Country Wedding in the Heartland

Flowers speak louder than words, so be sure the ones you choose and the style of your bouquet communicate the romance of your day. In any language, the flowers at your wedding should announce the love and joy in your heart.

When it comes to planning your bridal bouquet, take a cue from a lovely French tradition. The bride visits a flower market the day before her wedding and chooses her favorite blooms. She bundles them together, hand-ties them with a pretty ribbon, and voilà--she has flowers for the ceremony.

Creating your wedding bouquet can be as effortless as plucking fresh posies from the garden or a farmer's market or as elaborate as hiring a florist to design a cascade of exotic blooms. Before you choose, explore these possibilities:

• Hand-tied bouquet--an assortment of flowers tied with a pretty ribbon, similar to the French tradition.
• Arm bouquet--an arrangement of long-stemmed flowers, often roses or calla lilies, tied loosely with a ribbon or bow and cradled in one arm. Some-times, carrying a single, perfect bloom is preferred to a bouquet of flowers.
• Cascade bouquet--a large, tear-shape arrangement of flowers, full at the top and dropping into tendrils at the bottom, that spills gracefully downward.
• Biedermeier bouquet--concentric circles with different flowers, or different colors of the same flower, in each circle.
• Pomander--a ball of flowers made by inserting stems into a globe-shape base suspended from a looped ribbon. The ribbon can be held or slipped over the wrist. This antique look is an elegant choice if you wear gloves.
• Pavé arrangement--a tight cluster of blooms that may include one type of flower in the same color or related colors, or several different varieties of flowers. These balanced, geometric arrangements have little, if any, greenery.
• Free-form bouquet--a loose grouping of flowers that often has blossoms and greenery coming out at various angles. Sprays are one type of free-form bouquet; they "spray" in different directions.

• lilac: first love
• baby's breath: pure heart
• daisy: innocence
• dahlia: forever yours
• tulip: perfect lover
• red rose: passion
• pink rose: friendship
• white rose: respect
• cream rose: perfection
• red and white roses together: unity
• red rosebud: pure and lovely