From Aisle to Dance Floor: Your Guide to Bridal Dress Bustles

If you are getting married in a bridal gown with a train and would prefer to avoid a potential face planting incident like this (because let’s face it, literally nobody wants to go viral for stacking it during their first dance!), you’re going to need to engage your bridal seamstress to add a wedding dress bustle or handloop to your gown.

What is a bustle?

From American style bustles to French style bustles and everything in between, all bustles are designed to reduce the amount of fabric trailing behind you when wearing a gown with a long train. 

Bustles are strongly recommended for brides who have a train and know they’ll be dancing or doing a fair bit of walking in their wedding gown, as trains are cumbersome for anything other than looking beautiful in your wedding photos. 

In addition to making your wedding dress more practical to move in and protecting your train from dirt and damage, bustles are also fantastic for transforming the overall look of your wedding dress, taking it from ‘princess’ to ‘ready to party’ with the tie of a bow or the fastening of a few buttons. 

Who needs a second look when you can bustle your much loved (and probably very expensive) wedding dress and completely change the silhouette?!

Popular bustle styles

While some bustles gather the fabric of your train up and over the skirt, others tuck the excess train fabric neatly underneath the skirt via a series bows or colour coded fastenings. The bustle style that will work best for you on your wedding day will depend on the style of your wedding dress and the material it is composed of.

When selecting a bustle style for your wedding day it’s best to work in partnership with your bridal seamstress to balance aesthetics with practicality.

American bustle

An American bustle, also known as an over bustle, will see your bridal alterations seamstress add a button and bow system to the rear of your dress to allow the train fabric to be gathered up and fastened on top of the skirt, positioned either at your waist or under your derriere. This style of bustle creates a dramatic and romantic silhouette (perfect for brides who love Bridgerton!) that lifts a significant amount of fabric off the ground. 

We often recommend an American bustle to brides who have purchased a wedding dress with buttons down the back (either to your waist or to the hem of your dress), like Rosie by Grace Loves Lace. In this instance we only need to add a colour matched bow approximately half way down your train, that can then be looped over one of the pre-existing buttons. 

French bustle

Given that French bustles gather up your train underneath your skirt, it makes sense that this technique is commonly referred to as an under bustle. A great bustle option for slimline gowns, like Salacea by Kyha, the French bustle is a discreet bustle that maintains the original shape of your gown and doesn’t add excess volume. 

French bustles are often executed with two small fabric ties placed on the underside of your skirt, that are then secured together with a knot and bow. 

Fold bustle

Whereas the American and French bustle styles usually only require one point of attachment to reduce the length of your train, a fold bustle utilises two fastening points (either buttons or bows) at the waist to significantly shorten your train. 

We often recommend a fold bustle for brides who will be wearing a big princess style gown, as this technique preserves the fullness of the silhouette, and keeps any design details of your hem on show. 

Ball gown bustle

The MVP of bustles according to all of the highly experienced bridal seamstresses at Ilka, ball gown bustles are designed to tackle the fullness and drama of a voluminous ball gown style skirt, like Hera Couture’s Le Belle V2 gown.

The way that a ball gown bustle works is that your train is completely hidden from sight via a series of fastenings sneakily inserted on the inside of the dress. At Ilka, we colour code each fastening to make it easy for brides and their bridesmaids to bustle up a big skirt, even after a few celebratory champagnes.

Although it is the most expensive bustle option due to the complexity of the work involved, we firmly believe it’s an investment worth making to ensure you don’t take an embarrassing spill while dancing or walking on your wedding day. 

Hand loop

If none of the above bustle styles sound like they would be a good fit for your wedding train management, you may wish to consider a hand loop instead. 

This simple design feature consists of a small loop of fabric or ribbon sewn into the underside of your hem that you can use as a handle to carry the bulk of your train. A cost effective alternative to a bustle for brides who have already blown out their wedding budget, a handloop is subtle, inexpensive and easy to use. 

When to book your bridal bustle fitting?

For simple bridal alterations such as adding a handloop and finessing the length of the hem of your wedding dress, we recommend booking your first bridal alterations appointment approximately 12 weeks before your wedding. If you suspect you may require more complicated bridal alterations, like adding a ball gown bustle or redesigning the neckline of your gown, we strongly suggest booking your first bridal alterations appointment at Ilka 14-16 weeks out from your wedding. 

And although we’ve just given you the full rundown on all of your bustle options, don’t feel like you need to be a bustle expert when you arrive at your bridal alterations and bustle fitting appointment. As expert bridal alterations seamstresses with over 15 years experience, we live and breathe bustles, so we are well placed to suggest the best bustle option for your specific gown and requirements. 

To secure your preferred dates and times for your bridal alterations and bustle fitting appointments, book in online via our website as soon as you know when you’ll receive your dress. 

Feeling nervous about your upcoming bridal alterations appointment? Read our blog post, What To Expect From Your Bridal Alterations Appointment in Perth, for a comprehensive rundown on who and what to bring to your appointment.