One bride in the salon, and the room is hers for 90 minutes.
Roma Sposa is a bridal atelier in Birmingham, Michigan, serving brides across Oakland County and metro Detroit. We sell couture gowns by private appointment, then fit and alter them at our own bench. Nobody else books into your slot.
One bride at a time
How a private bridal appointment runs here.
No racks to flick through, no second party waiting on the sofa next to yours. One stylist, one bride, one platform and one long mirror.
Silk mikado holds a shape. Chiffon does not. Tell us which one you want the dress to do.
- Brides per slot
- One
- Appointment length
- About 90 minutes
- Guests
- Bring whoever you trust
The appointment starts with a conversation, not a dress. We ask where you are marrying, what the floor is made of, how long the ceremony runs and whether you will dance for four hours or forty minutes. A stone church aisle and a tented lawn want different hems. Most brides have not thought about that yet, which is why we ask first.
Then the fabric goes on your body. We pull three or four gowns from the six lines we carry, usually starting with a silhouette you did not ask for, because a photograph on a phone is a poor guide to how a boned bodice sits on a real ribcage. You will try a structured ball gown in silk mikado, and probably a crepe column, and the difference between them in the mirror settles more arguments than any mood board.
Your stylist will tell you plainly when a silhouette is wrong for you. That is the job. A mermaid gown fitted through the knee is not comfortable to sit in for a long dinner, and if you have told us you want to dance, we say so before you fall for it.
Measuring comes near the end of the 90 minutes, once you have a direction. Bust, waist, hip, hollow-to-hem and a few others, taken with you standing in the shoes you plan to wear. We measure before we order. A chart size is a guess, and we have unpicked too many guessed bodices.
You leave with no pressure and no quote on the spot. The written quote in US dollars comes after the fitting, once we know the fabric and the changes. If you want to see the lines before you come in, the collection page has every one with its spec table.
The fitting timeline, counted back from the wedding.
These are the windows we plan to. A couture gown is made to order, and the lead time is set by the fabric and the maker, not by how soon you would like it.
| When | What happens | What you bring |
|---|---|---|
| 40–52 wks | First private appointment. Silhouettes tried, a direction chosen, full measurements taken. | The shoes, or the same heel height. The undergarment you intend to wear. |
| 36–48 wks | Order placed to your measurements, not to a chart size. Written quote in USD agreed before anything is cut. | Wedding date and venue confirmed, so we can count the fittings back. |
| 10–12 wks | Gown arrives at the atelier. We check seams, beading and lace against the order before you see it. | Nothing. This one is ours. |
| 8–10 wks | First fitting. Bodice pinned, hem marked to your shoes, bustle points discussed. Itemised alterations estimate written. | Shoes, undergarment, any jewelry that sits on the neckline. |
| 4–6 wks | Second fitting. Seams taken in or let out, hem checked walking, bustle tried and adjusted. | The same shoes. Whoever will bustle the train on the day. |
| 1–2 wks | Final fitting and pressing. Last check at your wedding weight and posture. Gown steamed and ready to collect. | A clear hour and a car with a flat back seat. |
Short on time?
Call us before you book if the wedding is less than six months out. Some gowns can still be done in that window. A hand-beaded illusion bodice usually cannot, and we will not promise a date the workroom cannot meet. A crepe column is the line that bends furthest on timing, because it has the fewest seams to adjust and no appliqué to move.
If your weight is changing on purpose before the wedding, tell us at the first appointment. We plan the second fitting later so we are not cutting a bodice twice.
Wedding dress alterations in Birmingham, MI, done at our own bench.
Couture alterations and bustling for gowns bought at Roma Sposa. The same room that measured you does the sewing.
Couture Alterations and Bustling
The hem is set to your shoes. Not to a standard length, not to flats with a promise to wear heels. Bring the pair, or the same heel height, to every fitting.
Bodice work is where most of the hours go. Taking in a boned bodice means opening the lining, moving the channels and resetting the steel, so the boning still sits flat on your side seams. We do it by hand.
A cathedral train is roughly 90 inches from the waist. Most churches can take it. Most reception floors cannot, so we add a bustle, usually an under-bustle for mikado and an over-bustle with hidden hooks for lace.
Itemised written estimate in USD after the first fitting, for gowns bought at Roma Sposa.
