French Bustle
You have found the most beautiful dress in the world the one that makes you feel like a 20 out of 10 and now its time to figure out what you going to be doing with all of it when its time to dance and party at your wedding reception. It's probably going to need to be bustled and there are many options to play around with in alterations. So I decided its time for us to take a class in Bustle 101 and to be honest we could probably have a final exam on the subject one a few of your bridesmaids should ace !
First you have to decide which bustle works for you and your dress. Play around with your seamstress in alterations and do some research to determine which kind is right for you. In this post I have selected a few of the prettiest bustles while there are many types of bustle they are not all pleasing to the eye nor do the do justice to your wedding gown.
The French Bustle is beautiful and traditional and the technique is usually done with ties and creates a waterfall affect to the back of your gown it isn't bulky and the work is done underneath the gown as to not disturb any of the fabric or details.
French Bustle Fitted Gown
An American Bustle is a little less labor intensive for your bridesmaids to handle. They won't have to get underneath your dress and figure out if tie A goes to tie B and so on and so forth. French Bustles while beautiful can be a little complicated. The American is beautiful, functional and pretty easy to navigate. The only hard part is that the components are small! They have to be minuscule which makes them hard to find. It is a system on either buttons and threads or hooks and threads all strategically placed on the dress to lift your train. It makes beautiful tiers in the bottom of your gown depending on how many points you need.
I may have spoken too soon because while your bridesmaids won't have to get underneath your gown to bustle it the american way they do have to figure out where each component of your bustle is. That's why it is important to have a bridesmaid or two at your last few fittings so they can be taught how to bustle your dress. If you aren't having bridesmaids bring a family member or a friend, someone who can help you out on the day of.
American Bustle Fitted Gown
The American Bustle on a ballgown is very easy but there will have to be a lot of points on that kind of bustle. Ballgowns tend to be a little heavier and you can't pick them up too high or the crinoline underneath the dress will be exposed and that is not the look you're going for on your big day. All in all what you want is a beautiful dress that looks good from every angle. Train exposed or bustled, all it takes is a little bit of experimentation in your alterations appointments to decide. Once you have your dress bustled after your Ceremony and photos are taken you can dance and party the night away without having to worry about people stepping on it or tearing it or things of that nature.
American Bustle Ballgown
Nikki's loves working with our brides and alterations team to make sure that your bridal visions come true.
xo, Nikki's