Wedding Dress Trends for 2014 - Sleeves

Last week the wedding website Style Me Pretty featured an interview with bridal gown designer Claire Pettibone. When asked about wedding dress trends going forward, she said, "I am loving sleeves…whether short or long, I think strapless may have finally had its day."

This thought has been echoed in several other places recently, with industry experts seeing more and more of what Wedding Bells magazine called "sophisticated coverage."

For the record, I don't have a problem with strapless dresses. I've seen many gorgeous ones and when I got married they were vary much en vogue. But I do know of brides who have tried in vain to find something with sleeves, only to find either a $10,000 price tag or sleeves accompanied by an extremely deep v-neckline. My dress was actually a designer knock-off, made by a local seamstress for a fraction of the cost. I wanted sleeves, but couldn't find a dress with them for less than several thousand dollars.

So I was encouraged by this news and wanted to pass it along. It's only a matter of time before this trend finds its way throughout the bridal industry. I think it allows for more creativity and diversity in dress selections, and frankly, more peace of mind. A strapless dress has to be fitted so perfectly to give the bride assurance she won't lose it in the middle of the ceremony.

What do you think? Would you prefer sleeves or strapless, or somewhere in between?