These days, more and more brides are leaving traditional white wedding gowns and opting for more colorful gowns. White, always considered the color of purity, is losing its edge in a society that sees this concept as unrealistic, unattainable, and, to some, downright boring.

And they’re not just going to off-white either. Bright, vivid colors such as reds, blues, and greens, are growing in popularity, while many top fashion designers have introduced darker colors such as maroon, violet, and even black. Some designs even have mixtures of colors, and one designer, Gary Harvey, who specializes in "green" wedding gowns (eco-friendly, to the uninitiated), has created colorful wedding gowns out of things such as cereal boxes and army fatigues.

Another reason more brides are willing to go with colors is that they’re seeing more international brides whose wedding gowns have always been colorful. Women in India and the Middle East traditionally have very colorful wedding robes in styles that are traditional to where they live, and more American women are looking to capture those styles as something different and exotic here.

Red seems to be the color that’s growing the fastest, and it’s no wonder as it’s the color of passion. Red accents are highlighting many wedding gowns of today, but totally red dresses are also becoming vogue.

Blue is also growing in popularity, though mainly for brides who are getting married in the winter. These brides are choosing dark blues, which they feel highlights them well and brings warmth to what is potentially a very cold, at least environmentally, wedding day.

Not that all blues are winter dresses. More and more, spring brides are choosing pastel colors for their wedding dresses, which includes a light blue, along with yellows, greens, and pinks. At the same time, brides getting married in autumn are going for more earth tone colors, light browns, yellows, and even different shades of orange.

Of course, color has always been a big part of weddings in some fashion, mainly with flowers or head dresses, but with today’s brides, even those who wear mainly white, you see more of them using different colors of highlights interwoven throughout their wedding gowns, making their own individual statements in how they’ve chosen to accessorize.

And what about those black wedding dresses? Contrary to popular belief, in the past many wedding dresses used to be black, as they offered a slimming effect, plus reduced costs as opposed to using silks and satins for white wedding dresses. Some celebrities have even gotten married in black. Sarah Jessica Parker wore a black dress, though in later interviews she regretted that decision. But Ellen Pompeo of Grey’s Anatomy not only wore a short black dress, but black boots when she got married. And designer Ralph Lauren came out with an entire black wedding dress ensemble.

Colors are in for today’s brides and their wedding dresses; don’t be afraid to splash it up and be fashionable for your special day.