Somewhere between the wedding and the reception, you are going to want to bustle your gown. (I’m going to what?)
A bustle is when your train is buttoned up, tied up or pinned up so that your gown becomes one length all around aka shortens your train so you don’t have to carry it and no one steps on it during the reception.
Most bridal gowns do not come with a bustle built in as each bride is a different height. On your first fitting with your alterations specialist, they should show you some of the options available. As each gown is different, they may show you some variations outside of the standard bustles listed below.
American Bustle: The fabric from the train is pulled over the skirt and attached with buttons and loops or hook and eye’s. (Kind of like a folded napkin in the back, pinned up to the bottom of your zipper/buttons)
French Bustle: The train is pulled up under the skirt and attached with ribbons, hook and eyes or buttons and loops. It resembles the skirts of ladies from the 1800’s but in a much more toned down way. This is our preferred bustle for a few reasons. It distributes the weight of the skirt more evenly, hopefully preventing it from busting. It also keeps the lines of the gown more clean, especially on more fitted gowns.
Hem or Bubble Bustle: The train is evenly pulled up underneath the skirt so that it appears the gown is all one length all the way around as if there was never a train.