Ultimate Guide to Wedding Dress Bustling: Types, Tips, and Tricks

Creating the perfect bustle for your wedding dress is an essential yet often overlooked aspect of bridal preparations. A bustle not only adds a unique style to your gown but also ensures practicality, allowing you to move freely and enjoy your special day. Here's a comprehensive guide to bustling your wedding dress, combining insights from various sources.

Types of Bustles

1. American (Over) Bustle:
   This style involves lifting the train and hooking it over the back of the dress along the zipper or waistline. It's relatively simple and adds a cascade effect to the dress, suitable for various gown types, particularly ball gowns with longer trains​

2. French (Under) Bustle:
   The French bustle, or under bustle, folds the train underneath the dress. It's a bit more intricate, often involving multiple tie points for a dramatic effect. This style is suitable for A-line, sheath, and mermaid or trumpet gowns and adds a tidy billow of fabric.

3. Ballroom Bustle:
   This type disguises the train altogether by fastening it beneath the skirt. It's ideal for ball gowns but can be used with most silhouettes, providing an illusion of a floor-length gown.

4. Austrian Bustle:
   A less common style, the Austrian bustle, uses the excess fabric from the train to create a ruched look, often simple to execute by the bridal party​.

5. Royal or Victorian Bustle:
   This elaborate option affixes the train at multiple points down the back of the dress, creating dramatic folds, best suited for very full ball gowns or cathedral-length trains.

Practical Tips for Bustling

• Choose the Right Bustle for Your Gown:
  The style of your gown will dictate the best bustle type. Work with your seamstress to choose the most suitable one for your dress's fabric and silhouette​.

• Bring a Bridesmaid to Your Fitting:
  It's crucial to have someone who will help you with the bustle on your wedding day. Bring a bridesmaid or a family member to your fitting to learn how to execute the bustle​.

• Consider the Cost:
  The cost of adding a bustle varies, typically ranging from $75 to $250. This cost depends on the complexity of the bustle and the train of your dress​.

• Plan for Emergencies:
  Even with the best preparations, bustles can break. Carry emergency safety pins, needles, and thread for quick fixes​.

Making the Choice

Choosing the right bust size for your wedding dress is a combination of practicality and aesthetics. You should make your decision based on the style of your wedding dress, your personal preferences, and the activities you have planned for your wedding day. If you are preparing for a country wedding dresses, then this should be planned according to your style!

Keep in mind that the bustle not only adds to the beauty of the dress, but also ensures that you can move around comfortably and enjoy every moment of your special day.

For more detailed instructions and a visual guide on bustle tips, you can browse through the video resources I've searched and compiled for you. These video resources provide a wealth of information to help you make the best choice for your wedding bustle.