Best Wedding Dresses For 2017: 7 Dress Trends To Try, From Column Gowns To Deep V-Necklines

Let’s face it – many prospective brides planning a spring 2017 wedding will likely have their wedding gowns already, and the idea of a wedding gown “trend” does not exactly sound promising to a bride-to-be. Many hope that their wedding dresses will transcend trends and endure longer than the once-favored puffed sleeves inspired by Princess Diana’s wedding gown from 1981.

And yet, there is no shortage of daring designers and brands that are willing to venture from the traditional white gown, likely in an attempt to keep up with the ever-changing desires of the modern bride. Personalization and distinction are elements that most brides look for when planning a wedding, in fact.

“Personalization was a prevalent theme in 2015, as couples sought ways to customize their destination wedding experience,” according to a Destination Weddings Travel Group trend report for 2016.

Casual, more “down-to-earth” destination wedding concepts were a leading wedding trend, as well.

“Rustic glam is the new shabby chic – couples are embracing this blend as a way to incorporate luxury accents while still maintaining a down-to-earth vibe,” the report states.

As brides certainly plan their dresses around their location, you can bet that 2016 probably saw similar “rustic glam” gowns with “luxury accents.”

In the spirit of wedding season and a brand new year around the corner, here are seven bridal gown trends you can expect to see in 2017.

BEAUTIFUL BRIDAL PORTRAITS IN THE DESERT

Photographer Lauren Bledsoe tells us, “One of the most beautiful places on earth is the Utah desert, where vast and immense sand dunes wind in and out of sight.” We couldn’t agree more — and are so glad that she was inspired by the sand and sun to create this beautiful bridal portrait session in the desert. These endless sand dunes are an incredible contrast to a bride donning a gorgeous gown, and while we can see that a couple may not want to venture out into the desert on their wedding day for photos, we hope to see more embracing their natural landscapes for engagement photos for bridal portraits.

Read on for more from the photographer, Lauren Bledsoe:
“One of the most beautiful places on earth is the Utah desert, where vast and immense sand dunes wind in and out of sight. For this shoot, we wanted to strike a balance between the clean, modern lines of the desert and the romance of being a bride. We chose a sweeping, soft blush gown with a beautiful full skirt to bring a sense of drama, but kept the rest of the details minimal and clean. For florals, we wanted our tones to be muted and soft, but in shape to be wilder and full of movement, like the desert itself. With the wind in our face and sun in our eyes, we set out to photograph our editorial just as the as the setting sun lit up Utah’s Little Sahara. The landscape glowed with its characteristic crepuscular brilliance, and we let the colors, tones, and shapes of the desert, in conjunction with our beautiful bride, tell the story.”

Watch: Women in bloody wedding dresses protest Lebanese law absolving rapists who marry victims

A campaign protesting an article of Lebanon's penal code which exempts rapists from punishment if they marry their victims made major strides last week, according to a report on Al-ARabi Al-Yawm TV translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute TV Monitor Project.

Women took to the streets of Beirut wearing blood-stained wedding dresses with signs that said "A white dress does not cover up rape. Undress 522," referring to the number of the penal article in question. The demonstration was an act by the Beirut-based Resource Center for Gender Equality (ABAAD) association on December 6. The rally prompted the parliamentary Committee for Administration and Justice to announce they would abolish the article on December 7.

"We have come to say: don't marry us off to our rapist," said one protestor. "I think that he should be executed or sentenced to life in solitary confinement. The important thing is that he be placed on trial. Somebody hurts us, causes us psychological damage, and makes us ill. We can no longer eat, drink, or think. All we do is wonder: What did we do to deserve this? Is it because we are weak? We are not weak. We are strong."

A similar legal measure came under fire in Turkey recently. Turkey's ruling party withdrew a proposed bill allowing men accused of sexual abuse to avoid sentence, but a public uproar persisted, with opposition parties and civil society groups calling for it to be canceled entirely.

The proposal would have allowed sentencing to be indefinitely postponed in cases of sexual abuse committed "without force, threat or deception" if the perpetrator married the victim.

The ruling AK Party's bill drew condemnation from many, who said it would provide a legal basis for sexual abuse under the pretext of under-age marriages.

"Sexual abuse is a crime and there is no consent in it. This is what the AK Party fails to understand," Ozgur Ozel, a senior lawmaker with the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) told a press conference. "Seeking the consent of a child is something that universal law does not provide for."

The government said the bill would remedy the situation of men who were sent to jail after they married girls under the age of 18, in religious ceremonies and with the consent of their family. It rejected suggestions that the plan amounted to an "amnesty for rape."

Civil marriage under the age of 18 is illegal in Turkey, but marriage between men and underage girls in religious ceremonies is not uncommon, particularly in rural areas. Some argued that such marriages were not abusive and the couples were simply unaware of the civil law.