To Be or Not to Be: Do You Need a Wedding Gown Train?

A wedding gown train is a much more than just a detail of a wedding dress. It helps to add an irresistible charm to any gown and make it look more sophisticated and luxurious. However, not all brides have dresses with trains and, in truth, not all wedding gowns demand them. Moreover, there are several types of trains, which suit certain types of the dresses.

So, we are going to answer the most frequently asked questions about trains and consider their pros and cons in order to help you to understand if you need a train for your wedding dress or not.

Wedding Gown Train FAQ

Wedding dress with long train

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Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about wedding gown trains. 

What is a Train?

A train is an extra length of fabric that extends from the back of your wedding dress and trails behind you as you walk. A train may be a part of the skirt or it can be attached to the skirt. Also, there are detachable skirts like an overlay that connects to your waist or a Watteau train that looks like a cape.

Why Wedding Dresses Have Trains?

Trains make any dress look more festive and luxurious. They help each girl to feel like a princess from a fairytale and look fantastic on photos. That’s why, many brides opt for wedding gowns with long trains.

What to Do with It after the Ceremony?

Everything depends on the type of the train. Short trains won’t prevent you from moving freely while court trains already require some work. Very often, trains feature buttons that help to attach them to the dresses. In longer trains, you need to get each layer properly folded and fluffed.

At the same time, ball gown wedding dresses with long trains may have some other constructions for the train bustle. And detachable trains are the most convenient as they are just taken off as soon as you are tired of them.

Wedding Gown Train Styles

Luxurious wedding gown train

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Now, let’s have a look at the basic types of a wedding dress train.

Sweep

It’s the shortest type of the train that is about 6 inches long. It’s a great variant if you put comfort first or plan an outdoor wedding. It looks great with sheath and mermaid wedding dresses. Besides, a sweep train is a good option for petite brides and for girls who love dancing.

Court Train

A court train is very similar to a sweep train but it’s a bit longer and extends from the waist instead of the hem of your gown. Such a design makes a dress look more formal and sophisticated. Court trains go well with almost all wedding dress styles. So, a ball gown wedding dress with train looks as great as a mermaid one.

Chapel

A chapel dress train is usually about 12-18 inches long. It’s the most widespread type of a wedding gown train thanks to its universality. It looks formal but is still pretty convenient. It goes the best with A-line and ball gown wedding dresses.

Cathedral

The length of a cathedral train starts at 22 inches. Being an A-line and ball gown wedding dress long train, it suits formal weddings the most. Its length isn’t very convenient and so, such a train requires some attention. So, ask your bridesmaids to help you with keeping the train properly situated and bustling.

Royal

That’s the longest possible wedding dress train. Its length starts from 30 inches and may be up to several meters. Undoubtedly, such royal cathedral train wedding gowns require someone to carry it. For instance, flower girls may cope with this task or bridesmaids.

Detachable Trains

Undoubtedly, a removable train wedding gown is one of the best options allowing you to walk down the aisle like a queen and feel comfortable for the rest of the day. A train may be attached to the hemline. However, it’s most widespread when a train is located on a waistband that is easily removed.

Another variant of a wedding gown with detachable train is the one with a Watteau train. It’s often referred as a combination of a veil and a train and so, you don’t need a veil if you opt for this variant. A Watteau train is attached to the shoulders and can be of any length. It actually looks like a cape.

Pros and Cons

Detachable wedding dress train

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In order to understand if you need a wedding gown train, have a look at the following advantages and disadvantages of dresses with trains.

Pros

- Undoubtedly, a train adds the refined beauty and solemnity to each dress and it’s the main argument in favor of trains. So, if you want to look like a princess, choose a ball gown wedding dress with train.

- Trains look amazing on wedding photos. So, if you want to have royal-like wedding photos, a train is a must.

- If you have little girls among the guests, they can help to carry a long train and it will look adorable.

- There are many types of wedding trains and you are free to choose the one that suits your wedding dress silhouette, wedding format and venue the most.

Cons

- A long train wedding dress can prevent you from moving easily as it can be rather heavy. So, if you are a free-spirited girl or plan to dance much on your wedding, don’t opt for a long train.

- A really long wedding gown train requires help of other people. So, you will need to ask your bridesmaids, friends or someone else to take care of the train.

- No matter what the weather is, trains get dirty very quickly, especially if you have an outdoor wedding.

- There is a great risk of tearing the dress by stepping on it. This can be occasionally done by a bride, groom or even wedding guests.

So, it’s up to you if to have a wedding gown train or no. If you want a dress to look more formal and luxurious, say yes to this detail. At the same time, if you have a small casual wedding and put comfort first, you can look astonishing even without a train.