Each line on the estimate names the change and its cost. If we find something at the second fitting that was not on it, we tell you before the work is done, not on the invoice.
| Scope | Hem, bodice fit, straps and sleeves, bustle points, lace and bead repair at seams |
|---|---|
| Eligible gowns | Gowns bought at Roma Sposa only |
| Hem | Set to the bride's own shoes, checked standing and walking; horsehair braid reset on ball gowns |
| Bodice | Side seams, spiral steel boning channels re-set, lining re-sewn by hand |
| Bustle | Under-bustle or over-bustle, marked at the second fitting with the person who will bustle it |
| Fittings | Usually three, from 8 to 10 weeks before the wedding |
| Estimate | Written, itemised, in USD, after the first fitting |
| Workmanship | Covered by the warranty in our terms |
What to bring to a fitting.
Every item on this list changes a measurement. Forget the shoes and we are guessing at the hem.
Bring the shoes you will wear, or shoes of the same heel height. The hem is set to them.
- The shoes. The actual pair if you have it. If not, anything with the same heel height to within a quarter inch.
- The undergarment. A strapless bra or bodysuit changes the bust measurement by more than people expect. Most of our structured gowns need nothing underneath, and we will tell you if yours is one of them.
- Anything that sits on the neckline. A necklace, a family brooch, the veil comb. We check the neckline with it on.
- Your venue details. Aisle length, floor surface, and whether there are stairs. It decides the train and the bustle.
- One or two people, not six. The salon is private and quiet on purpose. A small group hears the fitter; a large one talks over her.
- Time. Ninety minutes for a first appointment. Fittings run shorter, but do not book a lunch straight after.
What this bridal shop in Birmingham, Michigan will not do.
A short list, and each item on it comes from a problem we have seen more than once.
Order from a size chart.The most common failure we see is a bride ordering a size from a chart, then paying for a rebuild of the bodice. Measure first, order second.
Promise a rush date we cannot keep.If a gown needs a long lead time, we say so at the first appointment and help you choose a line that fits the calendar.
Quote before we have measured you.No prices online. The quote is written in US dollars after the fitting, when we know the fabric and the changes.
Sell through a checkout.Every gown goes through a fitting room first. There is no cart on this site and there will not be one.
Alter gowns bought elsewhere.Our bench works on the gowns we sold, because we know how they were built and where the seam allowance is.
We measure before we order.
Who we are not right for
If you want to try forty dresses in an afternoon, a large bridal store with a deep rack will suit you better. We carry six lines, in structured silhouettes and heavy natural fabrics, and we would rather you tried four of them properly.
If the wedding is in five weeks, call us anyway. We will be honest about whether a veil or an overskirt can be done, and whether a gown cannot.
The questions we hear before the first appointment.
Can I just browse?
No. Every visit is a private appointment. Walk-in browsing would mean another bride's 90 minutes are interrupted, and we do not do that to anyone.
Do I have to buy on the day?
No. You leave with measurements taken and a direction chosen. The quote follows in writing. Take it home and think.
Why no prices on the website?
Because the same ball gown costs a different amount on two brides. Fabric yardage changes with height, a bodice may need rebuilding, lace may need moving. Each line on the collection page says what its quote depends on, in plain terms, and we write the figure once we know.
Can I bring my mother and my sister?
Yes. One or two guests is ideal. The room fits more, but the fitter's voice gets lost past three.
What if a seam fails after the wedding fitting?
Bring it back. Our workmanship on alterations is covered, and the warranty section of the terms says how to report a fault and what we fix.
Who we are, what we do, and how to reach us.
Who runs this site
This site is run by Romasposa, trading at romasposa.us as Roma Sposa. We are a private bridal atelier, a bridal shop, based at 722 N Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham, Michigan 48009, United States.
What we do
We sell couture wedding gowns from six lines, by private appointment only, one bride per 90-minute slot, in our salon at 722 N Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham, Michigan. We measure before we order, and we fit and alter the gowns we sell at our own bench: hems, bodice fit, straps and sleeves, and bustles. Quotes are written in US dollars after the fitting. Nothing is sold on this site and no payment is taken here; the site is for seeing the collection and requesting an appointment.
How to reach a person
Email [email protected] or call +1 248-723-4300. A person at the atelier reads every message and replies; when we are with a bride and cannot pick up, we call you back. Data requests sent to the same address are answered within 7 days. Post goes to Romasposa, 722 N Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham, Michigan 48009, United States.
Ninety minutes in the salon. Nobody is booked after you.