Long-sleeve Wedding Dresses Our Brides Love

Season after season, long-sleeve wedding dresses step out with grace, elegance, and timeless glamor. There’s just something about the demure coverage and tailoring that transcends all trends… a chic, romantic, and ultra-classy way to feel 100% bridal and 100% your best (and most fashionable) self for your best day ever! Curious about your options? Scroll on for sneak peeks, bridal favorites, and runway-fresh designs! 

If you’re not yet sure if a long-sleeve wedding dress is right for you, take our style quiz! This helps you think about your wedding vision and narrow down your options based on budget, venue, season, and more.

How do you know if a sleeve bridal dress is for you?

PC: Mark McCullough Photography

Before you start shopping for a wedding dress, sleeves or no sleeves, it’s important to consider three major factors: venue choice, season, and personalization. Researching these and confirming any details will help you choose a look that isn’t just stylish, it’s a complete package of form, function, and beauty. Consider the following:

• Venues play a big role in choosing your wedding dress. Indoor venues with climate control are great for sleeved styles, and outdoor venues might call for a bit of coverage as well. But if you’re getting married in a warmer venue, lighter styles are ideal. 
• If you’re getting married in a cooler season, sleeve gowns are both cozy and elegant. Classic and modest styles are beautiful for winter photo ops, snowy venues, and holiday-themed celebrations.  
• Many styles are also available as 2-in-1 looks, featuring detachable sleeves that can be removed between ceremony and reception. This gives you the glamor and timeless sophistication of a sleeved style with the perk of a strappy or sleeveless style for your dance party. Explore jackets and other sleeve accessories to match your style and vision. 
• Sleeves are also a great option if you love a more modest or formal look. Many sleeve wedding dresses are perfect for religious venues, formal locations, and black-tie dress codes.

What are the pros and cons?

There’s lots to love about sleeve wedding dresses. What our real brides say they love most about these silhouettes:

• They’re timeless, demure, and sophisticated. Decade after decade, a sleeve wedding gown never goes out of style.
• They’re the ideal choice for certain seasons, venues, and locations. They offer warmth and coverage while feeling stylish and romantic. 
• They’re classic yet unexpected, often the more unique choice compared to other brides. 
• Sleeve wedding dresses are comfortable and versatile. So many options are available for fabric, cut, and embellishment. 
• Many styles are available with detachable sleeves, which allow you to remove the accessory for your reception.

PC: Stephany Nieves Photo | ATEIA Photography

There are some cons to sleeve wedding dresses to consider, depending on factors like your venue, vision, and season:

• Sleeve gowns are warmer than most styles, which can be tricky for higher temps and summery locations.
• Some sleeve styles can restrict mobility, especially if the sleeves are made with tulle or chiffon. (Some fabric can tear when you raise your arms.)
• Sleeve styles can sometimes feel like too much coverage. Lots of fabric might overwhelm a small frame or mask your curves, whereas lighter styles are designed to show off your natural, effortless beauty without the full coverage.

PC: A Nomadic Love | Jess Biancardi

Are long-sleeve wedding dresses in style?

Yes, long-sleeve wedding dresses are always in style. Decade after decade (for centuries!), brides have loved the elegance, romance, and sophistication of these silhouettes. If you’re into celebrity fashion, you’ll love how stylish women like Paris Hilton and Lily Collins chose gorgeous sleeve gowns for their ultra-glamorous bridal looks… It’s proof of the fresh yet enduring charm of these timeless designs.

Romantic Wedding Gowns

It goes without saying that sleeves are demure and romantic, but these styles are designed for that extra dose of softness, vintage-inspired glamor, and feminine drama. You’ll feel like absolute royalty in these romantic silhouettes with sleeves:

• Arden by Maggie Sottero starts off with a glamorous and eye-catching sleeve option: the option to add a balloon sleeve jacket made with ethereal illusion and shimmery embellishments. This dramatic accessory is a show-stopper!
  • Add the off-the-shoulder cap sleeves
  • Add a bridal veil
  • Change the sparkle tulle to lace tulle

• Francesca by Rebecca Ingram (sneak peek!) is a soft, sultry style with off-the-shoulder sleeves and ethereal draping. (This gown is one of our lower-impact fabric gowns, perfect for brides conscious about their gown’s material.)

• Torrence by Maggie Sottero shimmers with head-to-toe beading and illusion, a stunning choice for a black-tie occasion. (Also available with a short-sleeve treatment.)

• Ireland by Maggie Sottero makes an ultra-romantic statement in breezy off-the-shoulder sleeves and a regal bodice treatment. The sleeves are sexy, feminine, and so graceful (not to mention a sneak peek of more to come in our Fall 2025 Collections!).

Plus-size Wedding Gowns with Sleeves

Show off your gorgeous curves with plus-size wedding dresses designed to fit and flatter from every angle. Here are a few of our latest sleeve styles:

• Allison by Rebecca Ingram is a unique and whimsical design made with pleated chiffon and 3-D motifs. The detachable sleeves (sold separately) add the perfect dose of fairytale drama.

• Ruby by Rebecca Ingram is a sweet yet sophisticated statement in head-to-toe lace. Add the illusion balloon sleeves (sold separately) for a fabulous upgrade.

• Dagney by Rebecca Ingram steps out in simple glamor and soft details, from the delicate lace to the ethereal chiffon sleeves (sold separately).

• Heyda by Rebecca Ingram offers the perfect fusion of minimalist crepe and shimmery embellishment, a fit-and-flare silhouette that does absolute magic to your curves. Add the illusion beaded jacket (sold separately) for gorgeous coverage.

Lace Wedding Gowns

Lace is a gorgeous choice for long-sleeve wedding dresses. (Think Grace Kelly for her timeless and iconic wedding!) We love these romantic designs with vintage-inspired motifs, boho styling, and dreamy illusion details:

• Holland by Sottero and Midgley makes a stunning vintage-inspired statement in romantic lace, illusion details, and soft shimmer. This sleeved style proves “demure” can be exceptionally sexy.

• Narissa by Sottero and Midgley features a beautiful lace in a tailored princess silhouette. If you love sleeves, add the detachable lace jacket (sold separately) for classic, vintage-inspired charm.

• Nash by Sottero and Midgley is made with exquisite lace and illusion in a svelte, sophisticated silhouette. The shoulder details look immaculate in your bridal portraits!

• Fiona by Maggie Sottero, one of our most popular and top-reviewed gowns, is an irresistible combo of timeless and modern details. This style features tons of options to personalize, including detachable sleeves, a lush overskirt, a matching veil, and more.

Simple Wedding Dresses

Sometimes, minimalism is the best way for a chic silhouette to shine. These simple long-sleeve wedding dresses channel the grace, class, and elegance of an effortless design:

• Kailani by Rebecca Ingram is inspired by Grecian-goddess glamor, featuring lush draping in a sculptural, curve-loving silhouette. Add the off-the-shoulder sleeves (sold separately) to bring your museum-worthy vision to life!

• Jorie by Rebecca Ingram proves modest and simple can look so sophisticated… We love the combo of square neckline and long balloon sleeves for a boho-chic vibe.

• Kelsey by Rebecca Ingram is designed for the cool-girl bride with effortlessly good taste. This simple slip silhouette looks beautiful on its own, but the sleeves elevate the look to something exceptional.

• Dionne by Rebecca Ingram is another slip style with a lovely balance of simple and romantic details. The best part about adding the illusion sleeve jacket is you create two looks for ceremony and reception… so chic and breezy!

Detachable Sleeves

Love a way to personalize? Shop for wedding gowns with sleeves that come as a detachable accessory. This allows you to switch up your look between ceremony and reception and create different vibes for your wedding portraits. It’s a 2-in-1 option that’s chic and affordable!

• Twilight by Sottero and Midgley is a stunning and sexy style made with crystal-embellished lace and shimmering illusion. This daring design is made even more elevated with off-the-shoulder sleeve gauntlets (sold separately).

• Doritte by Maggie Sottero makes a unique statement in a ballerina-inspired silhouette dripping with luminous pearls and exquisite tailoring. Add the off-the-shoulder balloon sleeves for a dreamy and ethereal upgrade (sold separately).

• Faith by Sottero and Midgley steps out in an ultra-romantic and captivating silhouette with detachable sleeves. The construction is perfect, the tailoring is immaculate, and the embellishments are divine! 

• Drew by Maggie Sottero shimmers with soft chiffon in a slinky, graceful silhouette. The off-the-shoulder sleeve jacket adds the perfect touch of undone glamor to this look (sold separately).

Feeling the inspo? Head to an Authorized Boutique to find long-sleeve wedding dresses with exceptional details and personalized accessories today!

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As always, happy shopping for your best day ever!