My wedding dress by Ulla-Maija, in duchess satin, had a train that made me feel like I was in a John Singer Sargent painting. It was a work of art, cut on the bias with perfectly flat diagonal seams across the bodice and skirt. My only regret is the bra I chose to wear under it.

The bustier that I took to my first fitting at Kleinfeld was too high in back for the dress, so the seamstress found three other bustiers for me to try. Since she liked the way the first one fit, I didn’t bother trying the others. That probably was a mistake. After all, she wasn’t Linda or Iris.

Then we discovered that the top panel of the dress would require much more than simple alterations. The head seamstress studied the gown and decreed that the entire dress would have to go back to the designer to have the top panel replaced. She suggested the back be made a little higher as well. If I hadn’t been so in awe of the process, too timid to ask them to re-measure everything, and so nervous that my dress wouldn’t be ready in time for the wedding, I would have thought to ask them to make the back of the dress high enough for my original bustier.

Every subsequent alteration was based upon the measurements taken that day. Unfortunately, certain pictures in our wedding album clearly demonstrate the consequences of wearing the wrong bra. I look enormous.

The takeaway from this is that we full-breasted women really have to look out for ourselves. If you’re getting married, allow enough time to find the right undergarment to take to your first fitting. Better yet, take it with you to choose your dress in the first place. It feels like there’s a lot at stake when it comes to that one dress you’ll wear once in a lifetime, but don’t lose your head. You know yourself and what you need. Do what you can to get your seamstress on the same page with you.