How to French Bustle Wedding Dress

If you wondered how to French Bustle a Wedding Dress, French Bustle Instructions, Wedding Dress Bustle, or looked for a French bustle instruction picture guide to Bustle Wedding Dress Train, on this page we show instructions on how to French bustle a wedding dress. The bustle instruction pictures below will help you to see how to make a French bustle or underbustle on a wedding dress, which is a series of ties under the wedding dress. The pictures with bustle instructions on how to make a French bustle or underbustle a wedding dress is just one of the many variations possible for a French bustle.

Some wedding dresses will be more suited to a simple Pick Up Style Wedding Dress Bustle. The style of the wedding dress and wedding dress train may look better with an underbustle of a French bustle on the wedding dress to shorten the wedding dress train into puffed layers.

How to make the French bustle on the wedding dress is a matter of the bride's personal preference but many brides have had the unpleasant experience of the ribbons ties on the French bustle breaking or ripping apart and needing their wedding dress train to be pinned with safety pins or even diaper pins for the rest of the wedding reception. Having the French bustle made to be strong enough to hold up for the entire wedding day means one less stress on the bride.

The pictures on this example of a French bustle were taken after the wedding and none of the ties had broken!

A bride can save some money if she has a relative or friend with some experience at sewing, who is willing to help her by doing the French bustle for her wedding dress. Alternations on a wedding dress can be very expensive.

Example of Making a French Bustle

The bride can have the flowing train on her wedding dress for the outdoor wedding ceremony which for this bride was at Spring Mountian State Park Las Vegas, Nevada.

The bride can later be able to dance at her wedding reception with the train of her wedding dress lifted by the underbustle which is also known as a French bustle.

The French bustle is tied underneath the wedding dress with a series of cords or ribbons that create a puffy area as each set of ties are knotted together under the wedding gown.

The pictures on our example show the cording used for the ties under the wedding dress. Some wedding dresses full skirts have such heavy fabric that it can better in that case to use the cording than ribbon.

Layout of Ties for a French Bustle on a wedding dress.

I laid the underside of the wedding dress across the bed so you can see the points where the French bustle ties are. (Click the image to enlarge for a closer view.)

As an example, this is how these wedding dress French bustle ties were laid out.

Notice the series of ties, 13 in all, on this example of a French bustle on a wedding dress, run along the back seams of the wedding dress.

The French bustle ties on this wedding dress were of 1/8 inch cording. Some people use ribbons or strips of lace but wedding dresses can be heavy and cording is stronger.

Each of the French bustle ties under the wedding dress are of cording and 11 inches long, knotted on each end. (Click the image to enlarge for a closer view.)

Strong button thread was used to attach the French bustle ties through the lining and into the seam of the wedding dress without going through the top surface of the wedding dress.

On the center back seam of the wedding dress about 1 inch below the bottom of zipper on this wedding dress, the French bustle tie #1 was anchored. Anchored 15 inches below was wedding dress bustle tie #2. French Bustle tie #3 was only 1 1/2 inches down or 16 1/2 inches from #1. French Bustle tie #4 was 13 inches down or 29 1/2 inches from tie #1. French Bustle tie #5 was 1/2 inch away from #4 or 30 inches from #1. The wrist ribbon was 12 inches from #5.

The wedding dress side seams show French bustle tie #6 was level with #1. French bustle tie #7 on this wedding dress was 15 inches down followed by French bustle tie #8 which was 8 inches further. French bustle tie #9 was 9 1/2 inches down from the previous. The other side was repeated.

Of course the measurements on the placement of the French bustle ties used in this wedding dress bustle example may need to be altered for individual bride depending on the length of wedding dress train. This bustle instruction picture guide is meant to be a general example on how to make a French bustle so that a thrifty bride can save money on wedding dress alterations.

After the wedding ceremony, the bride could go into the ladies room and have her Maid of Honor and bridesmaids lift up the train of the wedding dress and tie the French bustle in place.

You may want to color code or number the pairs of French bustle ties on the wedding dress. In other words, where French bustle #1 is to tie to bustle tie #2 could have a length of pale blue ribbon sewn to those two pieces of cording, pale yellow could be French bustle tie #3 to #4 and so on.

TIP Before the wedding, make a date with your Maid of Honor and bridesmaids to do a 'practise run' to tie the French bustle on your wedding dress. You could first lay it out on a bed so the bridesmaids see the basics on how the French bustle on a wedding dress is tied. Then try your wedding dress on and let the Maid of Honor and bridesmaids tie up the French bustle so everyone is comfortable with the process. That way you will not have the last minute stress from someone under your wedding dress saying they can't figure it out.

TIP May want at least one bridesmaid refrain from much alcohol till the bride is bustled. At least to be sober enough to tie the wedding dress bustle, like a designated driver.

An important side point, always choose undergarments that are skin toned or off white. Using bright white undergarments will show up under the wedding gown with colored undergarments even more so.

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