Slipping straps is something most brides worry about, especially because wedding days involve so much moving around.
You have to hug friends and family for hours, and sometimes wedding dress straps have a habit of slipping.
Using things like double-sided fashion tape or body adhesive can help keep the straps on. So can lingerie strap holders if you find some that will match your dress and remain discreet.
In a pinch, you can also try spraying your body with hairspray or something similar to make your skin sticky, so your straps will stay put better.
Keeping your straps on guarantees that every picture captures you at your best.
You can also move around your reception and dance with your spouse without worrying about any sort of wardrobe malfunction.
If you’re planning your wedding and you’re worried about slipping dress straps, here are some ways to make them stay put.
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Getting the Right Fit
Making sure your wedding dress fits correctly is your first step in preventing straps from slipping off.
Unfortunately, this is hard to do, which is why it’s essential to buy your dress from the right store or find a good place to make alterations.
Wedding dress straps are a challenge because wedding dresses are often made of lace and other non-flexible materials. They won’t naturally cling to your body, so you’re going to need them to be tight when you put the dress on.
Of course, getting your fit exactly right is a challenge because your weight will fluctuate slightly from day to day.
You never know exactly how you’ll feel in your dress on the day of your wedding, and you could put it on to find that your straps are either too loose or too tight.
However, if you stay around the same weight, then an early fitting and getting your straps at just the right length will help.
Avoid Wearing Your Dress Too Much
One of the problems with wedding dress straps is that, once they stretch, there’s no going back. In addition, the lack of elastic in the fabric means your straps could get larger the more you wear them.
In that case, avoid trying on your dress too much to prevent unwanted stretching.
Instead, try on the dress during fittings, pre-wedding photography sessions, and before the wedding to make sure things still fit!
Tips for Keeping Straps in Place
There are, luckily, plenty of things that you can do to keep your straps from slipping. Most of them involve quick sewing jobs or buying readily available products.
However, using a combination of two or more tips will make slipping even harder for your straps.
One of the issues with wedding dress straps is that people wearing them don’t want their bra straps to show underneath the dress. The only issue there is that the dress has less to grip onto.
Here are some things you can do to help.
Fashion Tape
All movie stars use fashion tape to keep strapless dresses in place when they hit the red carpet or some other fancy event.
Essentially, you line the edge of your fabric, and it adheres to your skin. It’s a good fix, but the tape won’t last forever.
If you’re at your wedding all day and night, you may need to take it off and reapply the new tape. Things like sweat can also make it lose its stick.
Hairspray
Surprisingly, hairspray makes your skin stickier and, in a pinch, can keep your straps from slipping off your shoulders at the wedding.
One of the best things about hairspray is that it doesn’t take long to put on. If you feel your straps starting to shift, you can make a quick trip to the bathroom and spray some more on.
If you can, ask one of your relatives to keep a spray can in their purse, so you always have some nearby if you need it.
Strap Holders
Lingerie strap holders won’t work with every dress. However, depending on your dress fit, you might get away with strap holders to keep your straps nice and tight.
DIY Strap Holders
Another solution to straps slipping is sewing bra strap holders onto your wedding dress straps.
If you’re decent with a needle and thread, you can sew small holders on the underside of your wedding straps.
Something like an old ribbon paired with tiny metal snaps will do the trick.
Once they’re on, you can wear a bra underneath your straps and clip them in place. The bra will stay tight against your skin without causing your straps to move.
It’s a great workaround for people who want to enjoy their reception stress-free! This works best on solid straps and may not be a viable choice for lace.
Shoulder Strap Grips
If you look online, you can buy non-slip pads explicitly designed for shoulder straps.
Companies advertise them to work on straps for purses and other items, but they do a fantastic job keeping shoulder straps in place.
According to one product on Amazon called Strap Gummy that was featured on the TODAY show, the straps add friction and will stick to any flat strap.
They come in semi-clear material, so you don’t have to worry about a tiny edge peeking out from under your straps. They’re also pretty small at less than an inch wide.
Take a look at different strap holders and grips. Read reviews and buy a few to try with your dress. Then, keep the ones that work well for your wedding day.
Band-Aids
It may seem a bit far-fetched, but band-aids can be a great way to keep your wedding dress straps from slipping.
First, you can find rougher band-aids with more grip that are made of fabric. Then, when you put the band-aid on your shoulder, the grip will do a decent job of keeping your dress straps where you want them.
These are just some ideas to keep your straps on your shoulders, so you don’t have to worry about them constantly falling off.
Don’t Worry About Slips Too Much
When you’re at your wedding reception or standing next to your spouse during the ceremony, you never want to have to worry about whether your straps will stay put.
A dress malfunction should be low on the list of things stressing you out on your wedding day.
Don’t, however, get too wrapped up in worrying about your dress. At the end of the day, when you’re having fun at your reception, the last thing anyone is going to care about is whether your straps slipped once or twice.
Final Thoughts
Using tape, spray, band-aids, and other tricks will keep your straps from moving without feeling them so tightly on your shoulders or altering your dress more than you’d like to.
You can always take five to fix them up again or change out the old tape to make sure you’re good to go.
Most of all, have fun at your wedding and don’t stress too much over how tight or loose your straps are. Instead, enjoy the day and all the wonderful people there to celebrate with you!