Multiple bustles

I have a 9 point bustle. It depends on how big your train is.

@FFSaraD this is a picture of the back of my dress

I had a 9 point bustle. It was suppose to be a 5 point but they changed it. They figured mine out while I had it one during alterations and asked me if I liked it. Hopefully they will do the same for you so you can get a better idea.

Omg that dress is gorgeous. Mine just has one point, but the skirt on mine is crazy, so it disguises it well. I could see your dress needing 5 bustle points, since it's so sleek. 5 points will help it look that way even bustled, hopefully. There's also the option of a loop you can put around your wrist, but then you still have to think about not stepping on it all night.

And if it's bustled well, it won't make your butt look weird. With that style, they usually bustle it lower to retain the shape of the dress.

Don't worry OP! Your seamstress should know how to do a bustle (even multi-point) without it looking weird. Mine was a french bustle I think? Someone correct me of I'm wrong. My dress was solid beaded corded lace and was incredibly heavy. My bustle was 9 points of ribbon and loop. The first seamstress I went to told me it couldn't be bustled because it was too heavy, the points would rip out. My seamstress did an amazing job and none of the points tore. Actually, it's still bustled hanging in my closet because that's how it was when I took it off lol.

Trust your seamstress! Your dress is gorgeous and I bet that train is heavy. Multiple bustle points means the weight is distributed well and your dress is less likely to tear when someone inevitably steps on it!

My dress has 22 bustles! My poor MOH!

A 'point' is the area where part of the train is hung'buttoned to a point higher up on the skirt of your dress, to create part of the bustle. Very, very lightweight dresses can get away with 1 point, although I always think they look too bunched-up. One-point bustles are notorious for ripping out easily - one guest steps on your hem as you walk by, and bam! bustle down. If you have a large train, heavy fabric, and/or a delicate overskirt, the seamstress may want to do many points (5-9) to distribute the weight and bulk of the train across the back of your skirt.

Have her pin it to show you multiple options at your fitting. I went in with a pretty firm idea of the bustle I wanted, and the pinning totally changed my mind - I thought I wanted a French bustle, and ended up with a low 3-point bustle instead (my dress is extremely light, charmeuse and lace)

Mine will have 3 bustle points.

My bustle made me want to scream. I had a short sweep train I was expecting a 3 point bustle maybe 5 point, but no it turned in to 12 points. The way my dress drapes the couldn't jus do normal bustle. They had to do a side sweep bustle. You won't really know what type of bustle you need until they start pinning it.

My daughter had the 5-point bustle -

I had a 5-point bustle and loved it! I actually wound up liking it better bustled than down

Mine was a 4 point bustle. It just means the number of points at which your dress is bustled. Typically an under bustle has more points than an over bustle (mine was over). Did your seamstress pin it to show you what it'd look like? I'd ask for that.

I will be having a three point bustle.

I don't know if this will help you visualize, but I'm having a bustle held up with 5 buttons. They'll go in an arch - this is just pinned pre-alterations obv, but it shows the general idea. It doesn't pouf out very much, and your train looks only slightly longer than mine.