diff --git a/src/components/dialog/dialog.js b/src/components/dialog/dialog.js
index 359333eac10..42fc0bf2ebf 100644
--- a/src/components/dialog/dialog.js
+++ b/src/components/dialog/dialog.js
@@ -166,6 +166,7 @@ function MdDialogDirective($$rAF, $mdTheming) {
  * - $mdDialogPreset#title(string) - sets title to string
  * - $mdDialogPreset#content(string) - sets content / message to string
  * - $mdDialogPreset#ok(string) - sets okay button text to string
+ * - $mdDialogPreset#theme(string) - sets the theme of the dialog
  *
  */
 
@@ -185,6 +186,7 @@ function MdDialogDirective($$rAF, $mdTheming) {
  * - $mdDialogPreset#content(string) - sets content / message to string
  * - $mdDialogPreset#ok(string) - sets okay button text to string
  * - $mdDialogPreset#cancel(string) - sets cancel button text to string
+ * - $mdDialogPreset#theme(string) - sets the theme of the dialog
  *
  */
 
@@ -225,6 +227,7 @@ function MdDialogDirective($$rAF, $mdTheming) {
  *     to the root element of the application.
  *   - `onComplete` `{function=}`: Callback function used to announce when the show() action is
  *     finished.
+ *   - `theme` `{string=}`: Theme to be applied to the dialog, when using a `$mdDialogPreset`.
  *
  * @returns {promise} A promise that can be resolved with `$mdDialog.hide()` or
  * rejected with `$mdDialog.cancel()`.
@@ -256,7 +259,7 @@ function MdDialogProvider($$interimElementProvider) {
 
   return $$interimElementProvider('$mdDialog')
     .setDefaults({
-      methods: ['disableParentScroll', 'hasBackdrop', 'clickOutsideToClose', 'escapeToClose', 'targetEvent'],
+      methods: ['disableParentScroll', 'hasBackdrop', 'clickOutsideToClose', 'escapeToClose', 'targetEvent', 'theme'],
       options: dialogDefaultOptions
     })
     .addPreset('alert', {
@@ -272,7 +275,7 @@ function MdDialogProvider($$interimElementProvider) {
   function advancedDialogOptions($mdDialog) {
     return {
       template: [
-        '<md-dialog aria-label="{{ dialog.ariaLabel }}">',
+        '<md-dialog md-theme="{{ dialog.theme }}" aria-label="{{ dialog.ariaLabel }}">',
           '<md-content>',
             '<h2>{{ dialog.title }}</h2>',
             '<p>{{ dialog.content }}</p>',
@@ -304,6 +307,7 @@ function MdDialogProvider($$interimElementProvider) {
   function dialogDefaultOptions($timeout, $rootElement, $compile, $animate, $mdAria, $document,
                                 $mdUtil, $mdConstant, $mdTheming, $$rAF, $q, $mdDialog) {
     return {
+      theme: $mdTheming.defaultTheme(),
       hasBackdrop: true,
       isolateScope: true,
       onShow: onShow,
diff --git a/src/components/dialog/dialog.spec.js b/src/components/dialog/dialog.spec.js
index b9f030e85c6..4d824234a4d 100644
--- a/src/components/dialog/dialog.spec.js
+++ b/src/components/dialog/dialog.spec.js
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ describe('$mdDialog', function() {
   describe('#alert()', function() {
     hasConfigurationMethods('alert', [
       'title', 'content', 'ariaLabel',
-      'ok', 'targetEvent'
+      'ok', 'targetEvent', 'theme'
     ]);
 
     it('shows a basic alert dialog', inject(function($animate, $rootScope, $mdDialog, $mdConstant) {
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ describe('$mdDialog', function() {
         })
           .title('Title')
           .content('Hello world')
+          .theme('some-theme')
           .ok('Next')
       ).then(function() {
         resolved = true;
@@ -45,6 +46,10 @@ describe('$mdDialog', function() {
       var buttons = parent.find('md-button');
       expect(buttons.length).toBe(1);
       expect(buttons.eq(0).text()).toBe('Next');
+      var theme = parent.find('md-dialog').attr('md-theme');
+      expect(theme).toBe('some-theme');
+
+
       buttons.eq(0).triggerHandler('click');
       $rootScope.$apply();
       parent.find('md-dialog').triggerHandler('transitionend');
@@ -57,7 +62,7 @@ describe('$mdDialog', function() {
   describe('#confirm()', function() {
     hasConfigurationMethods('confirm', [
       'title', 'content', 'ariaLabel',
-      'ok', 'cancel', 'targetEvent'
+      'ok', 'cancel', 'targetEvent', 'theme'
     ]);
 
     it('shows a basic confirm dialog', inject(function($rootScope, $mdDialog, $animate, $mdConstant) {
diff --git a/src/core/services/theming/theming.js b/src/core/services/theming/theming.js
index c5e98a87597..9da93b3687a 100644
--- a/src/core/services/theming/theming.js
+++ b/src/core/services/theming/theming.js
@@ -310,6 +310,9 @@ function ThemingProvider($mdColorPalette) {
     };
 
     applyTheme.registered = registered;
+    applyTheme.defaultTheme = function() {
+      return defaultTheme;
+    };
 
     return applyTheme;
 
diff --git a/src/core/services/theming/theming.spec.js b/src/core/services/theming/theming.spec.js
index 492d42f30ee..6d8eeb0e2b4 100644
--- a/src/core/services/theming/theming.spec.js
+++ b/src/core/services/theming/theming.spec.js
@@ -348,6 +348,10 @@ describe('$mdTheming service', function() {
     expect(child.hasClass('md-dark-theme')).toBe(false);
     expect(child.hasClass('md-space-theme')).toBe(true);
   }));
+
+  it('exposes a getter for the default theme', inject(function($mdTheming) {
+    expect($mdTheming.defaultTheme()).toBe('default');
+  }));
 });
 
 describe('md-theme directive', function() {