A bustle lifts your train off the floor after the ceremony, so you can move, eat and dance without carrying it. It's the alteration most brides have never heard of — and the one they're most grateful for by 9pm.
What a bustle actually does
Your train is beautiful walking down the aisle. It is considerably less beautiful being trodden on during your first dance. A bustle is a set of hand-sewn loops and fastenings — hook-and-eyes or buttons — that gathers the train up and secures it, turning a floor-length train into a clean, finished hemline for the reception.
It's built into the dress permanently, but only used when you want it. One person can usually do it up in under a minute once they've been shown how, which is why we always walk your bridesmaid or your mum through it at the final fitting.
The three types we fit
There are three bustles we use, and which one your gown gets depends on the train, the fabric and the detailing on the back of the dress:
- The clip-up bustle (also known as an American bustle). Little loops are hand-sewn onto the gown and the train is clipped up to them with hook-and-eyes or buttons, in several places across the back. It can be a single clip-up, but it is usually three to five points depending on the gown we are working with. This is the bustle for dresses with a lot of tulle or large pleat detailing, and for gowns with buttons down the back — we can often use those existing buttons rather than adding anything.
- The under bustle (also known as a ballroom bustle). A series of hook-and-eyes — usually five to eight — clips the entire train underneath the skirt, so the hem sits at one length the whole way around and the gown reads as though it never had a train. It puts the train completely out of the way, which makes it wonderful for dancing, and it is the version that makes the dress look its best while bustled. It can only be done in plain fabrics, and whether it is possible at all depends on how long your train is.
- The wrist bustle. A single loop that lifts the train off the ground and hooks over your wrist. We usually suggest it for brides who have a second dress for the evening, or who simply want the train up for canapés or straight after the ceremony — it gives you the option without committing to clipping up the whole bustle.
How we choose yours
We work it out with the dress on you, looking at the train — its length and weight, the fabric, and what is happening across the back of the gown. A heavily tulled or pleated skirt hides a clip-up beautifully; a plain fabric is the only one that will take an under bustle; a train past a certain length rules the under bustle out altogether.
How many times you plan to wear the dress matters as much as how the gown is made. An under bustle worn all evening — particularly through a night of dancing — presses a line into the skirt where the fabric has been held up, and that line can be very difficult to get out afterwards. If you are wearing your gown once, that is no issue at all. If you are having a second ceremony overseas, or wearing the dress again for any reason, we would steer you towards a clip-up instead.
We will show you the options on your own gown rather than describing them in the abstract.
When it is discussed, quoted and made
We talk through which bustle your dress is likely to suit at your first fitting, and it is always quoted as part of your alterations quote. It is an option, not an assumption — once the quote is with you, you can take your time and decide whether to go ahead.
The bustle itself is made after your hem and before your final fitting. It has to be, because a bustle has to sit at the right height on you in your wedding shoes, and that height is only fixed once the front hem is done. At the final fitting we check it and walk whoever is helping you — a bridesmaid, your mum — through doing it up.
It is covered by the same timeline as the rest of your alterations, so get in touch as soon as you have ordered your dress, with your first fitting ideally around 8 weeks before your day. Wedding season books up quickly.
Questions brides ask us.
A bustle is a set of hand-sewn loops and fastenings — hook-and-eyes or buttons — sewn into a wedding dress to lift the train up off the floor after the ceremony, so you can walk and dance freely at the reception without carrying it.
We fit three. A clip-up bustle, also known as an American bustle, uses hand-sewn loops and hook-and-eyes or buttons to clip the train up in several places, usually three to five. An under bustle, also known as a ballroom bustle, uses five to eight hook-and-eyes to clip the whole train underneath the skirt so the hem is one length all the way around. A wrist bustle is a single loop that lifts the train off the ground and hooks over your wrist.
It depends on your train, your fabric and the detailing on the back of the gown. Dresses with a lot of tulle or large pleat detailing usually take a clip-up bustle, and gowns with buttons down the back can often use those buttons. An under bustle can only be done in plain fabrics and only if the train is not too long. We work it out with the dress on you at your first fitting.
An under bustle worn all evening presses a line into the skirt where the fabric has been held up, and that line can be very difficult to remove. It is not a problem if you are wearing your gown once. If you are having a second ceremony overseas or wearing the dress again, we would recommend a clip-up bustle instead.
If your gown has a train and you plan to dance, eat or move around at your reception, a bustle makes the evening far easier. Gowns without a train don't need one. If you only want the train up for canapés or straight after the ceremony, a wrist bustle may be all you need.
No — the three we fit are the clip-up bustle (also called an American bustle), the under bustle (also called a ballroom bustle) and the wrist bustle. If you have seen a French bustle mentioned elsewhere, bring it up at your first fitting and we will show you on your own gown which of ours gives you the look you are after.
It is quoted as part of your alterations rather than assumed. We discuss which bustle would suit your dress at your first fitting and include it in the quote we email you, so you can decide in your own time whether to go ahead.
After your hem and before your final fitting. A bustle has to sit at the right height on you in your wedding shoes, and that height is only fixed once the front hem is done.
Once someone has been shown how, doing up a bustle usually takes under a minute. We walk whoever will be helping you — a bridesmaid, your mum — through it at your final fitting.
Your dress. Your fit. Your day.
Book your alterations consultation at the Sydenham studio — and see why brides travel from across the South Island to have their gowns finished here.