Wedding & event vendors
Books and taxes for wedding dress preservation and alterations.
Alterations that peak before the wedding, preservation orders that peak right after, gowns mailed in from out of state, and specialized cleaning solvents. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
July came in at $4,800. Post-wedding season sent in a wave of preservation orders, so I kept those apart from the alterations work you did earlier this year.
- July preservation orders, 12 gownsPreservation fees
- Alterations laborAlterations labor
- Preservation boxes and kitsPreservation supplies
- Shipping insurance for inbound gownsShipping and insurance
- Dry cleaning solvent restockCleaning supplies
Why your books are different
A wedding dress preservation and alteration business's books go wrong in the same handful of places.
A generalist sees service fees and a supply bill. Your business is alterations that peak before the wedding, preservation that peaks right after, and gowns mailed in from out of state that need real insurance in transit. When the books do not know that, the number they hand you is wrong.
-
1
Preservation and alterations get lumped into one number
Alterations happen before a wedding and preservation happens after, and if both are tracked as one general service line, you cannot tell which side of the business is actually driving revenue in a given season.
What we doKeeps preservation fees and alterations labor in separate lines. -
2
Shipping insurance gets missed as a real cost
Gowns mailed in from out of state are valuable and irreplaceable, and insuring them in transit is a real cost that is easy to overlook if it is not tracked apart from regular shipping supplies.
What we doKeeps shipping insurance in its own line, apart from general shipping costs. -
3
A bulk box and kit order wrecks the month
Preservation boxes, acid-free tissue, and kits get ordered in bulk periodically rather than every week, and one larger restock order can make an otherwise normal month look like it cost far more than usual.
What we doFlags larger supply stock-ups, so a restock does not distort a single month. -
4
The seasonal swing between alterations and preservation gets missed
Alterations demand peaks before wedding season and preservation demand peaks right after, and a single monthly view can make one side look like it is failing when it is really just between its own busy stretches.
What we doShows the year's trend for each service line, so a seasonal lull reads as expected, not as a problem. -
5
Dry cleaning solvent and chemicals blend with general supplies
The specialized cleaning agents used in gown preservation are a distinct, regulated cost from everyday cleaning supplies, and if they are not tracked apart, you cannot tell what the preservation process itself actually costs.
What we doKeeps cleaning solvents in their own line, apart from general supplies.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a preservation and alterations business.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Preservation feesCleaning and boxing a gown for long-term storage.
- Alterations feesFitting work done ahead of the wedding day.
- Rush service feesExtra charged for quick-turnaround requests.
- Customer shipping feesCharged to cover sending a gown back to the customer.
- Restyling feesA post-wedding redesign into a shorter or different style.
Money out
- Preservation suppliesBoxes, acid-free tissue, and kits.
- Alterations laborIn-house or subcontracted fitting work.
- Cleaning solventsSpecialized chemicals used in the preservation process.
- Shipping and insuranceGetting gowns to and from customers safely.
- Shop rent and utilitiesThe space you work from.
- MarketingWebsite and bridal shop partnerships.
- InsuranceLiability coverage for the business.
What we watch for you
- Preservation against alterations orders
Which side of the business is actually driving revenue this season.
- Shipping insurance cost per gown
What protecting an inbound gown actually costs against what you charge.
- Supply cost against orders
What kits and solvents cost against what you billed, so a big restock does not hide the real picture.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things preservation and alteration owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
No, I keep them apart, so you can see which side of the business is actually driving revenue each season.
Yes, kept in its own line, apart from regular shipping, so you can see what protecting those gowns actually costs.
That is a bigger one-time buy. I flag stock-ups so a restock does not make the month look worse than it is.
The tax side
The tax side of a preservation and alterations business.
Most of what goes wrong here is two different services blending into one number, and supplies bought in bigger batches.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Contractor 1099sA subcontracted seamstress not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31. Gus keeps that list running.
- Preservation and cleaning suppliesPreservation kits, boxes, and specialized cleaning solvents are usually ordinary deductible business costs. Gus keeps them tracked apart from general supplies.
- Sales tax on services and goodsWhether preservation and alterations are taxed as a service or as a sale of goods, like the box itself, varies by state. The accountant checks what applies to you.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions wedding dress preservation and alteration businesses miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Preservation boxes and kits
- Alterations labor
- Cleaning solvents and chemicals
- Shipping insurance
- Shop rent and utilities
- Liability insurance
- Website and bridal shop partnerships
- Business cards and branding
- Sewing machines and equipment
- Continuing education courses
- Card processing fees
- Packaging materials
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A preservation and alterations year, kept every month.
Alterations peak before weddings and preservation peaks right after. Gus keeps the return on its own schedule. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 for any alterations help is ready, and a monthly set-aside is planned before alterations season picks up.
- April
Filed and signed
Your return is filed and signed before the spring alterations rush hits, so tax season never competes with your busiest fitting weeks.
- July
Halfway check
Post-wedding preservation orders are in full swing. Gus checks where you stand and what you will owe.
- October
Before the next wave
Fall weddings drive the next round of alterations, with preservation orders to follow. Gus looks at supplies worth ordering before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for wedding dress preservation and alteration businesses. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions preservation and alteration owners ask first.
Are preservation and alterations tracked as one number?
No. They are kept in separate lines, so you can see which side of the business is actually driving revenue each season.
Is shipping insurance for gowns a real cost?
Yes. It is kept apart from regular shipping, so you can see what protecting an inbound gown actually costs.
I ordered a big batch of boxes and kits. Why does that month look expensive?
It gets flagged as a larger one-time buy, so the restock does not distort that month's real picture.
Do I charge sales tax on preservation services?
It varies by state whether preservation and alterations are taxed as a service or as a sale of goods. The accountant checks what applies to you.
My books are behind. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send what you have and Gus sorts it. Most owners know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever