I had never planned on wear one at my own wedding until this little fiasco with my dress not fitting. You see, I gained a few pounds after I started it six months ago, and I don't want to enlarge it because I am vain. And I refuse to diet because I recovered from an eating disorder several years ago and am not willing to attempt dieting--even healthy dieting.
So now I find myself facing the challenge that so many other ladies out there are facing: how to look my best and be at my most comfortable all at the same time. And here are my thoughts on the subject:
Length: Length plays a big part in comfort. The shorter your corset, the more of body will be free to expand and bend at a natural rate. Whatever corset you get, you won't be able to bend at the waist. If you're not used to it, this feels wierd.
But it goes further than that. If your dress has a big pouffy skirt (as mine does), you might stop to think about whether or not you really need a corset that comes down long over your hips--probably not. You might be more comfortable with a corset that stops high over your hips like the one on the left. But if your dress continues to be fitted down over the point of your hips, you may consider something like the one on the right:
Bust: Over or underbust is another big question that fits in with length. Over bust may give you the cleavage that you desite, but it also can inhibit your breathing and dramatically change your bust line. Overbust corsets fill in the hollow spot under your bossom. See how the lady in the bra below almost looks like her boobs are a little shelf sticking out of her body? That's the look that people are used to nowadays--not s much with the smooth line from stomach to bust that you see below. An underbust corset can actually make your boobs look bigger by giving a greater definition between your stomach and your bust. For instance, check out my friend in the pink corset:
Coverage: If your dress has a low back, be careful about what corset you pick. The back of a corset needs to come as high as the front to create sufficient tension to support you. I.e. you cannot have an overbust corset with a super-low back. It doesn't work.
To Busk or Not: Picking whether or not you'll have a buck in your corset is tricky. I wrote a whole blog on it a while ago. You should check it out. Busks add strength and security as well as making your corset easier to put on and take off. But they do leave those little bumps in the front so you have to make your own choice.
Have a fit: Get your dress alterations over your corset. Your body will change size and shape with a corset, and you want a professional to make the whole thing fit right. Baggy wedding dresses aren't really in style.
Where to wear!?: If you're not a regular corset wearer, suddenly strapping yourself into a steel corset on the day of your wedding can be a pretty uncomfortable shock. Do yourself a favor, whatever corset you pick, break it in for several days before your wedding. Wear it at home with a tank top underneath. Do it in increasingly long increments of time and increasingly tight so your body has time to get used to it. Nothing is worse than realizing that your ribs are getting that bruise-y feeling and you are short of breath, but you haven't even taken you pictures yet, and without the corset, your dress won't fit!
So what am I, the corset maker, picking for my own bridal corset? With a dress-back that is lower-than-low, I am sticking with one that is practically a waist-cincher. This will give my lungs plenty of room to expand while I dance like a fool, and it will not make me super hot on a Pennsylvania August night. So I will be using this pattern for myself. I'll post pictures when I get it done in white (black would not look so good under my white wedding dress!).
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