Happy Friday! Today I am touching on the different types of Bustles and answer a few basic questions. I will show you how to bustle my bride Kristina’s wedding gown.
What is a Bustle? The bustle is created by sewing buttons, hooks, or ribbons into the dress. It lifts up the long train or tucks the train into itself to make it easier for the Bride to walk.
When should I bustle my wedding gown? A bustle is put up after photos are taken following the ceremony and before the reception. This helps prevent the Bride from tripping over her gown. It also allows the Bride to dance comfortably at the reception.
Do wedding dresses come with a bustle? Wedding dresses do not come with a bustle. Wedding gown bustles are added during the alterations process. Since every Bride is unique, the bustle is customized to the perfect hem length for each Bride.
Can a Bustle Break? Yes, there is a possibility a bustle can break. No matter how carefully your seamstress stitches your bustle, there’s always a possibility that it can break due to the stress put on the dress during dancing and . Bring oversize pins in case of an emergency.
Different Styles of Bustles. There are many different styles of bustles available depending on the length and the look the Bride is going for.
Here is an example of the Bustle I sewed for my bride Jessica using ribbons. I have also used a hook & eye, buttons, and other techniques on other dresses. Feel free to view my playlist for the various Bustle styles & techniques.
Here is an Underbustle
American Bustle (Overbustle).
Since it can get complicated to tie the bustle, I put together a tutorial for the Bridesmaids to help the Bride. Feel free to view the different Bustle types by clicking here. View the playlist below:
Thank you for visiting and I hope you have a great weekend! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
This was one of my sweet #Brides Kristina. She was a Bride when I had my design studio space (below). I had the honor of altering her lace wedding gown. It is pretty nostalgic to see the photo with my old signage and decor. My design space sure has changed😉! I made a lot of great memories in that place🥰.
I thought I lost all my photos and work dating back before 2017. My old computer no longer wanted to cooperate and I wasn’t able to access backup drives. It’s nice to have FB save some memories for me. Surprisingly, I even made notes on the photo description😆. Here are my alteration notes:
“Take up the shoulder, take-in waist, take-in hip, carefully remove lace & beadwork, hand-sew lace & beadwork”
Photo1: Carefully study the placement of lace, beadwork, and intricate details
Photo2: Slowly and carefully remove the lace for alterations
Photo3: Hand sewing the lace back on the dress & hand sewing the beads
Kristina’s love story is a true testament of “Love in Action.” She celebrated a beautiful wedding ceremony in Cancun. Read on to see why it was meant to be…
KRISTINA + KIP
How did you meet the love of your life?We met in law school (nothing exciting there!), but I do note that Kip and I were friends first, and I didn’t start to see him in a different light until a group of us stayed at his parents’ house in Houston during law school for a friend’s wedding. Meeting his family and seeing how he interacted with them showed me a different side of him and peaked my interest. At his friend’s wedding, Kip spent time showing me pictures of his then 2 year-old niece, which also revealed that he was just a sweet guy inside.
When or at what moment did you know he was the person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with? Kip and I say we did not have a “fairy tale romance.” That is, we didn’t start dating and automatically know that each other was the one. We were both hesitant because we both had in mind that we weren’t ready to settle down. Also, I was planning on returning to my native California after graduation where my family resides. The fact that I wasn’t intending to stay in Texas created a facade in our relationship that it wasn’t going to last, but we were going to enjoy it while it did.
After graduation, although Kip and I had an amazing relationship, I wasn’t ready to change my plans and I moved back to California. I even took the California Bar Examination. However, Kip and I couldn’t imagine breaking up. After several months of long-distance, I decided to move back to Texas and give it a shot. Immediately Kip and I knew we made the right decision and knew we would eventually get married.
You faced some challenges recently, what were they and how did you overcome it? We got engaged exactly two years after I moved to Houston. Kip is extremely close to his parents, and I became part of the family. I even lived with Kip’s parents while I was looking for a job and getting settled. Soon after we got engaged, we didn’t want to wait another year to plan a big wedding and set a date of June 12th for a Cancun wedding with only family and close friends.
