, it would've never escalated to this point. Luckily I was put in contact with another local seamstress who did an AMAZING job fixing all that she could in 12hrs!!!! A picture of her business card is attached. Let's just say she did more than Mary Rita did in 5wks. Thanks to Mary Rita I had to put even more money into alterations than I had budgeted for especially with it being such short timeframe to get the work done. In 12hrs the other seamstress cut and reshaped the entire bottom of my dress, corrected seams on bottom half, added all of the beading by hand ( sewn on, none of that glue crap) and pressed the dress. My dress is now on its way to Cancun. Do yourself a favor and take your dress elsewhere. read more

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Absolutely love Mary Rita! She did such a beautiful job on my wedding dress alterations, she did things I would've never even thought of and made it so much more beautiful than it was to begin with. read more

My experience with Mary Rita was wonderful!!! Less than a week before my friends wedding, I discovered that my bridesmaid dress no longer fit. The bride sent me Mary Rita's number, and I texted her and said a Hail Mary because I assumed there was no way she could take my dress out with such short notice. Luckily, I was wrong. She responded right away and told me it wouldn't be a problem! I brought a fellow bridesmaid with me who also needed adjustments. She didn't even have an appointment with Mary Rita, but she welcomed us both and put us at ease! She had our dresses done in 3 days. She made it fit so nicely, and I felt so good in my dress! As well as good service, I'm just glad to know Mary. She was so kind and fun to talk to. Also, she charged $40 to take out my dress and adjust the straps with a 3 day deadline. I was pleasantly surprised with the price. When looking at alteration places around town, I found that it got more expensive the sooner you needed your alterations finished. I highly recommend! read more

Mary Rita was so friendly and got mine and my daughter's dresses altered quickly. She took her time to hem where needed and also provided suggestions to enhance the dress to look better. The dresses came out perfect! I will definitely use her again in the future. read more

I went to Mary Rita to completely alter my wedding dress. First of all she is the nicest lady I have ever met and opened her home to me with a smile! I purchased my dress through David's bridal and they told me to order my dress 3 sizes bigger than I was, due to my bigger bust which was a nightmare because I was practically swimming in it. So when they went to alter it they were rude and was over pricing me to get all the work done. I researched the web for a good seamstress and found Mary. That was best decision I could've ever made not only did she make my wedding day by transforming my dress but she put her own little touches on it like sewing on the inside a little something blue! I recommend her to all my family and friends! read more

Sew Elegant Bridal Veils and Alterations - My wedding dress that Mary Rita altered perfectly for me! - Bridal Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Very nice and great service. Got my suit altered for a wedding and she was great. Very responsive over the phone and great turned around time. The location was super convenient for me. read more

Mary Rita is a very sweet lady her work is very amazing and she is super detailed! Her turn around time was excellent and I would recommend any bride to get their dress altered with her. It took several times for her to remove the bones from my dress, but on the final fit and pick up they were out so it was great to feel comfortable in the dress! I am absolutely thankful for her service! :) read more

I am going to be in a wedding that is taking place in 6 days and I needed to get my bridesmaid dress hemmed. I called Mary Rita on the 20th and she scheduled me for an appointment for the 27th, which is where I have just come from. From this first meeting with her, I cannot begin to understand where all of these negative reviews are coming from. Her home was clean, she was kind, personable, and easy to work with. My initial goal was to get the dress hemmed, but she quickly identified that the straps and chest area were a bit loose and asked if I would like her to bring them, which I did. She had no issues or concerns about the dress not being done in time, which is impressive considering that she is having eye surgery on the 30th! So far so good, but I will update after I get the dress back next week. read more

She custom made my wedding dress. I love what she came up with. I felt so beautiful in my gown. She is very talented and does amazing work. read more

Sew Elegant Bridal Veils and Alterations - Loved that she understood I didn't want my gown completely white.. - Bridal Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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Mary Rita is amazing! She listens to what you want and makes it happen. I love her personal touch by adding something blue hidden in your wedding gown! Thank you Mary Rita! read more

Mary was wonderful through the entire process. She listened to my needs and gave me suggestions. My dress had a lot of lace and beading, but she worked through it perfectly and was able to alter my dress perfectly. She even managed to help create curves in the back that I don't have. Miracle work. See changed my straps so they wouldn't be sliding off all night while I was dancing and added beading that had fallen off. Because it had a long lace train, she put buttons and ties in to bustle it up for after the ceremony. I strongly recommend her. read more

