Can i see a picture of your dress bustled?

Your dress is beautiful. What you have is an American bustle (outside of dress which can tend to show hooks/buttons). This picture of my daughter's dress is a European bustle (under the dress where hooks/buttons are hidden). I think it's personal preference and it can also depend on weight/length of train.

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She showed me this way too and I thought this looked hideous.. so I guess I’m glad I went with the other way … also I really LOVE how hers looks! My dress is super poofy and heavy so maybe that’s why

This was my bustle and my dress was quite heavy and my train was long.

Generally there’s two ways, French and American. Yours seems to be the American way which is my preference tbh. It’s what I chose. I don’t have a direct picture of the back but my train is bustled in this picture. It’s attached right at my waist in the back

Yours might be diff because of the lace and Tull. Mine is being hustled way higher but there’s no lace or anything and I have buttons all the way down the back which helps

That first bustle looks great. It should work well in the pictures.

Do you think the safety pins are affecting your opinion? These things always look better when they're finished. Don't settle, and ask your seamstress if there are other options if you're not happy, but I think you'll look great.

This article goes over the different types of bustles: https://www.brides.com/story/wedding-dress-bustle-styles.

From the research I've done, I think a ballroom or train flip bustle is what I like best (in theory at least).

Here is mine.

I think your bustle looks great! It's the right kind for your dress. The alternative is not to bustle at all and use a loop.

Here is mine

Not gonna lie, some of these bustles make me take back my statement that bustles make dresses look like Cinderella's evil step sisters’ ball gowns.