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Happy Saturday! I'm supposed to be working on a rack full of gowns, so this is my way of procrastinating. I may also take a nap.
Quick refresher: I do gown alterations. This means bridal gowns, bridesmaid gowns, and during Spring: Prom gowns. Right now I am shoulders deep into Prom season. I am an independent contractor, but the store I work with has been handling the fitting schedule this season as its easier for them to schedule with the customer directly rather than the customer calling me to schedule, then me calling the store to put it on the calendar. Prom appointments are 30 minutes, bridal appointments are 60 minutes. I also ask that brides limit their entourage to 2 people for a plethora of reasons that will become apparent.
Last Thursday was a rare day in that I had managed a full night's sleep and I was running on time with my afternoon appointments. Hooray! Just moments before my 5:30 appointment is to arrive, I wade into the storage racks to pull her gown and be ready to go, only to discover that it's a bridal gown and she's only been scheduled for 30 minutes. Crap.
Bride arrives and after a greeting, I alert her to the scheduling snafu. I asked her if she would like to proceed and cover as much as we can in 30 minutes, or if she would like to reschedule for a full hour another day. She opts for 30 minutes. No problem, bridal fittings are a multiple meeting situation anyway. So I lead her to the fitting room, which right now is not that large of a space. It's at this time that it becomes obvious that she has 4 people with her: Mother (MoB), Sister, Auntie and Cousin. With Bride and me, that's 6 people in a small space. That's OK, there is a sofa in the room for people to sit.
Well... no one wanted to sit. They all wanted to gather around the bride and stand with their backs to the mirror and chatter loudly. This is a problem because I use the mirror as a way to double check that what I'm pinning is laying correctly, that the Bride is happy with what she sees, and I have to be able to move around her and ask her questions. Deep breath, it'll be OK.
So I'm pinning the back of the gown and Bride mentions that she forgot her shoes. I smile and say "No problem. We'll do your hem next time. I'll make sure we schedule you for the full hour and it'll still be done on time for your bridal portraits."
Auntie pipes in, "Bride, how tall are your shoes? She can just pin the hem now and add the length for the heel."
To which I reply, "Unfortunately I have a policy to never mark a hem without shoes. It ensures that the hem is the correct length and protects us both against errors."
Right as I'm about to put a pin in the dress, MoB forcefully grabs my wrist and says "Maybe you shouldn't do any work then."
I just stared at her for a moment. "We can get the fit issues dealt with and do the hem next time. It's not a problem. It happens all the time. In the meantime, can I get everyone to move away from the mirror? I need Bride to be able to see what I'm doing."
For the next few minutes, MoB is following closely behind me and making a show of inspecting everywhere that I've pinned (which is 4 spots. Side seams and the shoulders). I take a seat to write down my notes and ask the Bride if there is anything else that she wants me to take a look at before I step out so she can get changed. Bride says no. MoB holds up the veil, "Do we have time to try on the veil?"
I glance at my phone and see they have 10 minutes left in their appointment, so again I smile and nod, "Of course! I'll step out to check the schedule for the return fitting while you do that."
So I step out, check the computer and come up with 2 options, fill out the estimate sheet, make a label for the gown and welcome my 6 PM fitting. I let the 6 PM girl know that her gown was in the fitting room, but that the previous guest was still in there, and it should only be a few moments. Then I step into the fitting space to speak with the Bride about her schedule. Bride picks a time, I write it down on the estimate sheet for her and tell her I'm placing it with her things. Then as I am putting the label on the hanger, MoB says "We're going. We're going."
"You're fine. I'm just labeling the hanger," with a smile.
Finally they leave and I get my next girl in the room and go through my spiel with her (When is Prom, phone number, Here's what we're gonna do, etc). I step out so she can get dressed and I see MoB complaining to the store manager about me. I just smile tightly and turn away so I can't see or be seen. I get through the next appointment just fine and have a moment to ask the manager about the complaint.
MoB's complaint: She asked if I was the only seamstress. She didn't like that I wouldn't mark the hem. She felt like I was rushing them out the door. She didn't like that I asked everyone to move out of the way.
So after my last fitting (I left at 7:15. 15 minutes after the store closed) I called the owner of the store to give her a heads up about a potential complaint. I gave her the run down, including that I could see how I could be perceived as abrupt. Owner said she agreed with me and would back me up. Then added that no one needs to bring 4 people to a fitting. Owner also said she'd follow up with Bride the next day. I trust Owner will back me up on this because she gets as fed up with pushy family as I do.
After a movie date with my Husband (yay Deadpool!) I gave him the run down as well and he said that in 2 weeks when Bride and MoB return, I would be within my rights to ask MoB to not be in the room as she both made me feel unsafe but created an unsafe environment for her daughter (nearly stabbing Bride with a pin, while not catastrophic, is a nuisance). I think that may be a bit over the top, but I appreciated his enthusiasm.
TLDR; Mother of a bride grabbed me, nearly causing me to prick her daughter with a pin, then complained that I was rude.
