Struggling to find a wedding dress that will cover your ample cleavage?
Looking for a gown to show off your bust without drowning your waist?
I feel your pain!
The reality is that wedding dress shopping when you have a bigger bust isn’t an easy process. In fact, what I thought would be the best time of my life turned out to be one of the most miserable. Whether you want to create a sexy silhouette, or cover up enough cleavage so you don’t leave the vicar blushing, wedding dress shopping if you have big boobs can feel incredibly frustrating.
If I hadn’t had a clear vision of how I wanted to look on my wedding day, and been persistent about finding the dress of my dreams, I would have been persuaded to wear something that made me feel frumpy and uncomfortable. So, I’m here to tell you how important it is to know what you want, and the best ways to find it.
Maybe you’ve already tried on several wedding dresses that left your cleavage spilling. Maybe you’re too worried to even start the process of trying on dresses. Whatever stage you’re at on your dress buying journey, I’ve got all the hints, tips, and inspired solutions that you need to ensure you look like the perfect blushing bride when you walk up the aisle to meet your soulmate.
A Bigger Problem Than You Might Think (Pun Intended)
As any busty woman will tell you, boob size inclusion is a big issue, and whilst many underwear companies are making moves to ensure that as many different cup sizes as possible are covered by their ranges (thank you, Bravissimo!) sadly the fashion industry hasn’t moved towards inclusion quite so quickly.
Many bigger busted women find it impossible to find a wedding dress that fits tightly at their waist whilst also having enough material to cover their boobs.
In a lot of ways, this problem is baffling: after all, having a fuller bust isn’t a particularly unusual problem in the modern age. In fact, more women than ever are struggling to find dresses that suit their figures. Women’s body shapes are changing, and the average bra size is getting bigger: it has jumped from a 34B to a 36D over the past twenty years. The reality is that sizes that might seem like outliers, such as G and H cups, are actually being worn by a significant percentage of the population. Despite this, many areas of the fashion industry continue to make dresses that imagine breasts simply don’t exist!
Does this all sound depressingly familiar? If you understand the pain of trying to find an ordinary dress that will accommodate your breasts then you’re no doubt dreading the process of finding your wedding dress, arguably, the most important dress you will ever buy.
I feel your pain! Wearing a 34H cup meant that my own wedding dress choosing process felt less like a luxury shopping experience and more like an assault on my body. I was told that:
- My body was the problem, not the cut of the dresses
- I should wear more restrictive underwear to strap my breasts closer to my body
- I would never be able to wear a strapless dress (note: I wore a strapless wedding dress on my wedding day)
- I should buy a plus size dress to accommodate my bust
The good news is that, none of this has to be true. It is possible to find the perfect wedding dress without changing your body shape or sacrificing your sense of style. You just have to know where to start. And luckily, we’re here to help!
Here are some key questions that every fuller busted should ask herself before she’s ready to choose her dream wedding dress:
To Bra or Not to Bra?
Do you want to wear a bra on your wedding day? Most busty brides do, and that’s ok! If you want to feel as supported as possible in your dress, or simply need a little extra scaffolding to hold your cleavage firmly in place, then you need to look for a dress that can support a bra under its silhouette. That means that you need to look for a dress with either sleeves or wide straps so that your underwear won’t be visible underneath your gown.
Super Sleeves
Choosing a dress with sleeves is a great idea if you’re getting married in the spring, autumn, or winter, when a sleeve will help to keep you warm and offer some protection from the elements. Sleeves are also a huge fashion point right now, making it an ideal choice if you want a dress that will look both timeless and fashion forward.
We love the high necked, full lace sleeved, Ottavia gown, which is the perfect pick if you’re looking for a full coverage dress that still oozes sex appeal. This is a great example of the old adage that less is more: the less flesh you flash can often mean the sexier you look! The top of this gown has a nude lining, meaning that you can be fully supported in your favourite flesh coloured bra, and no-one will ever know.
It’s one of my favourite modern options for busty girls looking for something a little different for their wedding day.
Strapless Wonder
Want to wear a traditional strapless gown? These dresses are often chosen by brides looking for something a little more conventional to wear for formal yet traditional weddings.
Despite what you might have heard, it is possible for fuller busted women to wear a strapless dress! The key is to choose a dress with plenty of boning and support so that it will hold your bust in place: a corseted top is going to provide the best support and leave you feeling comfortable and secure all day long (even if you spend most of your evening dancing, like me!)
