Sticker Shock Over Dress Alterations

Ok, we all know that weddings are inexpensive the same way that Heidi Klum is ugly.  Or in the same way that Donald Trump is poor.  Or in the way that Heidi Montag is a talented, genuine celebrity.  In other words, they're not. I know this, I've come to terms with the massive amounts of money being spent on the wedding and while I'm not thrilled about it, there's not much I can do at this point.

(Source)

How I feel about wedding planning sometimes!

So why am I in such sticker shock over the price of my dress alterations? When I bought my lovely, divine, dreamy dress back in June, I knew that there was a lot of work to be done in order for it to fit properly.  And while the Kleinfeld's associate told me her guess on the cost of the alterations, I kind of assumed she was quoting me on the high side since it is a rather posh place (For the record, Kleinfeld's wouldn't do the work themselves because they only do alterations for dresses that cost more than $3,000.  Yeeeeesh.)

I've made some inquiries at three different tailors in New York City and let me tell you, alteration prices are bonkers.  The first one, Pinpoint Bridal, had a minimum of $375 and gave me a very rough estimate of $600.  OUCH!

The next two I called were slightly more reasonable (Ellen's Couture and Nelson's) but still really effin' expensive.  It was at this point that I realized that Kleinfeld's may not have been overestimating at all.  Oh crap.

At this point, the extra couple of hundred dollars the alterations are costing me are honestly just a drop in the giant bucket of money I sometimes picture myself shaking out over the top of the Empire State Building.  Ah, well, money was made to be spent, right? Or at least, that's what I tell myself on my self-imposed guilt trips galore. I haven't decided whether to keep looking for a better-priced tailor or just accept the fact that I'll be spending a few hundred dollars more than anticipated but time is ticking away and I need to get started with these alterations ASAP. I'll let you know what I decide and how it goes...

What was your big "sticker shock" item? Did you try to find a more affordable option or just accept it?