this (or something like it) is going to be my wedding dress. i'm making a muslin version of it currently--it's a few sizes too big, so it's going to need some pattern revision.

my current quandry is with the gathered part on the top. i tried doing it with tiny pleats, but the shape of the pieces requires curved pleats and it wasn't working so well. then it tried gathering the fabric on both sides as the pattern suggests, but it got all poofy in the middle. the back side of the gathered part is lined with a flat piece, so it's not like one's chest can fill out the poofy part that doesn't gather like the fabric does near the stitching.

then i tried gathering it on both sides as well as halfway in between the gathers, which is working better, but i am wondering if there is a magic trick that will make this way easier. does anyone have any good suggestions?