Bridal bustier and wedding corset in ivory lace

A bridal bustier earns its place under a strapless or off the shoulder gown, where a regular bra has nowhere to hide its straps and a strapless bra alone tends to slip by the evening. It also helps under a structured bodice that is cut close to the ribs, because one boned layer reads smoother than a bra band plus a brief. Under an open or plunging back, it is the wrong choice, since the back band would show.

If you are still choosing between pieces for an open back gown, our guide to the best underwear for a backless wedding dress covers every back height.

Brides search for both, and they are not the same piece. A wedding corset in the strict sense has rigid steel bones and a laced back, and it pulls the waist in. A bridal bustier has lighter, flexible boning and real bra cups, and its main job is to support the bust and smooth the torso under the gown. For a twelve hour wedding day, most brides are better served by the bustier: it moves when you sit, eat and dance, and you can put it on alone.

So if you want a true laced corset for the wedding night rather than the ceremony, the Contessa in black is the one, and the full range is on our corset lingerie page. Under an ivory gown, the ivory bustier is what we recommend.

A bustier is sized like a bra, so start from your bra size and then check two things that a bra never tells you. First, the band: a bustier carries all the support from the band, so it should feel firm on the loosest hook, and if you are between bands, choose the firmer one and go up a cup (34C to 32D). Second, the length: the bustier ends at the natural waist, so if you have a long torso, wear it to a fitting before the alterations start. Our size guide lists every measurement, and our luxury lingerie fitting guide explains band and cup in detail. Sizes run 30B to 40DD.

Buy the bustier before your second dress fitting. Your seamstress alters the bodice over what you will actually wear, and a bustier changes the shape of the bust and the line at the waist enough to matter. Order three to six weeks before the wedding, which leaves time for one free size exchange under the Fit Promise; unworn pieces with tags can be returned within 30 days. With it, most brides add the bridal garter belt and wedding garter set and ivory lace top hold-ups, and the silk bridal robe for the morning. The whole edit is on the bridal lingerie page, and the night after the reception is covered in wedding night lingerie.

The shell is a soft stretch lace (86 percent polyamide, 14 percent elastane) over a tulle lining, with underwired cups, light flexible boning, a hook and eye front and detachable straps. The ivory is a warm avorio, the same shade as our Sposa set and the Calze Pizzo hold-ups, so it does not look stark white beside an ivory or champagne gown. It also comes in black and powder pink, which many brides choose for the honeymoon. Hand wash cold and dry flat, and it will last long past the wedding. Orders ship express within the US in 2 to 4 business days in a plain outer box, and shipping is free from $150.