Choosing the Perfect Bridal Underwear

Finding the perfect bridal underwear is just as essential as finding the dress. Here is our ultimate guide to finding the perfect wedding lingerie for your big day.

Okay, so you’ve picked out the dress you want to get married in. Now you just have to figure out what bridal underwear you're going to wear underneath it! Which is a lot trickier than it sounds.

Thanks to the popularity of backless, strapless, deep-v, or otherwise skin-exposing gowns, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to find the perfect bridal underwear that won’t show through when you’re walking down the aisle. Let alone moving around and dancing. Regardless of your dress type, one popular option is having bra cups sewn into your dress. This won’t offer you much in terms of support, but it will create shape and stop your gown from being see-through.

But the bottom line: Bridal underwear is a pretty personal choice. The most important thing is that you’re happy and comfortable in whatever outfit you’ve chosen! If you’re going 'free-boobin’ and don’t care for constricting shape-wear, then go for it! But if you want the support of a bra or feel better in a pair of Spanx, here’s what the experts recommend wearing under various types of wedding gowns.

What Underwear to Wear Under Your Bridal Gown

If your dress is strapless: sewn-in cups or a strapless bra.

With a strapless dress, you can get away with wearing a strapless bra, if you want one — just make sure that everything fits perfectly up top because any gap will reveal your bra. (If you are having your dress altered, we recommend bringing your undergarments to each fitting for this very reason.)

If your dress is backless or has an illusion back: Sewn-in cups or a sticky bra.

“Any wedding dress with an illusion back almost always needs cups sewn in or self-stick cups,” says Tina Zimmerman, the alterations' manager at Kleinfeld Bridal.

Courtney Morrissey, the alterations' manager at Gabriella New York, also recommends sewn-in cups or sticky cups — but cautions that these types of dresses might be uncomfortable if you wear a larger bra size and want your chest supported. “Low-back and backless gowns can be tricky to gain support if you have a larger bust size,” she says. “Cups can be stitched in; however, that will never provide lift and support in the case of a backless gown. If the gown has a low back, sometimes a low-back corset or a plunge bra can be your best friend, but that is not always the case.”

If your dress has a low back, but isn’t totally backless: A low-back bra.

Low-back bras don’t always live up to their name, so make sure you try on a few options with your dress.

If your dress has a deep-v or plunging neckline: Sewn-in cups, a sticky bra, or a deep-v bra.

“For a deep-v neckline, we generally recommend that cups are sewn into your wedding dress,” says Zimmerman. “But if you’re looking for more support, there are many deep-v bras available, as well as self-stick bras.”

8028 from Stella York

If your dress has a trumpet or mermaid skirt, or is otherwise tight around your midsection: Shapewear (if you want it!).

Tina Zimmerman says that 99 percent of the brides she works with opt for a skin tone colour if they do go with shape-wear. And obviously, whether you want to wear shapewear or not is a personal choice in the first place.

“Spanx and Yummie make fantastic shape-wear options with everything from high-power hold to very thin, barely there styles,” says Courtney Morrissey. It’s also something to consider even if you’re not trying to suck anything in: “I find that thin, nude, natural waist shorts like the Spanx Skinny Britches helps diffuse corset boning when worn with the corset tucked inside.”

If you’re wearing a sheath-type dress and want some full-body support: A curve-hugging slip.

Again, this is a personal choice. But if your dress is fitted in all the right places, and you’d feel better with a bit of shape-wear on, you can’t go wrong with a full-body slip with a sheath wedding dress, like the Triumph Perfect Sensation Bodydress

And what about underwear?

If you’re concerned about VPL but don’t want to wear full-on shapewear shorts, go for a skin tone-coloured seamless thong. If your dress has an A-line, ballgown, or otherwise poofy skirt, all undies are fair game. This is your chance for some fun, cheeky, or just really pretty bridal underpinnings. Go wild!