Pause to take a mental poll. How many weddings have you attended where the bride and bridesmaids walked down the aisle like they were lugging bowling balls, not an artful arrangement of blooms?

Ever find that picking just one bouquet to carry down the aisle can be a little dizzying?

We all know the rose rules when it comes to weddings ... don't we? Sleek, fragrant and totally classic, it's never steered brides wrong. So why is it that hydrangeas are so often stealing the show?

After all those wild colors of summer and fall, brides often wonder what defines a winter wedding bouquet or floral arrangement. Fortunately, that's not hard to work out: just read on!

An herbal wedding says romance — with conviction. Its palette is fragrance, muted colors, and sentimental symbolism.

It's simple: the calla lily is the epitome of elegance. If your venue was the set of breakfast at Tiffany's, the calla lily would be Audrey Hepburn; if it was Monaco's pink palace, the calla would be Grace Kelly in a taffeta gown.

Because many wedding preparations start in the morning and stretch into the late afternoon, you'll need your flowers delivered well before the ceremony. If it"™s a warm day, you could find you and your bridesmaids stuck with wilted, dropping flowers.

Happily, one of the most elegant and popular choices for a bridal bouquet — the hand-tied variety — is also the easiest to master. With a couple of trial runs, you'll soon learn to make your own floral masterpieces ... while saving a ton of money.

Once upon a time, the marriage season hit its height in June, and wound down quickly after. But lately, plenty of brides have come to see the charms of a September or October wedding, with all its New England splendor. And with all this enthusiasm comes some beautiful trends in bouquets.