The focal point for any wedding is the bride and the dress. She might walk down the aisle in a delicate sheer or make a regal entrance in a dress adorned with beading, embroidery, or touches of gold or jewelry.

Sheerness and opulence characterize the current trend in bridal gowns. Both types were abundant at bridal wholesale fashion previews this past fall.

For summer, the wispy sheer look will predominate, says Rachel Leonard, fashion director for Bride's magazine. The dresses typically are worn over non-transparent underslips, so modesty will be served. A trend toward bareness in prior seasons continues, however, in sleeveless, strapless dresses with halter tops or deep-cut square necklines. In another continuing trend, dress color is tending toward ivory or cream and away from stark white.

It's a good bet that brides marrying in cooler weather will select one of the more opulent dresses, perhaps adorned with beading, embroidery, or touches of gold. Some dresses even incorporate jewelry, such as one by Vera Wang with pearls attached to the gown at the neck and draped down the back. Another designer pursued the same idea with rhinestones.

Designers selected accessories such as tiara headpieces and shoes with rhinestone buckles in keeping with the opulent theme.

Full silhouettes continue, but leaner shapes were more numerous in the introductions. One newish style is the so-called mermaid look in a dress that hugs the body but then expands at the knee.

Ready-to-wear houses that have tested the waters of the bridal market in the past few years showed new collections this past fall _ a sign that the marriage of ready-to-wear and bridal fashion will continue for a while.

New to the bridal market this year is Manolo. The Cuban-born designer known for evening wear brought out a collection of arty dresses for style-conscious brides. One example is his copper-colored slip dress with a sheer overskirt.

Most changes in bridal attire are more a matter of slight shifts than major departures.

"Most people don't want to be too far out at a wedding," says designer Jessica McClintock. "Every bride I have talked to tries to reach into that fantasy that she has imagined for her special day and to dress accordingly."

McClintock, who designed the sprigged muslin Gunne Sax dress that Hillary Rodham wore to marry Bill Clinton on Oct. 11, 1975, in Fayetteville, Ark., has been around long enough to see wedding fashions come full circle.

"In the early 1970s, traditional bridal dresses became unpopular as young people wanted to break away from the mold," McClintock recalls. By the 1980s, the tide had turned and there was a resurgence of interest in traditional weddings and wedding dresses.

Even if dresses have returned to more formality, the designer sees some differences between past and present.

"Brides are not planning as far ahead as they used to," McClintock says. "Instead of coming in six months or more before the wedding, some brides will arrive at our stores and say `I'm getting married in three weeks."'

To meet the need for faster service, most bridal shops have dresses available at short notice. McClintock's shops stock many of her new designs as well as styles from prior seasons for delivery within a week or two.

Of her own new designs, one of McClintock's favorites is a long-sleeved lace dress with a narrow silhouette and a bare back. The skirt, longer in back, sweeps the floor like a mini-train. For warm-weather or garden weddings, she is especially fond of a sleeveless embroidered organza dress with a see-through back.

While the bride's dress is always the main event, attendants' dresses also got attention at the fall bridal shows.

"This season we saw lots of sleeveless slip dresses in colors ranging from blue, lavender, and lilac to pale beige and champagne," Leonard says.

As in past seasons, dresses for attendants are more sophisticated and prettier _ and more likely to be worn again _ than those of years ago.

The traditional three-button coat or tuxedo has replaced more unorthodox clothing for men. As a rule, the groom's attire is differentiated from that of the groomsmen, although it may be a simple change such as a special vest.

Unusual cummerbunds, popular a few seasons back, are being superseded by either classic black tie and a black cummerbund or a colorful vest. Another look that is waning is the mandarin collar with a jeweled button instead of a tie.

"Men's clothes are moving back towards more classic looks and leaner shapes," says Leonard.