Bridal bras are bras designed to be worn under a wedding dress. They provide support and uplift; they also protect the wedding dress from sweat and skin oils, and place a layer of comfortable fabric between delicate skin and potentially scratchy or uncomfortable dress fabric. Bridal lingerie must provide all of these benefits while remaining absolutely invisible beneath wedding attire.

For this reason, it’s often wiser to wear nude or flesh-toned bridal bras and underwear; after the reception, the bride may shower and change into racy wedding-night lingerie in any color she chooses. This bride lingerie does not have to function beneath an intricate wedding gown; changing into it after the wedding is over relieves the bride from the unnecessary stress of trying to select bridal undergarments that are both functional and erotic.

The type of bridal bras and intimate apparel that work best for a particular bride depends on the bride’s body type and the type of dress she is wearing. Brides with small busts may choose to wear a padded, push-up style bra that will increase the visible size of the bust and create alluring cleavage. This is particularly true if the bride is wearing a strapless dress, as enhanced cleavage can help the dress stay up and remained securely in place.

Very buxom brides frequently select a full-coverage minimizer style; these bras compress the breasts and may decrease bust size by as much as one cup. Wearing a minimizer can help buxom brides have a smoother, more flattering silhouette. Brides whose dresses have a very structured torso or a corset construction are frequently able to forgo wearing a bra altogether, since the dress provides fantastic support by itself. Those who do elect to wear a bra beneath a structured dress may choose a bralette, or a bra that has no underwire; these provide support and shaping but are less constricting than an underwire bra may be.

It is essential to pick out bridal undergarments before having the wedding dress altered. Wedding dresses are customarily altered to fit the bride very specifically; wearing different undergarments during the fittings and on the day of the wedding can create severe problems with fit and the appearance of the dress. Wearing a different bra on the day of the wedding can even make the difference between a dress that zips up and a dress that does not. It should go without saying as well that brides should wear their bridal shoes during all dress fittings. Wedding dresses are typically hemmed so that they skim the floor, or only miss the floor by a quarter inch. Wearing flats to a dress fitting and heels on the wedding day will result in a dress that appears awkwardly short; the reverse situation will result in a dress that bunches up on the ground and poses a tripping hazard.

Brides whose dresses are silky and close-fitting must ensure that their undergarments do not create unflattering rolls and lines beneath the thin fabric. Thicker shoulder straps and bands may help prevent the creation of “back cleavage;” other brides elect to wear a long-line bra, which is similar to a corset that closes with snaps or hooks instead of laces. These bras smooth the entire torso to create an elegant shape beneath the dress. Others may choose an all-in-one girdle shaper; these step-in undergarments cover the breasts while shaping the torso, abdomen, and thighs. However, they may present problems for using the bathroom comfortably, especially when compounded with the many layers of fabric most wedding dresses contain.

Author Bio: Carmen Petitclerc is a lingerie designer and enthusiast who hails from beautiful Toronto, Canada. Follow her lingerie advice on bridal bras and her lingerie blog at Love of Lingerie

Category: Womens Interest
Keywords: bridal bras, bridal lingerie, bride lingerie, intimate apparel