Now I need a bustle? WHAT?!

You can sew a wrist loop to your dress. Your train will just be held up by your wrist the entire night. No good if you plan to dance the night away, or you can carry your train over your arm.

For the convenience of the matter, I'd just pay for the bustle.

Thank you. Mine isn't lace, so I'm good there. I think I'm going to search for all resources I can and see if there's something simple I can do.

Wrist loops are not meant to support the train for hours at a time-- just a little while. It would be such a pain to deal with, and it could end up breaking before the night is through.

I honestly can't believe your seamstress didn't bring up a bustle But frankly, it will be totally worth the money and taking it back (just, maybe, find a different seamstress. I wouldn't trust someone who didn't even think to suggest a bustle for a wedding dress. . . )

She was a little difficult to work with because she's foreign and has an accident, so half the time it was hard to understand what she was saying, and her assistant speaks very little English. I really don't want to go back there just for communication issues. But I don't think I have anyone else who is local.

You really do need a bustle. It's hard to make the train lay correctly when you're doing it yourself. I think my bustle had about 12 points just to hold the weight of my dress up. It was expensive but made my evening so much more enjoyable.

From some of the things I've been looking at it, I might be able to do a pick up bustle with a few hooks and eyes along or below the waist line. Though, you're right it would be difficult to do correctly yourself.

My MIL and I did mine...it turned out to be fairly simple...then again, she likes to sew

Hooks and eyes would be easy. I have no concern about that. Anything more elaborate ... I could do a loop too. But I don't have another person to help me out.

This is the reason I am having the train cut off! I have a long veil to make up for it during the ceremony though

My bustle was a pain in the ass. the alterations people where I bought my dress let me leave unhappy with it dragging the ground, even after I explained that I didn't care how it looked when bustled that I wanted to dance. Took it to a local alterations lady and she bustled it up, it had like 11 buttons and was really confusing, had to practice the night before with two of my BM's to be sure we could do it. It was tricky because the fabric was really sheer. It worked and I could dance in it I think you need to find a new alterations person and get it done right unless you know someone who can sew or want to try it yourself. here's the back of my dress… It's the only pic of the bustle i have and you can't even see the bottom, but on each side I had four buttons and different levels. Can you post a pic of your dress?

Look online, there's kits for bustling, but you'd better have someone experienced to do it.

My mom did my bustle, and it took her days and days to do it. Mind you, my dress is a tulle ballgown, so it was likely more complex than other dresses. If my mom wouldn't have wanted to do it, I would have just paid the $200+ to get it done by a seamstress.