What To Do When The Bride's Bustle Breaks

It would be absolutely wonderful if things went according to plan on your wedding day, and for some it truly is flawless. But more often than not, things don't go so smoothly, which makes it almost imperative to have a wedding day emergency kit nearby. Wedding coordinators have seen it all and usually have a few tricks up their sleeves to remedy whatever hiccup might happen on your big day.

I have had two different brides whose bustles broke on their wedding gown during the reception. It is a hard thing to watch happen. Most wedding gowns are heavy, and re-bustling them can be nearly impossible. Many brides use safety pins, which can hold well, but if you don't use just the right pins the dress can fall shortly after the dress is fixed. Other brides just throw their gown over their arm and continue to try to dance. This may be fine as a last resort, but who really wants to hold her dress all night? Others just let it fall where it may and risk the gown getting filthy as well as torn from people stepping or dancing on it.

While safety pins used to be my first choice for a quick fix, I have now found an even better option that I thought I would share. Ready for it?? Here it comes.

Dental floss. Yep, that's right. Dental floss. I learned a great trick from a friend this weekend and thought many of you may benefit from this little gem. Don't get me wrong, the best solution to this whole mess would be to have more than one bustle in the gown. When getting the gown altered you should wear shoes appropriate for both walking down the aisle and partying! If you lose a little weight before your wedding then get the dress altered or buy higher heels. With that said, if the bustle breaks on your wedding day then sew the bustle back in with dental floss and a sewing needle. Definitely use good judgment when looking at the fabric and try to sew exactly where the existing bustle was (it is usually in a place where the fabric is a little thicker). A caveat: this may not work for everyone's gown.

Dental floss is thick with a very strong hold. Some seamstresses may tell you that they have used dental floss in sewing gowns. Dancers will tell you that they have used dental floss to sew their point shoes because of it's strength. In looking this up, I found the following quote, "Glide floss is Teflon-coated. True to its name, it glided through the fabric, and the repair is very strong"- just what you need for a wedding gown fix!!

Hopefully your wedding day will run smoothly and be picture-perfect, but just in case there is a small hiccup with the wedding gown then I suggest that you make sure to keep Glide dental floss in your emergency kit!

Warm regards,

Emily Petersen

Lu Anne and OP's Wedding

Lu Anne and OP came to us just a few weeks before their event. OP would soon be the Captain of the USS Enterprise. They wanted to plan a party to celebrate with all of their friends the Change of Command. The plan was to throw a party after the Change of Command and in the middle of the party...surprise guests...they're getting married! It was so FUN!!! It worked out perfectly! I worked with some amazing vendors that night, and we all had a blast. Lu Anne wrote me a sweet review on WeddingWire. I was so touched by her review, but really loved this part of it...

"The very best part was when my now husband and I met in front of the Chaplin , we joined hands and looked out at the crowd....he looked at me and said "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen." Pretty high praise from a Navy captain who just hours before had taken command of a nuclear aircraft carrier in front of an audience of approx 1500 people....." SO COOL!!

Thank you Lu Anne and OP for letting us be a part of such a special day! Thank you also to East Beach Catering, Distinctive Event Rental, Char's Floral Design, Pike Media Resource, Patti Cakes, Calypso Nuts, and my wonderful assistant, Sara Beth!

Here are a few pics:

More from Joey and Jenny's Wedding

Here are a few more pics from Joey and Jenny's wedding at the Military Aviation Museum. Pics were taking by Julie Morgan. Thanks, Julie!

Matt and Allison's Wedding

I am just now getting a chance to sit down a post a few pictures from Matt and Allison's wedding. It was absolutely wonderful. We enjoyed being a part of their big day. Here they are:

Emily Petersen

Escort cards that double as favors

Trying to find ways to save money while not compromising on the beauty and feel of your wedding day? A great way to to do this is to have your escort cards double as favors. Think about ways to incorporate your style, theme, and colors into your favors and have them double as the seating cards.

I had one bride and groom choose a plane-shaped luggage tag. They placed each guest's name inside the tag. It was their escort card and favor. He flies in the Navy, and they had their ceremony and reception at the Military Aviation Museum. It was so perfect...so fitting for them.

I have another bride who is getting married next March, and she LOVES the spring! One of her colors is pink. She likes the idea of giving her guests a flower and thus is looking at escort cards that the guests can plant later and watch grow into cherry blossoms. Click here to see the escort cards/favors.

There are plenty of ways to make your budget stretch. Planners are perfect for knowing all the little ways to add to the look of your wedding without adding to the cost. Don't settle for less than what you've always dreamed of; have a planner guide you through all of these decisions!

Emily Petersen

Jenny and Joey April 17,2010

Jenny and Joey were such a FUN couple! Joey is a navy jet pilot, which made the Aviation Museum such a perfect location for their ceremony and reception. Joey's grandfather flew the Corsair so next to it we had a picture of his grandfather flying the plane. It was such a beautiful touch in memory of him. Chris Bickford Photography is the talent behind these amazing photos, Helga Macko did an amazing job on the floral arrangements, Catering Concepts was so great to work with, Creative Cakes and Desserts created the perfect sleek design in keeping with the couples theme, and Pike Media Resource created the amazing ambience for dinner and a lively light show as the evening picked up. It couldn't have been a more perfect evening!

Jenny and Joey, we wish you all the best! Thank you for letting us share in one of the most important days of your lives!!

Red wine and the bridal gown..oops!

I was chatting with a dear colleague today, Missy, and I shared with her an "Oh my goodness" moment from this past weekend's wedding. She encouraged me to share the story in hopes that if anyone is ever faced with the same predicament that it may save you and your bride from tears!

We had a wedding this past weekend in a beautiful venue with amazing vendors, and a fun bride and groom. It truly was a wonderful evening! (We wish you all the best, Matt and Allison!) During the evening a guest came over to hug the bride with red wine in her hand (please guests...this is really a no no).. Well, you guessed it...red wine down the back of the bride’s gown..."OH. MY. GOODNESS!!!!" One of my assistants for the evening is also a colleague (Professional Bridal Consultant), and dear friend, Julie Morgan. She and I grabbed our emergency kits and went to work. The bride’s gown looked great when we were done so I thought I would share the tricks.

We started with a cloth and dabbed the excess red wine out of the gown. We then dipped the cloth into a glass of white wine. This got quite a bit of the red stain out. Then we dipped the cloth into club soda and got almost all of it out. Of course we only dabbed, rubbing could spread the stain as well as drive it deeper into the gown. We then applied baby powder (talcum not cornstarch) this masked any faint stain that was left. When we were done you could not tell that there had been an almost catastrophe with the dreaded red wine. Don't get me wrong I love red wine, just not around a bride in a gorgeous gown!!! My suggestion: Keep talcum powder in your emergency kit.

If you have any other "save the day" tips I would LOVE to hear them! Feel free to post them =)

Warm regards,

Emily Petersen, PBC

Emily Weddings, Inc.