Small Chested and Strapless Dresses?

Alko726

My BMs are my two younger sisters and FSIL, and though I haven't picked out BM dresses, we've started to gather ideas before we all go together and try them on. The samples at stores are always too big and need to be clipped. Because of that, and with my experience of having tried some on myself for friends' weddings, it's a little hard for me to tell whether or not a dress will fit comfortably before actually getting it in. My question is, for those that are small chested, are strapless dresses (with possibly a sweetheart neckline) going to require a ton of alterations and/or look awful? Will there be problems holding the dress up even if they're altered to fit snugly/correctly at the top? I don't want them to have to worry about having to pull their dresses up constantly on the day of, but a lot of the dresses they're interested in have this style neckline. I guess they could always add straps...? Do most BM dresses usually need alterations? I thought I got pretty lucky, as the BM dresses I've had to wear so far have fit well enough to where I haven't needed to get them altered. TIA!

banana468

My chest is so small if you look quickly you could miss it.  I'm wearing a strapless dress in a wedding that's the 26th and the seamstress made some great changes so that it'll fit.  The downside?  The alterations to the dress (taking it in on the side on top and bottom, hemming, adding cups and making sure the torso area worked for my body) cost me an even $100.  It's well worth it for a dress to fit and the dress wasn't too much to start with but those are things to keep in mind. 

tiffspff

I agree with the above posts. When I tried on dresses I had to hold up the chest everytime. However my altered gown fits amazingly. My Bridesmaids dresses came with straps that could be added on... some of the girls are uncomfortable wearing strapless, so they're adding straps. That's something else to consider.

ffmaid

Most dresses need alterations stapless in particular Adding spagettii straps however is uber easy and sweetheart necklines does make even flat chested look booby

mbcdefg

Have you got your heart set on salon dresses? If not, try places like Ann Taylor and J. Crew ... they are usually cut to fit street sizes, so alterations may be minor or not even necessary. And J. Crew dresses are supposed to be good for smaller-chested girls, or so I hear.

mikesboo23

I am small chested and I've worn a couple strapless dresses in the past, one with elastic around the top (i took it in tighter and it was fine), and one with boning to hold it up.  The one with boning was the best but either will work if you have it taken in to the right fit.  BUT, sweetheart necklines do NOT look good at all.  For some reason it flattens me out more, like it shows off that there's no cleavage and looks like a man is wearing it.  A straight across neckline looks good or something that crosses in the front.   

KJDOHERTY

Look at Jcrew and Ann Taylor.  They usually are offered in petite, tall and regular sizes and are sized as 'normal' dresses.  Only a few of my girls needed very minor alterations to their JCrew BM dresses. 

kate8987

I'm small chested and wore a strapless dress with a sweatheart neckline in my FSIL's wedding. I was afraid of it falling down constantly, but it actually stayed up the whole time. I didn't think it looked all that bad either, and I received alot of compliments on it.

mbcdefg

Did the BMs even try the dresses on yet? If not, then don't get attached to a particular neckline or strapless/v-beck/whatever before they even get to try it on. The necklines of their gowns do not need to match yours. As long as the overall formality complements your gown (this is where you need to consider fabrics and the overall cut, and sometimes skirt lengths), then you're good. The girls can even wear different necklines and that'll still be fine. You could pick a designer that they can all afford, plus a color and skirt length and a fabric, and then let them pick their own styles from there. That way, the girls who like strapless and sweetheart can get them, and the girls who don't like it can get something else suitable. Better to have them all happy and comfortable, than matching but uncomfortable ... not only because they're your friends and it's the right thing to do, but also because it'll reflect in your photos (frowny faces, and possibly some very unflattering pics with boobs popping out or what have you).

chamrads

I pretty much agree with most of the posters here... The size of their chests should not effect the "stay-up" potential of a dress.  It is all about the dresses style and structure.  A good dress with proper lines and structure (usually achieved with alterations) will not fall down no matter the chest size.I happen to like the sweetheart neckline, and often feel it adds size to smaller chests (I am a .  However, you should really ask your BM's what they feel comfortable in.  Take them to a store and let them try on all sorts of styles and see what they like best, and what is most flattering on them.  They should look good standing up there too!

FutureMrsArvidsson

I had the same experience as a lot of the women here.  I have a very straight figure and in order for a bridesmaid's dress to fit me in the waist it was 12 inches too big in the bust!!!  It looked just awful when I tried it on, but after 1 round of alterations it fit great.  Even this complicated alteration was under $45.   I think it's fine - it's tough to find a dress that works well on 3 different bodies. 

Alko726

Thanks for all the advice/feedback, ladies. Sorry I've been MIA and unresponsive, but I've been on vacation overseas for the last five days. Great to know that all they might need are some good alterations. Though haven't tried any dresses on yet, the dresses I was asking about were ones that they themselves picked out from pictures and online searches. We were just trying to gather ideas, and I'm ultimately just letting them pick the ones they want to wear. Thanks again!