In the Western world, wedding dresses are rarely seen in hues darker than ivory. But if this week’s bridal runway shows and presentations are any indication, women may soon be walking down the aisle in gowns accented with blue, pink, and green, as well as those in warmer shades.

On Sunday, during a fashion show in her Fifth Avenue showroom, designer Reem Acra showed an ethereal Fall–Winter 2008 line of gowns in translucent pastels, and white and ivory designs, some with tinted balloon sleeves. The designer said that she has long infused a variety of pale hues into her bridal designs, but this year decided to make these shades the theme of the collection. “These colors are still pure,” Ms. Acra told The New York Sun, noting that brides have proved increasingly willing to experiment with color. At the WeddingChannel Spring 2008 Couture Show, held Sunday at the Waldorf-Astoria, 31 bridal designers presented their wares. A number of designers, such as St. Pucchi and Eugenia Couture, showed wheat-color gowns, while others, such as Suzanne Neville and LK by Laure Kczekotowska, prominently featured flirty, above-the-knee dresses.

“Designers are definitely raising hemlines,” the deputy editor of a wedding Web site, the Knot, Kathleen Murray said. “Short dresses are no longer just about novelty. These are gorgeous couture dresses. Also, people are spending a lot of money on shoes, and with short dresses, they can show them off.” The wedding cake silhouette was ubiquitous with designers such as Isabella Margianu, Model Novias, and Divina Sposa — all participants of the WeddingChannel show — and Monique Lhuillier, who presented her designs Sunday at Cedar Lake studio in Chelsea, showing cinched-waist dresses with tiered skirts. “There’s been a return to fullness that we haven’t seen in recent years,” Ms. Murray said. “A couple years ago it was all about the sheath dress; now we’re seeing a lot of tulle ruffles, and fuller skirts that come to the natural waist.” This year, bridal designers used less beading and fewer jeweled accents than in the past. They also added on more sleeves, pockets, and bolero jackets, the editor in chief of Brides.com, Theresa DiMasi, observed. Bridal wear is now pushing the limits of classic, going-to-the-chapel attire, and local women are among the most likely to break with tradition when it comes to choosing wedding dresses. “In New York City, brides are more adventurous,” she said.