Raffaele Ciuca Alterations Department

I found the team absolutely delightful to interact with. As a mature age bride I was thrilled with the range of dresses and was thrilled to find the dress that I loved. Given I was living in PNG and loosing weight the alterations process was very important to me as I had limited time in Australia. The team capped the price so I knew exactly what I was up for which was great as I ended up loosing 16kgs in 11 months. The only recommendation I would have is for the team to have a nicer selection of drinks when you purchase a gown. My fiancé had a tailored suit at half the price of my gown and he was given beautiful scotch and I was a little miffed with some cheap Prosecco. I small champagne would have been great or even I would have loved a scotch but I am a more mature bride so I have definite feelings on these service points. Other than that I loved my experience with the team from purchase to alterations. Jo in High st was a delight and really provided excellent service and helped me feel excited and delighted at being a bride for thr first (even at 43). We went all in with veil, over skirt and the dress and I am so glad I did! Thank you Jo and Rita from alterations you ladies were awesome.

Amazing service by the staff from the minute we step through the door. I couldn’t be happier with the dress I’ve chosen and would highly recommend Raffaele Ciuca to anyone wanting to chose the wedding dress of their dreams

Excellent customer service from the start to the finish at both the gown store and alterations store

Dear Raffaele Ciuca team, thank you so much for the amazing help and guidance you all gave me! I’m so excited for my big day. I had the lovely help of Francesca, Rosa and Tam and they made the process so easy and got me exactly what I wanted. Massive thanks!

Where do I even begin- what an appalling experience!

I bought and picked up my dress across the road at the Brunswick store. Mandy originally told me that the alterations would be capped at $900. When the dress came, even though the measurement were the same, the dress was big all over- didn’t even fit around the bust. I was assured that it would be a standard cost and I wouldn’t be charged extra because it was bigger.

Come my appointment with the alterations team. Was constantly commenting on my bigger bust and my short height and how much extra work it would take because of it. I already bought straps with my dress and was told by the lady that if I was going to keep it strapless, she would’ve refused to continue with my appointment as it would never suit me.

Because I was short, as she was wearing pinning it she kept saying because it’s so long and soo much work it would be more expensive.

I had bought lace straps that had already cost me $300 extra. To add those on, she wanted to charge me $200.
She wanted to cut the straps which is where I had to stop her.

When I said I’d need to think about the $1450 she wanted to charge, I was scrutinised for “wasting her time”, even though I went in assuming it wouldn’t be more than $900. The discrimination I received because I was short and curvy was disgusting.

Because I needed to think about it due to the high price charge, I was completely dismissed. She put my dress in the bag and walked away. Refused to give the quote written down but yelled it out from the counter.

So disappointed by the rude service I received. I definitely wasn’t a bridezilla and kept my cool. The terrible reviews are all correct. Change your business model Raffaele Ciuca! Stop misleading your brides and treating them like an inconvenience when you have provided inaccurate information.

I wished I had listened to the negative reviews before letting them alter my Berta dress I bought from the Armadale store.
It was a horrible experience. I had to go to another dressmaker to fix everything and redo, she was also shocked at the job. Luckily they gave me a refund that's the only reason for the extra star.

I had THE most exceptional experience with Rita and Tam. I cannot overstate how amazing and skilled these ladies were, they treated me like an absolute queen. They spent so much time going through every single seam, tweaking and refining so my dress was absolutely perfect. They were extremely patient, and they have so much knowledge about how to get a garment exactly right. Plus they are super lovely! My dress looked absolutely sensational, I could not be happier with Raffaele Ciuca and very highly recommend them. Thank you Rita and Tam for making me feel so beautiful on my wedding day!

Rita and Luana were amazing at the alterations place. And the alterations were done perfectly. The only thing I want to mention was the cost. Nearly $2000.00 for alterations on a dress that cost $4500.00. When someone is purchasing a dress this information should be provided. I nearly fell over when I was given the quote. Apart from that the girls were amazing. Pina from the store was super amazing too. Just like an Italian Mumma.

Everyone at Raffaele Ciuca was very professional and a pleasure to deal with. An extra special thanks to Luana at alterations, she was absolutely wonderful and extremely helpful! Thank you again!

A HUGE Thankyou to Rita and Tam! What a team! Absolutely made my dress come to life as my dream wedding gown! I’m in love with it, nothing was out of place or needed further altering upon my second fitting! The best in the business! Thanks for your patience. You’re both a master at your craft and i have had nothing but an exceptional experience

I don’t even know where to start! This place absolutely butchered my beautiful dress. This review has been a long time coming as I actually picked up my dress from being altered back in January.

When I came in for my final fitting, my dress had not been taken in where I had been measured and was still much too loose around my waist and chest. The cups that had been sewn in were not even level with my chest, they were sitting at the very top of my breasts and kept shifting upwards with every movement. I also had repeatedly asked for the straps to be tightened but kept getting my concerns blown off.

