From a distance, this bouquet of viburnum and a Queen Anne's lace look-alike appears to be a bunch of soft, puffed snowballs; a close look reveals tiny blooms.

This assembly of flowers in shades of green attains its fanlike silhouette through the use of wired gladiolus and santini mums.

Lemony-green ribbon ties a loose, off-white arrangement of branches of gardenia blossoms, lilies of the valley, and sweet peas, with bright greens to freshen the whites.

This early-summer nosegay of alabaster tea roses and spiky astilbe wears our latter-day version of a frill of ferns -- a cuff of dark-green satin ''leaves'' made of folded ribbon.

In a gilded cascade, beaded florets, strung by hand, glint like tiny holiday lights amid cymbidium orchids, bupleurum, gloriosa lilies, and lady's mantle; velvety gold-tipped cockscomb lend their own luster. The stems are wrapped in a wide gold band of satin ribbon and adorned with ''something old'': a starlike rhinestone brooch.

Ribbon isn't the only way to dress a bouquet. A handkerchief embroidered with your wedding date makes a lovely and sentimental decoration.

The leaves of a four-leaf clover are said to stand for hope, faith, love, and luck -- a fitting sentiment for a wedding.

Dramatic chartreuse flowers and variegated greenery share the spotlight in this explosion of cymbidium orchids, gloriosa lilies, leucodendron, and hosta leaves.

Think about going green (and we don't mean with an all-bamboo bouquet). This fresh-as-cut-grass combo of lady's slipper orchids, hellebores, viburnum, gladiolus, and parrot tulips has a decidedly sophisticated vibe. Try attaching a tiny handmade fan to the handle with a hatpin; its pleats echo the blooms' frilly petals.

This bouquet has a variety of textures, colors, and scents, thanks to the mix of muscari (grape hyacinth), lamb's ear, lily of the valley, andromeda, helleborus, thyme, rosemary, sage, and scented-geranium foliage.

Sunny chartreuse and fiery red evoke the tropics in this exotic display of vivid philodendron and croton leaves, ruby peonies, tightly clustered euphorbias, and winding passionflower vine.

In this surprising mix, bell-like fritillaria and wide-mouthed Green Goddess' calla lily blooms masquerade as foliage among yellow-edged hosta, Solomon's seal, and spotted calla lily leaves. Delicately petaled tree peonies seem to float on top. An olive-colored satin band and crimped satin streamers complement the stems.

The blue-gray of juniper boughs and deep green of arborvitae boldly replicate the cool colors of winter; the branches themselves determine the dramatic shape of the bouquet. Delicate, graceful snowdrops are tied onto the branches, tiny blossoms cascading as they would in nature.

For this bride's bouquet, event designer Antony Todd made an unusual sculptural arrangement of chartreuse Lady's slipper orchids.

This bride's bouquet of white tulips, dendrobium orchids, freesia, ranunculus, and pale-green Dutch roses studded with green eucalyptus seeds embodies the wedding's subdued color scheme.

This bride's bouquet is a fragrant mix of white majolica roses, Scabiosa, sage, basil, rosemary, and lily of the valley. The bridesmaids' bouquets are miniature versions.

Nature offers vibrant colors and textures that can be woven into a wedding in unexpected ways. These boutonnieres consist of hydrangea and hypericum berries; chamomile, trachelium, and mahonia leaves; and unripe blueberries and mahonia.

At this California wedding, the groom wears a cymbidium orchid boutonniere.

Turn kids' metal beach buckets into custom centerpieces by painting them in the wedding colors. First, sand and prime each bucket, then coat with water-based enamel; let dry overnight. For stripes, tape off a pattern, paint exposed areas in a contrasting color, and remove the tape while the paint is still wet.

Wedding favors allow guests to take a little piece of the celebration home. Though often presented at place settings or displayed on a table by the door, favors can be offered in another way that is both impressive and economical: grouped together as centerpieces. Even if you spend a bit more on the favors themselves, you will most likely save money overall by forgoing traditional floral arrangements.

The bride's own collection of old fabrics helped inspire the details of this outdoor wedding. The bride made the groom's lighthearted tie; his boutonniere of oak leaves and acorns is tied with a jaunty bow.

The natural lines of lemon boughs create the balanced curves that legendary English floral designer Constance Spry favored. Their stems are kept long, and jonquils, amaryllis, anemones, lilacs, hellebore, and speckled foliage fill out the arrangement. A pair of these might frame the altar at a wedding ceremony.