The secret to know how to bustle a wedding dress with a tulle overlay is to make a single tie. In general, it’s relatively easy to bustle most wedding dresses, but those with a tulle overlay will work best if you tie them up.

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We will discuss this technique in more detail below. On the other hand, we recommend that you browse our blog for other repair techniques for a wedding dress.

You can learn how to alter a wedding dress yourself and more.

How To Bustle A Wedding Dress With A Tulle Overlay Easily

Tie up the dress

Make a single tie outside the waistline of the wedding dress with a tulle overlay. Depending on the length of its train, you can also do this tie around the knees, especially if the train is short.

Tulle overlays are lightweight, so you shouldn’t worry about the material breaking or tearing when you tie the dress. However, make sure to tie it aesthetically since it would be visible outside.

Some ideas to dress up the tie on the dress’s waistline are to add pearls, flowers, a bow, or other details initially found on the wedding dress. You can also use embellishments that look similar to the accessories you’ll wear.

Here are some tips on how to accessorize a wedding dress if you’re out of ideas.

What Was The Purpose Of A Bustle?

The bustle is a method of transitioning a wedding dress to be easier for the bride to move around after the ceremony. The dress or gown will be changed into a design as if it has no train.

There are many bustle types to choose from for your wedding dress, but the emphasis is necessary on entrusting someone to put the bustle in place for you. After the ceremony, perhaps you can ask your bridesmaid, maid of honor, or mom to help bust your dress so it will look well and be secured.

Can You Add A Bustle To A Wedding Dress?

Any wedding dress or gown with a train that drags behind can be bustled. The bustle style to choose will depend on the type of dress you have.

For mermaid and A-line wedding dresses

If your wedding dress is a mermaid or A-line, the best bustle style is the French or under bustle. The dress’ train will be picked up by hooks and then tucked under the silhouette itself, which is why it only works if the dress has a natural waistline and not those like ball gowns.

For detailed wedding dresses

If your wedding dress has intricate detailing, consider the Austrian bustle. This type gathers the fabric at the center of the dress through the back, similar to ruching.

For ball wedding gowns

Wedding ball gowns have various options for bustling, such as ballroom bustle, over bustle/American bustle, and train-flip bustle. A ballroom bustle has different points sewn around the gown’s bodice for bustling and helping the fabric fold into itself.

Another option is to remove or reduce the wedding dress train, which is called the American bustle that uses hooks throughout the waistline to lift the train over the top of the garment. Finally, your seamstress might also recommend the train-flip bustle for your wedding ball gown, especially if you prefer it to look like it doesn’t have a train since it will be flipped under the fabric then pinned onto itself.

How Do You Bustle A Layered Wedding Dress?

Before anything else, ask your seamstress for their recommendation as layered wedding dresses differ in their overall style. But to give you some ideas, here are three ways you can consider when bustling a layered wedding dress.

Ballroom bustle

The seamstress can make four points with buttons under the shortest layer of the dress. This way, the train won’t be a hindrance, but the beautiful layers will still show after bustling.

American bustle

If the layers are made from flowy material like chiffon, American bustle can also be considered. Depending on the specific design of the layered dress, the seamstress can put the points on the waistline or hipline so the train can be pulled up and maintain the dress’s silhouette.

French bustle

If the layered wedding dress wouldn’t look too overwhelming with the addition of ties, your seamstress might do a French bustle for it. The train will be pulled up and tied, which can be gorgeous when revealing the layers of the wedding dress.

How Do You Bustle A Dress Without Sewing?

Lay the wedding dress with the train’s underside facing out
Make sure that the layers of the train are spread out with their seams aligned
Plan the placement of the bustle points by pinning these areas on top of the dress
Poke the pin through the dress fabric, turn it, and feed it back through the dress as close as possible to the previous hole
Repeat with the other pins
Wrap medical tape around the pin head for security and safety
Tie a ribbon that would complement the dress well onto each pin so that the bustle will look attractive

Conclusion

And that’s it! You just learned how to bustle a wedding dress with a tulle overlay by simply making a single tie outside the waistline.

Ultimately, your seamstress will recommend a bustle type for the specific dress design you have. You can also choose which bustle style you find the most attractive.