On April 30, 2011, we got a call that Kip’s parents had been in a serious car accident on I-10. They had crashed into the freeway barrier wall at a high speed. Kip’s dad suffered a broken neck and broken back. He was extremely lucky not to have suffered any spinal cord injury and Kip’s mom had broken her back. Kip and I had to decide whether to cancel the wedding because we couldn’t imagine a ceremony without both of his parents. Kip’s parents were adamant we have the ceremony. We hoped that at least his mom would heal enough to attend. Kip’s dad had a halo and was hospitalized for seven weeks. There was no chance he would be able to go. With their encouragement, we went forward with the wedding in Cancun. Kip’s mom was there and Kip’s dad watched a live webcast of the ceremony. Although it was heartbreaking to miss Kip’s dad on our wedding day, it was a beautiful ceremony and that gave us an experience that brought us all closer together.
I believe when a couple can endure tough challenges like this and remember what brought them together, they can make it through anything. Thank you Kristina for allowing me to be a part of your wedding day many years ago. Much love to this couple! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Hugs,
Ann
Here is the video on how to bustle her Casablanca Wedding gown. It was one of my early videos. If you were one of my past Brides and have any photos, feel free to send them my way. I would love to relive some wonderful memories with you:
Congratulations to the lovely couple Bao & Jessica. It is an honor to watch them grow up, serve God with all their hearts, fall in love, and now fulfill the sacrament of marriage. Thank you for sharing your big day with us. #itsjessabaotime
Below is the tutorial on how to bustle Jessica’s wedding gown as well as how I created the bustle. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Video Content:
{0:00}Intro
{0:17}How to Bustle
{1:14}Creating the Bustle
{1:17}Center Lace Detail
{1:31}Fabric Layers
{1:44}Find & Pin the Bustle Points
{2:36}Line up the Seams
{2:44}Numbered ribbons
{2:57}Sewing on the ribbons
Thank you David and all the #servicemen and #servicewomen stationed across the world to allow our way of life to continue. #happy4thofjuly
Her bra cups were too high and the sheer fabric at the center bodice did not lay properly
Linda is my #hurricaneharveybride. I remember clearly where I was when I received her text. I was in the middle of helping a friend move his parents’ belongings out of their home to the side of the road. They had lost everything during the flood and we were trying to help clean the aftermath. So many people were affected, including the bridal salon Linda purchased her dress from. At this point, she was responsible for her own alterations. Linda resides in Hawaii but had visited Houston to finish some of her wedding responsibilities. Can you imagine the worry when your custom designed gown doesn’t fit the way it was suppose to?
*I knew this was going to be an all night project since we needed to get this done before her flight back to Hawaii. I recorded the process to help others who might need to make this type of alterations. I used all the lighting I had to work through the night. I felt like I was getting ready for an emergency surgery 😬😅😜.
I also got to create Linda’s custom cathedral length veil for the church ceremony. She wanted something simple, elegant and timeless so I designed the drop veil for her special day. She had always imagined a long veil for her wedding and I wanted to make her dream come true.
To see how to bustle the Veil and Dress, feel free to view it below:
I am humbled at the opportunity to serve Linda+David. Thank you for visiting and Happy 4th of July!
You are finally getting married this weekend…Congratulations! 🙂 Well, I hope the following tutorials will help make your life a little easier. I did not have the opportunity to record a lace-up tutorial but I found one on Youtube that would be helpful with your dress.
Here is a tutorial from Nichole with Camarillo Bridal.
And here are the visuals for your single point bustle:
(1) Hook (2) Eye (3) Attachment of Hook & Eye
(1) The hook is sewn under the train (2) The eye is sewn where the lining and tulle meets (3) Bring the hook and eye together and attach.
(1) Before (2) After
Once the hook & eye are attached, straighten out the bustle.
Front Hem
As we discussed, the front hem can be tricky. Since it has layers of swaying fabric, it needs to be gently straightened out in order for the length to be correct. And below are just a few beautiful details of your gown.
The beautiful details of the Gown
May your weekend be filled with so much joy that your heart will flutter when you see your new husband “A”. Congratulations!
Congratulations Dr. Vo! I am so honored to be a part of this beautiful journey. Thank you for the opportunity to design and create the personal and unique accessories for your special day.
With great hopes to make life easier for you and your Bridesmaids, I put together a tutorial for your Demetrios Ilissa Wedding Gown. This is a tutorial on how to do a French Bustle.
Although it requires a lot of time to create a tutorial, I truly enjoy the idea that it will help simplify a Bride’s life. Here are some tutorials I created for our Brides. Enjoy!
American Bustle (Overbustle)
French Bustle (Underbustle)
Bustling the Casablanca (American Bustle/Overbustle)
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