Strapless gowns still may rule the wedding aisle, but bridal silhouettes that are less baring with the help of tulle jackets, cap sleeves and higher necklines are beginning to elbow aside the popular, revealing look.

The whiff of bridal modesty is wafting over from ready-to-wear runways, where for the past two years designers have flaunted women’s softer side, with dresses and sheaths and trapeze styles, and shunned overt sexiness, a domain popularized by bubblegum pop princesses, such as Britney Spears. Designers such as Marc Jacobs introduced the fashion cognoscenti to the wonders of volume in 2005.

New styles hail the return of the blushing bride