When choosing a strapless gown I would recommend looking for a top that is straight cut, rather than a sweetheart neckline: the sweetheart is designed to create the illusion of a fuller bust and emphasize the cleavage. Let’s face it, you don’t need any help with that!
I love the Abelia dress as the perfect example of this, mostly because it is so similar to my own wedding dress! If your fuller bust is accompanied by fuller hips, in a traditional hour glass shape, then the tulle skirt will skim over your hips whilst the figure-hugging corset will emphasise your narrow waist and enviable bust.
Beware the Low Back
If you do want to wear a bra then wearing a low back dress could be very tricky, because it will reveal your bra straps (not a good bridal look!).
If you don’t want to wear a bra then a low back dress could still be tricky, because the lower the back of a dress is, the less support it will offer to your bust. And nobody wants saggy boobs hanging around their waist on their wedding day!
I’m not in the business of telling other women what they can and can’t wear, but I will say that if you’re as busty as me then think very carefully before committing to a low back dress. They’re incredibly difficult to wear if you’ve got big boobs.
Put Your Body First
The fact is that there are some dresses that aren’t designed to suit busty girls.
Those floating, wispy slips of bohemian fabric which plunge down to the waist with spaghetti straps and minimal support were never designed with boobs in mind! Loose and unstructured dresses may well be in vogue right now, and they’re certainly a popular choice in bridal magazines, but they are very, very tricky to wear if you’re rocking breasts any bigger than a B cup.
Is a floaty dress with triangles of fabric over the bust your dream dress?
Why? Ask yourself, why you are focused on wearing a wedding dress that doesn’t suit your body?
The best thing you can do is put your body first. That doesn’t mean that you have to give up on your dream or give up on your vision of how you would like to look on your wedding day. It is possible to find a simple sheath dress that has wide straps so that you can wear a supportive bra underneath, such as this Lamaria wrap neck sheath dress, which would be perfect for wearing with your favourite underwear, whilst still having an effortless and ethereal, bohemian feel.
But you really should think about your body when choosing your dress, and put your body first.
When you choose a dress that suits your body, you will look and feel more confident. You are accepting who you are and you’re ready to own it.
No-one knows your body better than you do. So only you can decide what shapes, dress styles and supportive underwear options are going to help you to show your body off so that it looks its very best. By thinking about your body, and about what will make you look amazing on your wedding day, you’re much more likely to find the dress of your dreams. Even if it isn’t what you had in mind when you first started shopping.
Made to Measure
Finally, the most obvious solution to finding a fuller dress to suit your bust (and the solution that ultimate meant I could wear the strapless dress of my dreams) is to choose a made to measure dress that has been specifically made to suit your shape perfectly.
Nobody else has a body like yours, so why should you try to change your body to suit a dress? Why not change the dress to suit your body instead?
A good made to measure service will offer several different fit points, so that you can ensure that your gown will fit you like a second skin. Let them help to ensure your dress fits you perfectly. When choosing my own wedding dress I measured my upper and lower bust, as well as my hips and my waist. There was even an option available to input my waist to floor length, as well as my overall height. This ensured that the dress skimmed the ground, and I floated perfectly like a princess when I walked (can you tell I loved my wedding dress?)
What’s more, thanks to innovative online services such as DevotionDresses.com (where I found my dream dress!), you can even take your measurements in the comfort of your own home, safe in the knowledge that the dress of your dreams will fit you perfectly when it arrives without the hassle and expense of having to visit a salon to have your measurement taken.
A made to measure dress is the best way to ensure a perfect fit for your wedding dress but, because of the amount of work involved in creating these, made to measure wedding dresses can be much more expensive than simply choosing an off the rack gown. Opting for an online made to measure service allows you to have all of the benefits of a bespoke gown, but without the massive overheads involved, meaning the price is much more affordable.
This might be the right choice for you, if you want a wedding dress that will fit your unique shape, without spending so much on it that you can’t afford to feed your guests!
Worried that your dress won’t fit when it arrives? That would be my concern too! But DevotionDresses.com are so sure of the quality of each and every one of their custom made wedding gowns that they offer a full refund 100% for any dress. It’s hard to lose!
Jenny (Devotion Blog Contributor)