If you're in charge of corseting a bride into her gown on her wedding day, you might be thinking - Where on earth do I start!?
Don't worry, were here to help! Our corseting demo video below will run you through all the steps and teach you some extra tips along the way. We will also have a write up below to help remind you of the steps afterwards. Bookmark this page for the wedding day and have this video playing while your getting the bride dressed, it will be like we're your virtual bridal buddy helping you through it!
OK, this one might be a little longer than our other tutorials, so get ready! A corset back isn't difficult, just time consuming! There are lots of little things to remember along the way, so below we will have our normal numbered steps, but also be adding in the tips at the relevant places to help!
Check the position of the gown is correct, it must be central (not twisted) and if anything have the neckline sat higher than you think, as the gown will drop a little over time. If the popper reaches with ease, the fasten it, but don' worry if not as it will work it's way there!
Pull the ribbon through the top 2 loops, make sure you have even lengths of ribbon on both sides and that there is no twist. *you always want to thread the ribbon through the loop from behind and out to the front*
Now for the first 'set' - You always want to wok in sets to ensure that you have a repeating pattern, and if you go wrong, just undo your ribbon to the last correct set! - To make a 'set' thread the right ribbon through the next left loop, then the original left ribbon through the next right loop. In the video we refer to this as 'over to the left, then over to the right' - once these 2 actions are done, you have done your set, simple!
Repeat this process *over to the left then over to the right* creating your sets over an over and work your way down row by row. You may run out of ribbon part way down, which is completely fine, you will get more length when you start to tighten. - Remember, don't pull on the ribbons whilst threading your sets, as it can cause the ribbon to crease, or worse, for the corset to twist, only pull enough to remove the majority of the slack.
Check that the corset panel is sitting level and not sticking up. If it is, this is the time to correct it but pulling from the bottom.
Now that you're either at the bottom set, or our of ribbon, its time to tighten!
we ONLY tighten in our sets, so go to your first set, create some space to fit your fingers in by the loops, then pull OUT evenly in both directions. See photo 8 - If you were to pull in it can cause creases in the corset panel and ribbons. Continue pulling in all the way down your sets until you reach the bottom.
You will need to tighten multiple times, don't expect the correct fit after the first time!
For the next round of tightening, we want to focus more on fit, so have the bride push the bust cups back against her chest to make sure the neckline fits flush
Then repeat again and have the bride push her hands in on her waist to help shape her figure.
if the popper now reaches you can fasten it.
before tying your final knot at the bottom, wait for a few minutes, as the brides body heat will warm up the satin lining and boning and will make the gown slightly looser. Take this time to help the bride into her shoes and other accessories and check that all the lining layers are down and smooth under the dress.
Once you do your final tighten, the bride needs to check that she is happy with the fit everywhere, and then you can tie off the bottom of the ribbons.
If it is too tight anywhere, causing a crease in the centre of the back, or pushing up the brides skin a little bit too much, you can loosen off just a section very easily! use the same technique as tightening but in reverse! For example, to ease the push up effect on the back, start about 3 sets down and pull some slack in the ribbons, then work up a set at a time to move the slack up to the top set, which will ease the pushing here without affecting the overall fit!
There are 2 methods to finish the bottom of a corset: tie a simple knot and then tuck the excess length away through the small space at the bottom, or finish it with a pretty little bridal bow. See our bow demo to learn HOW TO: tie a bridal bow the right way!
And there you have it! A simple step-by-step guide to corseting a bridal gown perfectly. We know you can do it, just watch this video as your bridesmaid homework before the big day and you'll be able to dress the bride like a pro!