Everywhere I look lately I’m seeing carnations being used in weddings… more and more often, carnations are appearing in ceremony decor, reception table centerpieces, bridal bouquets, and elsewhere. Truth be told, once upon a time I might have been surprised. Carnations, to me, were the flowers one finds in the cheap corsage the senior prom date purchases minutes before picking up his date or the bouquet hastily bought at the gas station to apologize for some misdeed. But done right, carnations in weddings are beautiful and shockingly elegant.

Far from being just a filler flower, carnations have the most impact when used as the sole bloom in a wedding arrangement. Because of the way their petals are formed, carnations are best used in a big bunch, like in these carnation wedding topiaries from PD Bloom. But that’s not all!

These fun flowers are also quite hardy, which means a carnation wedding cake like this one from Brook Howell Flowers won’t be wilting two hours before it’s even time to cut the cake. Carnations will even weather a hot day out of doors well, unless many of their more delicate siblings.

Indoors or outdoors, carnation balls like these from Pure Joy Flowers are a sweet and feminine way to decorate at a ceremony or reception. Carnation balls also make a pretty alternative to bridal bouquets and bridesmaids’ bouquets. At the wedding reception, they can then double as decor.

Martha Stewart isn’t afraid to use carnations in wedding arrangements! Here’s an easy-to-follow carnation ball (aka kissing ball) tutorial for the DIY bride. Again, these can be used as bouquets for the bride and bridesmaids, ceremony decor, or reception centerpieces, making carnation balls a rad way to save money on floral decor.
Carnation bouquets are also fairly easy to put together for the crafty DIY bride, but that doesn’t mean you can’t leave them to the pros like those at Addington’s Florist. With the right vase, this carnation bridal bouquet would become a pretty reception table centerpiece… at a pink and green wedding, perhaps?
I always wondered why carnations so often got such bad press. They are a lovely flower, they look tremendously elegant in brocade and embroidery designs, and they come equipped with their own ruffles! What’s not to like? Plus, you can get them in a crayon-box of colours, and then some!
I don’t care to pry into their private lives, though – I’m a little concerned about that bondagey bunch at the bottom. OTOH, if that’s your taste, it’s totally appropriate!
they come equipped with their own ruffles
That is, IMO, the best part!
I’m loving those carnation pom-poms! 🙂
Really, any flower at all can be quite elegant if approached properly. Besides, Oscar Wilde was a carnation fan, and that’s good enough for me. In fact, the use of green ones on that cake would definitely have gotten Oscar’s approval.