Thoughts?
Quick refresher: I do gown alterations. This means bridal gowns, bridesmaid gowns, and during Spring: Prom gowns. Right now I am shoulders deep into Prom season. I am an independent contractor, but the store I work with has been handling the fitting schedule this season as its easier for them to schedule with the customer directly rather than the customer calling me to schedule, then me calling the store to put it on the calendar. Prom appointments are 30 minutes, bridal appointments are 60 minutes. I also ask that brides limit their entourage to 2 people for a plethora of reasons that will become apparent.
Last Thursday was a rare day in that I had managed a full night's sleep and I was running on time with my afternoon appointments. Hooray! Just moments before my 5:30 appointment is to arrive, I wade into the storage racks to pull her gown and be ready to go, only to discover that it's a bridal gown and she's only been scheduled for 30 minutes. Crap.
Bride arrives and after a greeting, I alert her to the scheduling snafu. I asked her if she would like to proceed and cover as much as we can in 30 minutes, or if she would like to reschedule for a full hour another day. She opts for 30 minutes. No problem, bridal fittings are a multiple meeting situation anyway. So I lead her to the fitting room, which right now is not that large of a space. It's at this time that it becomes obvious that she has 4 people with her: Mother (MoB), Sister, Auntie and Cousin. With Bride and me, that's 6 people in a small space. That's OK, there is a sofa in the room for people to sit.
Well... no one wanted to sit. They all wanted to gather around the bride and stand with their backs to the mirror and chatter loudly. This is a problem because I use the mirror as a way to double check that what I'm pinning is laying correctly, that the Bride is happy with what she sees, and I have to be able to move around her and ask her questions. Deep breath, it'll be OK.
So I'm pinning the back of the gown and Bride mentions that she forgot her shoes. I smile and say "No problem. We'll do your hem next time. I'll make sure we schedule you for the full hour and it'll still be done on time for your bridal portraits."
Auntie pipes in, "Bride, how tall are your shoes? She can just pin the hem now and add the length for the heel."
To which I reply, "Unfortunately I have a policy to never mark a hem without shoes. It ensures that the hem is the correct length and protects us both against errors."
Right as I'm about to put a pin in the dress, MoB forcefully grabs my wrist and says "Maybe you shouldn't do any work then."
I just stared at her for a moment. "We can get the fit issues dealt with and do the hem next time. It's not a problem. It happens all the time. In the meantime, can I get everyone to move away from the mirror? I need Bride to be able to see what I'm doing."
For the next few minutes, MoB is following closely behind me and making a show of inspecting everywhere that I've pinned (which is 4 spots. Side seams and the shoulders). I take a seat to write down my notes and ask the Bride if there is anything else that she wants me to take a look at before I step out so she can get changed. Bride says no. MoB holds up the veil, "Do we have time to try on the veil?"
I glance at my phone and see they have 10 minutes left in their appointment, so again I smile and nod, "Of course! I'll step out to check the schedule for the return fitting while you do that."
So I step out, check the computer and come up with 2 options, fill out the estimate sheet, make a label for the gown and welcome my 6 PM fitting. I let the 6 PM girl know that her gown was in the fitting room, but that the previous guest was still in there, and it should only be a few moments. Then I step into the fitting space to speak with the Bride about her schedule. Bride picks a time, I write it down on the estimate sheet for her and tell her I'm placing it with her things. Then as I am putting the label on the hanger, MoB says "We're going. We're going."
"You're fine. I'm just labeling the hanger," with a smile.
Finally they leave and I get my next girl in the room and go through my spiel with her (When is Prom, phone number, Here's what we're gonna do, etc). I step out so she can get dressed and I see MoB complaining to the store manager about me. I just smile tightly and turn away so I can't see or be seen. I get through the next appointment just fine and have a moment to ask the manager about the complaint.
MoB's complaint: She asked if I was the only seamstress. She didn't like that I wouldn't mark the hem. She felt like I was rushing them out the door. She didn't like that I asked everyone to move out of the way.
So after my last fitting (I left at 7:15. 15 minutes after the store closed) I called the owner of the store to give her a heads up about a potential complaint. I gave her the run down, including that I could see how I could be perceived as abrupt. Owner said she agreed with me and would back me up. Then added that no one needs to bring 4 people to a fitting. Owner also said she'd follow up with Bride the next day. I trust Owner will back me up on this because she gets as fed up with pushy family as I do.
After a movie date with my Husband (yay Deadpool!) I gave him the run down as well and he said that in 2 weeks when Bride and MoB return, I would be within my rights to ask MoB to not be in the room as she both made me feel unsafe but created an unsafe environment for her daughter (nearly stabbing Bride with a pin, while not catastrophic, is a nuisance). I think that may be a bit over the top, but I appreciated his enthusiasm.
TLDR; Mother of a bride grabbed me, nearly causing me to prick her daughter with a pin, then complained that I was rude.
Thoughts?
You have a momzilla on your hands.
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