What kinds of weddings are hot in California? How about in Charleston, South Carolina? What's the latest in New York, New York? East, South, Midwest and West -- take a peek at some of the freshest new ways American brides are expressing their inimitable taste and style.

Go West, Young Couple

The biggest trend out West is taking advantage of the great outdoors, according to Lisa Gorjestani of Details Event Planning in Los Angeles. It could be a vineyard, a bluff overlooking the ocean or an emerald lawn with a desert backdrop -- just about anywhere, as long as it's in the fresh air.

"in the few months when teh weather's not great," says Gorjestani, "brides creat an outdoor environment indoors by decorating with plants or fountains set up with running water."

A good rule of thumb is to play up a great outdoor location with special touches. "If there are trees, we hang lights for flowers in them," says Amy Mancuso, an event planner in Phoenix. For a beach wedding, Gorjestani might feature driftwood candalabras holding glowing glass globes -- perfect as the sun goes down.