Wedding season is around the corner for many blushing brides. In addition to the huge list of decisions brides need to make, they must also plan on the proper underpinnings for their big day. Actually, they need them for the dress fitting first. Of course, let’s not forget about the wedding night lingerie ensemble and the honeymoon pieces as well. But, in this first installment of a three part series about your wedding intimate wardrobe, we will discuss what to wear under the gown.
Bridal underpinnings can be a daunting task for many women because it is outside of their realm of knowledge of lingerie. Generally, we know the size we should wear and what style is more appropriate for our bodies, taste and outfit. For instance, the padded plunge bra has been warmly welcomed with the popularity of low cut tops.
When buying lingerie for the wedding day, the bride needs to take the dress into account. There are different necklines or strapless dresses or low back styles that come into the picture. The bra options can seem overwhelming to some brides. Here is a breakdown of bra options for different dress styles.
Bustiers work well for strapless, low back dresses. A bustier is a one-piece garment that uses flexible boning to give a desired shape. Its length varies, going from the bust to anywhere between the rib cage and the hips. A bustier is an ideal option for low back dresses as well as for full bust women. The boning and structure offer the much needed support. There are two popular styles of bustiers, a seamless version and non-seamless.
Felina’s Essentials Bustier is wildly popular seamless, smoothing bustier. The essentials bustier is such a “go to” garment that giant wedding gown store David’s Bridal brought the garment into stores for resale. Sizing is from a 32A thru 42D, but next season Felina will be offering DD cup sizes.
Goddess, renowned for their commitment to providing bras and bustiers for the fuller figured, has some great options with bustiers. The Smooth Merry Widow and the Lace Bustier both provide support, are strapless and have a low back. The Merry widow, which is longer hitting at the hit, has detachable garters and is available in white and ivory. Sizes available 32DD to 48DDD. The Lace Bustier will come in handy long after your wedding day, with strapless dresses and flirtatious tops. Size range here is a little better with 34D thru 48FF.
Good Strapless Bras can help make you feel secure in strapless gown. Have you seen the blooper of the bride throwing her bouquet up and exposing entire chest? Well with the right bra, that won’t happen to you because it will move with you.
There are many options out there, but some of the features you should look for in a strapless dress are a silicone lining around the top and bottom of the band. Once again, Felina’s Hint of Skin is great staple that will prove useful not just on your wedding day. For Fuller Busts you can’t go wrong with a Goddess Strapless because they offer secure support.
Convertible Bras have straps that are detachable in the front and the back of the band of the bra. The strap itself is also adjustable so that it can accommodate the style that is needed. Convertible bras are perfect for dresses with a halter neckline or dresses that have an asymmetric sleeve.
Some dresses are just too tricky to try and work with a conventional bra. That is where the innovative bra accessories become very useful. First, I have to tell you about Fashion Forms Low Back Strap. This is a band that connects to the hooks on your favorite bra and then you wrap the band around your waist. It makes your bra into a low back bra. You may be able to use this with a convertible bra and really customize your bra to work with your dress.
Next, there are the adhesive bras from Fashion Forms which offer support but are completely backless. I hear all kinds of feedback both positive and negative. Personally, I like them and I think they work great. My first time using them was as a bridesmaid and I danced all night and they stayed put. Here is how they work, there is a bra cup and the inside has adhesive on it. You take the cup and place it on your breast and you are literally stuck in place. There are several variations, the NuBra Featherlite, NuBras Divine Body, Extreme Silicone Adhesive bras, Silicone Cleavage clasp bra. Many of these variations are reusable (like for cute tops on your honeymoon).
There are also clear bra straps that you can attach to your bra. While they are clear, they will leave an indent in the skin. I think these would work best as the strap used for a halter, it is discreet while being covered. Lingerie tape has long been a fashion secret for the famous. It is double sided tape that has so many uses, from fixing a hem to keeping a flimsy dress in place.
Now that we have the support part of the underpinnings taken care of, lets discuss some of the fun stuff. Garters are a tradition and a fun place to put your “something blue”. If you are going to have the garter toss, remember that you use a “dummy” garter to toss and you save the garter as a keepsake. So that means you need to buy 2. GigisCloset.com has a number of beautiful garters that are definitely keepers. This is the Rigby & Peller Opulence garter that is available in Diamond (white) and Pearl (Ivory), included is a keepsake pouch.
Kristina Haas – Gigi’s Closet
Kristina Haas is co-owner of GigisCloset.com, an online lingerie boutique specializing in fashion lingerie. Armed with a passion for beautiful intimates and a desire to share it with the world, Gigi’s Closet captured the boutique feel to be enjoyed by all on the internet.
Read all posts by Kristina Haas right here!
From personal experience, it’s important to try on the actual bra that you’re going to wear. When I chose my dress, I had to have an entirely different bra which I bought in the bridal shop to make it work.
My daughter was recently a bridesmaid and had a real pre-wedding crisis when she realised that she had no bra that would work underneath her dress and ended up buying a new one.
If you have heavier breasts, I recommend the bras with boning. When I was trying on dresses, I was using one without boning, and there was always a little lump under my breasts, and I looked kinda saggy. The boning really gives a great lift, and makes the dress (and you, obviously) look a lot perkier.