How to price a custom dress or wedding gown
By Olusegun Osunrinde, Founder, Sentralbee · Published
To price a custom dress, add every material at what you paid, the fabric you cut away as waste, your sewing and fitting hours at a full hourly rate, and shipping or packaging. That is the true cost. Then divide by one minus your margin. Our example wedding dress costs $850 to make, so charging $820 loses $30, and a 30% margin means about $1,215.
The short version
Most dressmakers price from the fabric. The fabric is only part of the cost. The rest hides in trims, offcuts, sewing and fitting hours, and shipping.
True cost = materials + waste + your hours + packaging and shipping. Then add your margin on top.
1. List every material
At the price you actually paid: main fabric, lining, lace or overlay, interfacing, thread, zipper, buttons, boning, beading.
2. Count the waste
The offcut on the floor was paid for. So was the panel you recut. Measure your waste for a few dresses and add your average.
3. Add your hours, including fittings
Count pattern drafting, cutting, sewing, hand finishing and every fitting. Multiply by what an hour costs you: your pay plus a share of rent, power, tools and machines.
4. Add packaging and shipping
Garment bags, boxes, tissue and shipping or delivery.
A worked example: a custom wedding dress
These are example figures. Your fabric and hours will differ.
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Satin, 6 yards | $210 |
| Lace overlay | $95 |
| Thread | $12 |
| Buttons and zipper | $18 |
| Sewing and fittings, 22 hours | $440 |
| Shipping and box | $35 |
| Offcut | $40 |
| True cost | $850 |
At $820 this dress loses $30. The fabric is only $305 of the cost. The 22 hours of sewing and fittings are the biggest line.
To keep a 30% margin: $850 ÷ 0.7 = $1,214, so about $1,215.
Keep measurements and prices together
Each custom order has its own measurements, fabric, price and date. Keep them on the order, not on scraps of paper, so nothing gets lost between fittings.
How Sentralbee helps
Sentralbee costs each product from its materials, labor and extra cost lines, and updates the cost when fabric prices change. Each custom order line keeps the agreed price and the customer's measurements, and each order has a promised date. A production board tracks every dress through cutting, sewing, fitting and finishing. See Sentralbee for dressmakers or try the free true cost calculator. For deposits, read how to take deposits for custom orders.
Questions
How do I charge for fittings?
Count them as part of the hours. Bridal work often needs three or more fittings. If you don't price them in, every fitting is unpaid work.
Should I charge separately for design time?
Many bridal designers charge a design or consultation fee first and credit it to the deposit. It protects your time if the customer doesn't go ahead.
How much fabric waste should I add?
It depends on the pattern, the fabric width and any pattern matching. Measure your offcuts for a few dresses and use your own average.
How much deposit should I take for a custom dress?
Enough to buy the fabric and trims before you cut. A 50% deposit before materials are ordered is common in bridal work.