Necessity is the mother of all invention. And many of our beautiful Utah brides have always needed sleeves So, they’re nothing new to you and us.

One year ago, a very famous and very royal couple wed. There was never any question that Kate Middleton would wear sleeves on her wedding dress – hundreds of years of tradition couldn’t be broken. What was most wonderful about it, is that designers used it as a spring board to catapult the trend of new necklines and sleeved gowns forward. Strapless will always be elegant and will always be in style, but you and I alike are enjoying the rebirth of classically styled sleeves on wedding dresses.

Here are some sleeved wedding dress you may have noticed, or that have likely piqued your attention:

Soft cap-sleeves. Whether delicately beaded , soft lace, or ruched fabric, cap sleeves are ever-stylish and full of variety: Sweet, sexy, romantic.

Long, lace sleeves. All you have to do is think of Grace Kelly’s wedding dress, and you know why this is the picture of elegance. Timeless, lean, confident.

Elbow and 3/4 sleeves. You likely saw them make a resurgence with the Mad Men wardrobe glamour, now they’re here to stay. Preppy, tailored, very American.

And here are a few more that (joyfully) defy convention, but that still (or even more so) manage to make us love them:

All gowns pictured are available through Alta Moda Bridal. Many of these lovely ladies are our real brides. That’s right, our brides are simply the prettiest.

Image credits in order:

Short – Rivini, Jenny Packham, Modern Trousseau, Green Apple Photography, Us.

Long – David Newkirk Photography, Elizabeth Fillmore, Us.

Elbow – Zuma Photo, Kate Benson Photography, , Us, Jessica Janea Photography

Others – Elizabeth Fillmore, Rivini, Us.

Our morning quickly swirled into a whirlwind of wedding dresses at our second stop for the day, Modern Trousseau.

Utah brides seem to have a love affair with Modern Trousseau gowns. Maybe it’s their luscious lace or their creative temple ready designs, but whatever it is, we like it.

And, we think you’ll like (maybe even love) this new gown from the:

Sara Marie is a gal who knows her coasts. Spending her time in sunny Southern California and Washington DC, we were happy to be able to work with her here in Salt Lake City.

Her gown was a customized Augusta Jones wedding dress of soft French lace and a Queen-Anne neckline – perfect for her temple wedding.  As she put it, “My husbands reaction to me walking out in the dress was priceless”.

Thank you, Sara Marie, for letting us be a part of your wedding. We loved working with you.

Today is the final day of our Tulle New York trunk show, and the dashing designer Antonio Gual is in-store ready to customize fabulous frocks for Utah brides.

We are on wait list mode today. (AKA – 100% booked)

Give us a call, and we’ll get your name on the list and just as soon as an opening arises, it’s all yours. We’d love the chance to help you find your gown from this charming collection.

See below our lovely consultants Megan and Drea in Tulle New York gowns. (Yep, our consultants are as pretty as the gowns. Lucky us!)

For you gals needing a modest wedding dress, Antonio and our staff are thrilled to customize one just for you.

We’re about to kick-off our first ever Tulle New York trunk show – and we’re doing it with a bang. Designer Antonio Gual (see the sharp dressed man pictured below) is en route to join us for the weekend filled with fashionable frocks (and fine refreshments), all customizable to perfectly suit your wedding.

There are still a couple (literally only 2) of appointments available for tomorrow, Friday, March 9th and a small handful for Saturday, Match 10th. If you’d like one of these coveted spots to work directly with the wonderful designer and collection, give us a call at 801.531.1215.

Cheers to Tulle!

No, we’re not talking about copious yards of the soft net fabric known as tulle (though, we do have a fondness for it as well), but rather that the Tulle New York trunk show dresses are here extra early.  More than a dozen of these hip gowns are already in-store.

For you, that means an extra chance to see, try-on, and fall for one of these trend-setting beauties.

Good things to know:

Trunk show purchases receive a 10% discount

Tulle New York will make their gowns temple ready

These designers know their stuff – great fit, fantastic fabrics!

Get ready… Tulle New York is coming to Salt Lake.

Ever before you can see our permanent samples, you’ll the get the chance to fall in love with this hip, stylish new label at the trunk show on March 9th & 10th.

Join the designer as he ventures out to Utah for this very special event. More details to follow, but, whatever you do, save some time to find your gown that weekend.

March 9th & 10th – You simply must be there.

PS – They’ll happily modify their gowns for temple weddings. Yep, happily!

In case you missed it, Utah Bride Blog featured our real bride Rachel in their lovely pixels two days ago.

So many of our favorites were part of her big day:

Events by LMG

Jacque Lynn Photography

Culinary Crafts

Pink Piggy Design

…and the list goes on.

Another new gown has arrived – Cyd by Augusta Jones.  Head to toe lace detailed with glam beading at the neckline and cap sleeves. The skirt has beautiful movement and flow, begging for a night of dancing and celebrating.

Our sample is in a warm oyster shade. Come on in and see.

We rarely have more fun connecting brides with their wedding dress than we do during an Anne Barge trunk show. You see, we truly love her classically styled gowns. Toss in the fact that next weekend’s event (February 10th & 11th) is also a Badgley Mischka trunk show, and, well, we’re going to be down right giddy. Once you slip into your first gown from this event, you will be, too.

At the time of post, appointments for this trunk show are already half way gone. So, give a call early to set-up your personal time. (We promise much indulgence, pampering, and even some cookies.)

Want to see more about why we’re sure you’ll love Anne Barge? Read this, this, this, oh, and this.