I really wish I did not have to leave this review.. From the start my bridesmaids and I went to the fittings together. We had our dresses here for about 4 months before we had to take them from her to get them actually worked on somewhere else. The house that she does them out of has dirty floors, not something I would recommend when you are having to drag dresses across the floor! The hallway to get to the room she has set up as a dressing room was unfinished. So if you had your heels on, you would have to watch your step because you could possibly step where a transition strip should be. I was informed she would be able to go to LA and find nice additions to my dress, and work on my veil next appointment. When coming to our second fitting ALL my bridesmaid straps were no longer crossed! We had a simple strap alteration and she could not even pay attention after shortening them to place them back correctly?!?! I was also told that when I came back for the next appointment she would have all the supplies she needed for my dress when she was supposed to have them then... I went ahead and gave her a pass for it being a busy season for her with formal. Third appointment. We tried calling a few times to confirm the appointment due to the lack of professionalism with the last appointment. We finally received a call back the same day with her request that we come 30 minutes later. Bridesmaids had all heels and were supposed to have the length taken off the bottom. ALL the bridesmaids fits were completely off. Nothing Fit, one of my bridesmaids did not need any alterations and for some reason it was a train wreck when she put it on. My dress was untouched since the last visit with baby pins still everywhere. So when I asked about the supplies from LA I was told, yet again, that she would have to get them in a few weeks. ARE YOU KIDDING ME! I have had three appointments with you and you did not have time to at least inform me of your failure to go to LA. Then I reminded her about making my veil, and she said ohh I was going to see if there was one to pick up! She had no notes, nothing to look and see what I even went to her for. Shortly after leaving my mother and bridesmaid returned and took all of the dresses and I am thankful that they did. I had numerous recommendations from reliable sources and I was so sad to have this happen. read more

I want to try to make this review as honest as possible. First, MaryRita's end product was absolutely beautiful. She did a fantastic job of taking my mother's dress from 1990 and turning it into a modern dress that was nothing short of stunning. I got so many compliments on the dress and felt beautiful in it. So, at the end of the day, I would go to her again if given the chance. The reason I am giving her 3 stars instead of 5 is because of the dress-making process. She is in high demand and has what seems like hundreds of dresses that she is working on at once. It felt like she was always overbooked. She had my dress for 15 months and it felt like we didn't see much progress until about 2-3 months before the wedding. As we approached wedding day, we found a huge stain on the dress during one of the fittings (which she got out thankfully) and she was working on the dress up until 3 days before the wedding. It was very stressful & we weren't sure if it would be done in time for the wedding. Even on the day of picking up the dress, there were still loose strings and lace that she had to cut and sew on last minute. (I know some of it wasn't her fault since her partner was out sick, but she did have my dress for over a year). It just felt very rushed, last minute, and stressful. Also, the dress was a bit too long (which probably wasn't noticed by anyone but me, but I did have to walk and dance carefully the whole wedding to avoid tripping over it). So, while her end product was amazing and totally worth the stress, I do want to warn anyone who desires her service that she is a very busy woman and you might want to give her a much earlier deadline than is actually necessary to avoid any last minute stress. read more

The seamstress did what others told me they couldn't and wouldn't try! She made my dress exactly what I imagined and rushed my dress in time for my wedding! This is a seamstress that will literally get down on her knees and do the dang job! So thankful I found her! She works from her home and it's deep Rosedale but other than that everything is smooth sailing read more

I honestly wish it would have worked out. I really liked her personality and how she pinned my dress. She gave me a list of things to buy and told me to call her in a couple months to have everything done. Now, three weeks before my wedding, this woman will not return my calls. Thank God I found another woman that will help me. Mary Rita was a waste of my time and just added stress. read more

I just used Mary Rita to shorten my dress for a Christmas party and to take-in a button up shirt. She did a great job and was extremely friendly and patient with me. I will definitely be taking the rest of my alterations to her. Thanks Mary Rita! read more

Mary Rita is such a sweet person, she did my dress alterations very quickly and also offered me a lot of advice on other aspects of my wedding. She also referred me to my make up artist who was also amazing. I would go back to her for all my future alterations! My wedding was almost two years ago now, and I still remember how much she helped us! read more

I loved getting to know Mary Rita and seeing her talent during my dress fittings. She sewed in pieces of my late fathers favorite blue shirt by only using the panels so the shirt itself still looked completely intact to hang on the back of his reserved chair. My dress was beautiful but there was a sheer piece I wasn't in love with. Originally the plan was to order extra material, but when it wouldn't have came until after the wedding date I called Mary Rita for the first time in a panic, she had said not to worry and she couldn't have been more right! She completely matched the beading without ordering from the designer and made my dress what I always dreamed! I will be taking friends and family to Mary Rita in the future! read more