"Flowers are love's truest language": so wrote journalist Park Benjamin in the 19th century. The sentiment remains just as compelling today. As every bride-to-be knows, the right flowers are a fundamental expression of the perfect wedding.

But brides are often flummoxed when it comes to the specifics of realizing a beautiful and personal floral vision. Should the arrangements be lushly romantic or sleekly understated? Which flowers are best for the season when the wedding will take place-and for its setting? How much should you spend on flowers? (Where should you splurge and where can you cut back?) How do you go about choosing and working with a professional florist? Do you dare to try to make your own wedding bouquets?

These are just a sampling of the questions that Karen Bussen, one of the country's top wedding experts, addresses in Simple Stunning Wedding Flowers, the gloriously illustrated follow-up to her essential wedding-planning book, Simple Stunning Weddings. As always, Bussen offers advice that's as down-to-earth as it is aesthetically fresh and inspired. And her guiding principles-that "less is more," and that breathtaking elegance is achievable on any budget-are sure to calm an overwhelmed bride's frazzled nerves.