Your wedding dress bustle is when the beautiful train of your dress is buttoned up to floor length to enter your wedding reception.
The reason is so you can be on the dance floor and move about freely without it getting stuck or caught, or stepped on!
It will also show off the beautiful detail of the train and the back of the dress which you wont see until you view your wedding photos. When you make your grand entrance into your reception, it will be on full display so it is very important to get the right bustle for your dress.
In a bridal appointment at Darianna® Bridal & Tuxedo, the bridal stylist demonstrates to the bride-to-be how each wedding gown bustles best. The ‘best’ will depend on the silhouette of the dress, the fabric, the length of the train, along with personal style choices.
To do this, it will be fastened by a series of buttons, hooks/eyes, ribbons, or a combination of them.
The bustling of the dress train is done most often by the maid of honor, the bridal party, or the wedding coordinator before you are announced for your first dance.
Many bustles look beautiful when done properly, but others can look messy or even fall out if done incorrectly. You must know what your options are when having your final fittings done.
Let’s look at the two main types of bustles:
The most common is the the American bustle or ‘over bustle’.
This one will use hooks or buttons either at the waist line of the dress or at the start of the skirt flare on a fitted dress. These buttons or hooks are on the outside of the gown and are virtually invisible on an A-line or ball gown dress with a full skirt and intricate details.
This type of bustle looks beautiful because it keeps the shape of the skirt and adds a dramatic effect with even more fullness to the gown silhouette.
If you have a sleek plain crepe or mikado gown, this may not be the right option because the hooks will be visible on the outside of the skirt as shown here:
Depending on the length of your train and fullness of the skirt, you may only need one hook or button, or you may need many bustle points to keep it up and floor length the whole way around.
Next is the French bustle.
The French bustle has buttons sewn underneath on the inside of the dress skirt. When connected, they form “pick ups” or tiers to the skirt. It should be done when the skirt is plain satin, silk, crepe, etc., so the button/hooks will not be visible on the outside of the dress.
This kind of bustle has a modern and sleek effect with dresses that are column or sheath shape with shorter trains, using multiple or even a single point button.
Watch this quick and informative Bustle video by our own Suzanne who will illustrate and explain these two further:
What if you do not like either of these options? We have more:
- Skip the buttoning altogether and use a wrist loop to carry the train. This is simply a band around your wrist that holds your train up as you twirl the night away! This works best on simple trains like chapel or sweep length, however, it is also an option for dresses made of a heavier fabric or with fuller skirts that are too thick or cumbersome to be held by buttons and hooks.
- Consider buying a dress with a short (or no) train or have a professional seamstress hem all of it to floor length.
- Purchase an over skirt with a dramatic train that you can remove for a seamless transition to the reception. Bonus points – two looks in one dress!
- Add a gorgeous cathedral or royal length veil to give you the incredible drama for the aisle walk and photos, and remove it for the reception! No extra buttoning or hooking needed!
When you say yes to your dress, make sure you know your bustle options! Your stylist will show you the various ways and your seamstress will pin them at your first fitting so you can see before committing to the one you want.
At your final dress fitting, your seamstress will show you and your mom, made of honor, etc., where the series of hooks or buttons are and how to attach them. Many of our brides take a video … just in case!
And also just in case: do not forget to have in your emergency kit with large safety pins in case you need extra bustle support!