No longer hemmed in by tradition, weddings these days are all about personalization, as brides and grooms strive to incorporate elements outside of the norm. The embrace of customization has even managed to rock the hallowed realm of the wedding dress, upending the vision of virginal white. Flashes of accent colors and more gowns flaunting show-stopping details and off-white tints are everywhere for spring 2006.

Of course, brides have always searched for "the perfect dress." The difference now? They're willing to dispense with traditional notions to achieve a special look. "Personalization is the key to today's weddings and fashion is playing a big role in that trend," says Rosanna McCollough, editor-in-chief of WeddingChannel.com. "Brides today have more choices and today's products are fitting both her personality as well as her vision. It's all about adding meaning to their weddings."

McCollough says couples-to-be are following in the footsteps of their favorite actors and idols who are helping rewrite wedding rules: Sandra Bullock served an atypical carrot cake baked by her sister at her summer nuptials and Donald Trump asked guests to donate to a charity for his wedding gift. WeddingChannel.com last year launched a charity registry attracting 75,000 brides to date.

As a result, bridal gowns are breaking design molds in favor of dresses infused with color, dolled up with voluminous skirts and sewn with richer fabrics.

"What's happening is that fashion and bridal have become synonymous, letting brides be more open and adventurous in expressing their creativity," says Burbank, Calif.-based bridal designer Amy Michelson, whose gowns have appeared on such television shows as "Friends" and "The George Lopez Show."

Known for her bias-cut, figure-hugging silhouettes, Michelson is now including more corsets and petticoats to create gowns with a fuller shape. Her bigger design leap is adding color to the gown by way of a French blue satin sash with crystal wreaths or layering Tiffany blue lace over a creamy satin frock.

Los Angeles-based bridal designer Monique Lhuillier, who's a buzz machine since she designed the gowns for the fall 2004 weddings of Britney Spears and Christine Baumgartner (bride of Kevin Costner), is a pioneer of the color story. She has offered the accent for the past three years and has showcased gowns in latte, champagne and sherbet. For spring 2006, she's enhanced her dresses with an accessories collection consisting of soft velvet belts in shades of nutmeg, blush, aubergine and smoke, embellished with beads and richly laced flowers.

"It's very rare we offer a stark white dress," says Lori Weil, Monique Lhuillier's sales director. "Our customers are seeking edgier looks and lots of sophistication."

Color also is gaining ground at the giant retailer David's Bridal, which operates 257 stores nationwide and sells dresses from $299 to $1,400. White gowns typically represent 80 percent of the business, but that number is projected to drop to 65 percent by spring 2006, says Jeffrey Moore, David Bridal's senior vice president and general merchandise manager of bridal.

"Color came on the scene in the last six to nine months and it's now gaining momentum and exploding," he says. "By picking a color to complement her gown, the bride can then coordinate her dress with the bridesmaids, the flower girl and the groom, creating a unique and unified look."

For spring, along with selecting dresses with antique lace and overskirts in champagne and gold-beaded hues, brides-to-be at David's Bridal can choose one of 24 colors, including Capri blue, lilac, black, apple red, to accent their gowns with dramatic, floor length back bows or ribbon details.

Shoppers will have some 46 colors to choose from at Alfred Angelo. So far, claret red is the most popular for fabric trim inlays, entire trains or a cuff on the neckline, says Denise Wash, vice president of marketing at Ft. Washington, Penn.-based Alfred Angelo.

"She can make it a subtle or as big a statement as she wants," she says. ‘We had a Steelers fan who wanted the colors of the Steelers team."

At the same time, there's growing interest in frothier dresses deemed perfect for those in search of their inner princess… or empress. The elaborate look was publicly championed by Melania Trump, whose hand-tufted confection designed by John Galliano for Christian Dior was reported to weigh 50 pounds and require 98 yards of satin.

"She helped the shift to romanticism," says Sabrina Toy, head bridal designer at Mon Cheri Bridals, Trenton, N.J. "Cinderella is back. Big productions are back."

Skirt drama is playing out at Mon Cheri, where crinkled skirts and bubble hems are in. At David's Bridal, one gown requires more than double the typical fabric yardage to achieve those layers of mini-bustles. Dress designer Sue Wong embraced fairy tale fantasy for her spring collection, sending models down the runway during Los Angeles Fashion Week wearing beaded ballgowns with cascading organza petal skirts and lace frocks with appliqués of silk roses.

The most popular dress in the spring 2006 collection for bridal designer Anne Barge is a blush silk taffeta ball gown with a pleated draped bodice and a full balloon skirt. Her inspiration for the collection was the pomp and circumstance of imperial Russia circa 1870.

"Brides want dresses with character, because making a statement is important to the bride," says Barge, based in Atlanta, Ga., who sells to upmarket stores such as Neiman Marcus and Kleinfeld in New York.

In step with that romantic feeling is an abundance of luxe fabric, such as the matte dimensional laces at Alfred Angelo. Heavier laces, fluffier organzas and hearty satins have helped push prices up 10 to 15 percent at Amy Michelson. At Alfred Angelo, Piccione Bridal is a new capsule collection of 13 dresses cut from Italian silk and swathed in Swarovski crystals. Prices will retail from $900 to $2,200 compared to $299 to $1200 for the company's namesake line.

"Girls are telling us there is a gap out there between affordable dresses and couture and we've created a bridge line to address those needs," Wash says.

One constant: strapless gowns still rule the aisle. They're the No. 1 neckline at Mon Cheri and account for 50 to 60 percent of sales at Anne Barge. Other popular necklines emerging are halter and cap sleeve looks.

"It's hard not to look good in a strapless dress," Toy says.

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