Do I need a petticoat with this dress..?

vipbrj

So, my wedding is in a month (freaking out time!!!!!!), and this is the dress I will be wearing:

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Product_Satin-Gown-with-Beaded-Waist-and-Illusion-Back-SWG564

When I purchased the dress at Davids Bridal last year, I also bought a crinoline/petticoat (the fit and flare/mermaid one, where it just poofs out on the bottom).  I had the dress altered there along with the petticoat because the back of it needed to be adjusted because of how low the back is on the dress.

Well, my alterations with the dress didn't go as well as I had hoped at Davids Bridal.  I took my dress home after the third fitting and stayed awake all night worrying about how bad the dress looked (the butt looked really wrinkly and lumpy and the lady couldn't figure out how to fix it and tried to convince me no one else would notice).  So the next morning I found a local tailor who had great reviews and took it in there.  In a few fittings he fixed the dress (he said they took too many short cuts, were only taking in one side of the dress, and doing weird stuff to avoid messing with the beading in the back, which was making my butt look like a lumpy pancake...) ANYWAY, I am happy with the way my dress fits now, but I'm hung up on the fact of whether or not I should wear the petticoat with it.  The tailor said he didn't think I needed it, that the dress holds it shape pretty well on its own.  He said they just sold it to me because they could. 

I don't really WANT to wear the petticoat. It's pretty uncomfortable and makes going to the bathroom and getting dressed more complicated (I can just step into the dress if I don't have the petticoat on, instead of putting it over my head).

BUT I dont want to look dumb if it really looks better with the petticoat.  I don't want to look at my pictures and regret not wearing it!

I think I am looking for validation that this dress looks okay as it is.  I googled online to try to find a real person in this dress and I found this:  http://www.preownedweddingdresses.com/dresses/view/100576/Galina-SWG564-Size-6.html

It doesn't look like she has any sort of petticoat on under it?

These are pictures of me in the dress.  They are not very flattering but they show the change in the shape of the dress.   The ones on the left have the petticoat (and were taken before I got it altered the second time and pressed.... )  You can see the outline of my belly button without the petticoat and that is bothering me as well but I will start stressing out over that after I have this sorted in my brain.

JasperandOpal

I prefer it without the petticoat.  It looks really elegant.  If you want to hide your bellybutton, you could try some high-waisted slimming underpants/ high rise body smoother.

singinchick13

You could really go either way, but my personal preference is without. It makes the whole look more glamorous and lets the dress have movement that wouldn't be there with the petticoat. I second PP about the smoothing undergarments, they are very effective.

doeydo

I prefer it with because it gives the dress more shape

KGold80

I looked at the pics on preownedweddingdresses.com and the dress bunched up on her while she was walking. It won't do that with a petticoat. I'm wearing a petticoat with my dress (not the same as yours) for the same reason. 

shaylagirl

I'm with @doeydo.  It looks better with it.

Also, it will keep it from going between your legs (a potential stumble hazard) when you're walking in it.

My dress has lots of natural structure and layers, but even I put a petticoat on under it to give it just that extra "oomph" to keep it from flapping between my legs when I walked (my mom also did a lace hem that matched my dress, and I put a Harley Davidson patch on it for my DH as a surprise post-ceremony, so it pulled double duty for me).

Yes, it's extra layers and extra to put on, and extra to fumble with in the bathroom, but, honestly, even in my gown, with the bustle broken on my dress, I managed to potty (somewhere I read the brilliant idea of lifting the entire skirt and sitting on the toilet backwards to keep the train or back or veil from getting wet...BRILLIANT!!!).

Dignity100

I like without, but that being said, I'd still probably try to put some kind of slip under it to keep it from going in between my legs while walking.

buttercup1958

I like the dress with the petticoat, but I love skirts that have movement

melbenso

I bought the same slip from DB. It is uncomfortable I plan to wear mine for the ceremony and pictures, but likely will take it off for the reception. Once my dress is bustled, it makes no difference in what my dress looks like, so it's probably coming off at the first bathroom break.

I do think your dress looks fuller with the slip. And I don't see the outline of it. But it looks just fine without it too. In the end, I'd go with comfort over a slightly less full skirt.

CrazyCatBride

I like it with the petticoat for the shape. I like the idea of taking it off at the reception and I will probably do that too!

JoanE2012

I like the dress much better WITH the petticoat.  The way the dress lays with the folds without it, it definitely looks like it's missing something.