It was one week before my wedding and my dress was a complete mess! The lady there told me to come back in half an hour and she would have it fixed. When I did come back, the bodice fit my waist better however it was still so loose around my chest that the extra fabric was drooping down. One of the straps was adjusted far too tightly and one was still so loose that it kept falling down. At that point, I was out of time and so miserable with the experience and what had been done to my dress that I just took it and left.

On the day of my wedding, I found a pin that had been left inside and poked me in the chest. I also spent the entirety of the day constantly adjusting my breasts because they kept coming out of the cups. The tight strap also cut my shoulder which was painful and left me with red marks. Trying my dress on again this week for my upcoming vow renewal reminded me of how disappointed I was with the outcome. A completely unacceptable job for over $800.

Now I need to pay to get my dress altered properly (if it’s even possible), or worst case scenario, purchase a different, cheap dress that can never compare to my original. One thing is for sure, I’ll never go through Raffaele Ciuca for alterations again! I’m utterly heartbroken.

Absolutely loved my experience with Luana! She was attentive to the smallest details, had my best interest at heart and was only satisfied once my dress looked perfect. Thanks so much for making this such en enjoyable experience!

To Raffaele Ciuca Alterations,
Thank you for your great work with my wedding dress last month. You took extra time to make sure it fit perfectly and added some extra support in the corset which meant I could wear it all night long without any concerns or readjustments needed. Thanks especially to Yolanda for her friendly, helpful and thorough work. I am beyond happy with my wedding dress and so thankful for all your help.

Please do not come here. I read the reviews for this alteration place, was abit wary and got my alterations done here anyway. When I walked in to the place, everything felt rushed and it felt like they didn’t care. I was just a job they had to do, they don’t care about their clients. They did an okay job for such an expensive price tag. A month before my wedding day, I was still feeling unsure about my dress, so I took it to a dressmaker. She showed me how poor the quality of the alteration by Raffaele Ciuca Alterations was. She fixed up all the issues for a 1/10th of the alteration price of Raffaele Ciuca Alterations. So please avoid!

Even though we got there in the end and my dress looked amazing, the experience was far from that. In fact it was frustrating and expensive.
What’s particularly annoying is that the fitter is not your seamstress and so, like in my experience, if the dress is pinned incorrectly, the alterations end up being far from perfect. My dress was initially lifted too high which resulted in other unnecessary complications and multiple visits. What’s more, I found it particularly annoying and a little condescending when one of the staff was trying to convince me that the dress was perfect upon pick up, when it was far from it. Given the simplicity of my dress, every error stood out like a sore thumb. My cup inserts, as an example, were too small, which resulted in a “double boob” appearance - not flattering. When I asked for a larger cup size, I was told by the fitter that this was the biggest they had (I’m a C cup!) I was flabbergasted! Eventually a seamstress found a solution.
It definitely helped having my mum (tailor by profession) there to assist, as otherwise, I don’t think my concerns would have been taken as seriously.
The staff are caring and polite, and the seamstresses are talented BUT something isn’t working in the process. I was fortunate that I had the week prior off to allow for the multiple visits… not every bride has this luxury.
For the $950 spent, had I my time again, I’d have gone elsewhere. Not worth the stress and frustration!

I'd like to thank all the staff at Raffaela Ciuca for the great service they showed us. I have one happy daughter. An extra special thank you to Aldo and his team for being to professional and happy to please.
Sincerely
Caterina

Luana was absolutely fantastic! I had 3 appointments for my wedding gown alterations and she was extremely thorough and took her time even though they were busy on a Saturday. She wanted my dress to look perfect, even more than I wanted it to be. She sent me photos and we kept in contact afterwards. She is amazing at what she does, you will not be disappointed. Thank you so much Luana x

To Luana & Team at RC Alterations,

Thank you so much for your professionalism, service and support.

A big shout to Luana for being so kind, supportive and professional. I cannot thank you enough! Thank you all for making my dream dress fit me perfectly.

Forever grateful and thankful!

The wonderful ladies at Raffaele Ciuca were nothing short of incredible throughout my wedding entire dress experience. From trying it on for the very first time right through to my final fitting. They made sure that my dress was fitted to perfection and that I was completely happy with the result. Thank you so much for a lovely experience.x

All the ladies in the store in Sydney Rd are beautiful and made the process of picking a dress so easy from start to finish. My consultant was the sweetest and super helpful with all the questions and knew what she was talking about with all the current wedding styling advice. To top if off after collection going across to alterations Rita who was the dressmaker for the was so lovely and wanted to make sure my gown was the most perfect fit for my upcoming big day. They both made the experience so special and memorable.