From his Seymour Street showroom, Vancouver couture and bridal designer Manuel Mendoza pulls out a gown he designed to illustrate a modern, whimsical approach to a bridal gown.

It’s a strapless, satin, minidress with a stiff bird’s-nest style veil adorning the skirt.

“It is almost like this is the hat,” says Mendoza pointing to the skirt veiling. “The whole idea is a hat, but it is down there.”

Bird’s-nest veils exploded in popularity last year, so Mendoza decided to push the trend in a new direction. The result is sophisticated, yet fun and flirty — far from the poofy, princess styles of the past.

“Poof is out,” he says. Brides coming to his shop want something sleeker, something that shows off their bodies more, adds Mendoza’s associate Alison Hartford.

“A lot of brides are coming to us and saying I have seen all the poofy dresses in the shops. Please can I try on something that will show off my body a bit and not be quite as princess,” she says.

Wedding dresses are so charged with hopes, dreams and little-girl fantasies that finding just the right one can take a bride months. Should it be long or short, sleek or full, traditional or au courant, Vancouver is rich with custom designers who offer flexibility and knowledge about selecting a design that suits the bride and the occasion. They can also incorporate old treasures or features that individually define the bride.

But they also are experts at spotting the trends and even leading them. Here is what four Vancouver designers see for the 2010 wedding season:

Mendoza says the trend in short dresses has doubled recently, accounting for about 20 per cent of the dresses he custom designs now compared to 10 per cent two years back.

“It may have to do with the fact that lately there are a lot of brides who want to get married in Hawaii or Mexico or Belize,” he says. ” You don’t want to carry a big dress to those places.”

But if you want a short dress you have to have fabulous shoes, Mendoza says, adding some of his clients have bought the shoes first and then asked for a dress that shows them off. “The shoes are the jewels of the feet,” he says.

Destination weddings have also influenced the fabrics we see in modern gowns, he says, adding that chiffon really appeals to brides who imagine their dresses blowing in the sea breezes throughout their beach ceremony.

The trend is also to a little less decoration, he says, adding it may have something to do with the economy. “Two years ago it was nothing for us to make a $5,000-$6,000 dress. This year, you could cut the price in half. People are more practical.

“I have been hearing from the industry that the high-priced dresses, the $6-$10-grand dresses are almost impossible to sell.”

Patricia Nayel, a local ecobridal designer, echoes Mendoza’s comments regarding short dresses. But she says brides want them for the reception and stick with something long for the ceremony.

“Almost every designer is coming out with short dresses in their collections,” she says, then adds that she hears from more and more brides who want a sustainable dress, but who don’t want to sacrifice style for it.

Nayel uses fabrics that are reclaimed, recycled, organically grown or made using peace silk which allows the silkworm to live out its natural life cycle. She uses reclaimed silk for her most of her linings.

In terms of style, Nayel sees a big trend in mermaid dresses and A-symmetrical shoulders. After U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama wore a one-shoulder dress for her husband’s inauguration, the look took off. Now glorious variations of it are everywhere.

Strapless gowns are still popular, but they are being replaced by gowns with sheer shoulder straps. They give more support to the bust while still giving the impression of straplessness, she says.

“The strapless dress gives you a lot of boob fat,” she says, “because it has to be so tight.”

Recently married herself, Nayel designed a full-length bubble dress with a simple form-fitted bodice. It’s a great style, says Mendoza, if you stand at least 5-foot-9. If not, you’d need skyscraper heels.

Off-whites and ivories have replaced pure white as the colour of choice, all the designers say. It is softer for fair-skinned brides. Nayel loves the unbleached tones for their natural creaminess. “I haven’t seen a bride buy a cold white in a long time unless she has really dark skin,” she says. Black is the couture trim colour, says Mendoza.

Clara Jang seconds that opinion. The designer behind Clara Couture, whose 2008 Miss Universe gown won awards, has also seen the trend to sheer shoulders. Speaking from Hong Kong where she is attending a trade show, Jang agreed with Mendoza that the A-line has replaced the poofy skirt for 2010, but she says European designers are bringing it back and she expects it to re-emerge here in 2011.

“I prefer the more A-line or trumpet dress,” she says. “It shows off the body more.”

Jang has also noticed a new practicality in brides. They often bring their dresses back after the wedding to have Jang hand dye it or cut it short so it can be used again. She includes that service in the price of the dress.

In her newest designs, Jang incorporated pleating to the bodice to give it a lovely sense of playfulness.

Swarovski crystals dominate the embellishments this year. “They love that bling bling,” says Mendoza. But feathers have also made a big splash, according to Jang.

Shelley Klassen, the designer behind Blushing Designs, estimates that about 10 per cent of her custom business is bridal. Many are clients who were drawn to her party dresses and want something similar for their wedding. They feature simple designs using fine fabrics.

“Some are quite short, some just past the knee, some long,” she says, adding that many of her brides take their weddings to tropical beaches and desire light billowy fabrics.

Klassen has also moved on from the strapless styles of the last few years — at least when she can show her client a better way. Some, however, still prefer a strapless dress.

Bridesmaids and guests often find appropriate dresses at her shop Blushing Boutique.

Vintage is also growing in popularity, says Alison Hartford. Brides want the dress have a story, to incorporate elements from their past or their mother’s or grandmother’s past.

“What makes a dress original is the conversation between the designer and the bride,” adds Mendoza. “It is always nice if the designer has the whole story.”