" I just made sure to stand behind someone else for the pictures!"
That’s terrible. There are plenty of beautiful dresses that don’t need shapewear, and plenty of shapewear that does not make one feel like stuffed sausage.
I tried Shapermint from a Facebook ad and was very pleased.
I am a big Spanx fan. I wore a bodysuit under my form-fitting MOB dress, and I think I looked pretty darn good. I also wear them under work clothes when things just need a bit of smoothing. I have not tried any of the other shapewear listed, but I am sure all are good. For one time, even the less expensive brands are fine (but they tend not to last as long).
I read that some of the stars on the read carpet wear 2 spanx!
I have zero advice on shapewear - guess I don’t care enough about what other people think to be willing to be uncomfy in that way. But I do know what it’s like to wear new sports gear and suspect shapewear is similar with the potential to be irritating, rub in weird ways, present unforeseen challenges. If you don’t normally wear this stuff, don’t wear it for the first time the Big Day; as soon as you get it, wear it around the house for a few hours first. If it’s OK, then wear it for a day under the same thing or similar thing that you plan to wear it with on event day. That way, you’ll be more comfy and will be able to take care of any issues you discover in advance.
Personally, I agree with @milee30. I’ve never worn any shapewear, but would definitely wear it around the house a bit to be sure I even wanted to keep it. I’d also wear it for as long as the event is going to be, in as similar a temperature and situation as I could, under a similar type garment, just to be sure I would be as comfortable as possible. I have never worn shapewear so far, so it would be a totally foreign item to me.
Many of the weddings I’ve attended have a portion outdoors (warm) and indoors (cold). I’d want whatever I wear to be comfortable for both situations. Personally, I’ve never cared enough to own shapewear.
There are degrees of shaping. The extra firm shapewear feels tighter than the kinda-firm shapewear. Visit a department store & try some on.
For what it’s worth, I don’t find the Spanx I have to be uncomfortable.
I used the Shapermint high-waisted thing under my MOB dress. Very comfortable.
A properly fit shaper has the comfy feel of yoga pants or leggings. 
OK, then I have to ask, yoga pants (at least the ones I wear) are fitted close to the skin but not compressive. Isn’t shapewear compressing the stuff underneath? And if it’s compressing the stuff underneath, how the heck is that comfy? And exactly how tight are your yoga pants? 
That is the point - smoothing, not compressing. My Align pants are super comfy - I basically live in them. Highly recommend. I wear them as tights in the winter… I once tried a dress on at Nordstrom over my Lulu pants, and the SA commented that I was in very good shape. Uhhmmm… that’s not me - the yoga pants turned “shapewear.” 
Does the Simone Perele roll? I would like to find shaping shorts/slip that come to my waist, but everything I’ve tried rolls … so I end up with smooth hips and a bigger belly!
I did a little work with Sara Blakely when she was starting company (she was friend of one of my colleagues). Purchasing Spanx is definitely out of the question for me.
@BunsenBurner Yep
She was still developing business idea so I only spoke with her. Nothing terrible, but I vowed I would never purchase her products - no matter how much I may need them!
I do find that if I get the really comfy size, it does smooth, but sometimes not as much as I want. I want a little more compression to push in those hip buldges under my dress. So, I have the next size smaller. It’s not as comfy, but still not bad.
You can pee in spanx, your just have to be a bit careful. My d and I joke about it and our hit and miss ratio.
Yesterday I wore under armour shorts under my maxi. My thighs stick and rub together if I don’t wear something. I don’t know how skinny the rest of you are but that’s always been the case for me.
I prefer the over shoulder one piece spanx, the other ones tend to roll down on me.
Curious about the spanx founder!
I just wanted to know what about meeting her made houndmom vow to not support her business.
My guess? She is a stubborn, tough, inflexible taskmaster who is not kind and is hard on the people who work for and around her. That’s pretty much what is required to get most huge companies successfully launched. Those words are typical of how we describe women executives and entrepreneurs. Male executives and entrepreneurs are tenacious, visionary leaders who do not let anything interfere with their goals; employees and vendors are expected to deal with their strong personalities.
Sort of like only poor people are crazy; rich people are eccentric.
Hmm. If a friend called in a favor from a colleague to review something for you pro-bono, and you incorporated the advice, wouldn’t you say “thank you?”
Again, it wasn’t a big deal, I just thought she could have been a little more gracious.