As we all know, flowers and weddings go hand in hand.  There are so many choices to choose from; we have roses, calla lilies, daisies, tulips, orchids, and hydrangeas, to name a few. With this wide array of flowers to choose from, no wonder brides feel like kids in a candy store when it’s time to visit the florist.  

As soon as we walk in the door, our senses are bombarded by all the beautiful scents and colors.  Before we even begin talking about price, we’ve made up our minds how we want it, and we want it all!  However, there is that hidden beauty, that stepchild like Harry Potter locked in the closet with so much potential, waiting to present itself to the world; That other flower is the carnation. 

This inexpensively fabulous wedding tip is about the carnation, which is one of the most beautiful & overlooked flowers; and let’s face it, many of us are flower snobs and we turn our noses down the Carnation.  I’ll be fair and admit that this is not totally our fault. We’ve been conditioned to associate the Carnation with cheapness, low quality or funerals.  It’s usually used as filler or an accent to a more popular flower such as the rose.  

However, the popularity of the bloom is growing and one person to thank for that is Martha Stewart.   Her love of carnations is slowly becoming contagious.  Alone, a carnation can look like a small, twiggy flower with no true beauty, but with the right amount of creativity, carnations can be striking not to mention budget friendly.

Just imagine a group of carnations bundled together in pink, yellow, red, and orange. It’s this type of arrangement that can give an ordinary table setting more flavor & pizzazz.  It can also add a more fun and whimsical feeling to your day.

But what if your color palette is more monochromatic, will Carnations still work for you? Of course they will, we have to keep in mind that carnations can be as equally striking in one color.  A group of deep red carnations can summon the same idea of spicy romance as red roses can.  You can have a bed of carnations as a place for the seating cards.  Another cool and inexpensively fabulous idea is to have a ring pillow made out of carnations or you can even create a centerpiece using carnations.

The greatest thing about carnations is the price, and for brides planning weddings on a budget, price is key!  Carnations are reasonably priced and can suit any budget.  25 stems of carnations can cost about $20 dollars less than 25 stems of 60 cm roses.   So remember, using carnations as substitute flowers can really make a big difference with your floral budget & still make your event inexpensively fabulous!