A bride's wedding bouquet of carnations is a symbol of fidelity and a talisman of love

Peculiarities

Carnation is a charming flower from the Mediterranean that blooms almost all year round, making it available in both winter and summer.
The undeniable advantages include:

• long life : if you put a bouquet in water, it will delight you for another three weeks;
• endurance : heat, frost, throwing to girlfriends - carnations will withstand everything;
• a huge number of shades;
• budget;
• compatibility with any other plants.

Important! The only downside to cloves is that they have a rather strong spicy aroma. If you don't like it, then choose lighter shades, they smell weaker.

Symbolism

The ancient world considered these flowers a sign of sadness and innocently shed blood, but modern Europe does not agree with its ancestors, so increasingly openwork buds are becoming the main element of decor at wedding celebrations .

The Christian understanding of carnation is sacrificial, meek love, without boiling passions, but with complete dedication. Florist designers made the flower a symbol of fidelity and honor, a strong home.

But when interpreting symbolism, it is important to focus on the shade:

• red traditionally signifies love and pride;
• white - innocent purity;
• lilac – dreaminess;
• purple – mystery;
• pink – tender, almost maternal love;
• green – readiness for new things, as well as fertility;
• yellow – family well-being;
• orange – fun.

The difficulty of including it in a wedding bouquet will arise only with striped carnations, which symbolize refusal, but if you like them, then the meaning can also be interpreted as a refusal of your former maiden life in favor of the role of wife and mother .

The meaning and symbolism of carnations in a bride's bouquet

Should we pay attention to the prevailing attitude towards lace flowers? Judge for yourself, because these flowers are created to give joy to people with their delightful shades and shapes. Does it matter to modern people that Roman mythology attributes the image of sad flowers to carnations? The answer is obvious - no! Therefore, if you love these flowers and want to use them to create a wedding bouquet, then you should not pay attention to prejudices.

The Western world has a completely different attitude towards these flowers. It is popular there to use carnations to decorate wedding events and create a bridal bouquet. It is interesting that the word “carnation” is translated from Greek into Russian as “divine flower.” Therefore, some consider her to be the personification of love in the broadest sense of the word. For florists, carnations are a symbol of female love, fidelity, freedom, and honor.

By choosing buds of different shades in the composition, you can express your feelings and mood:

• The white carnation is a wish for success to all guests.
• The pink petals of the flower symbolize the tender love of a mother for her children, so it is customary to give it to mothers.
• Striped buds are given to express refusal.
• One flower in a bouquet means agreement or the answer “yes”.
• For a bride with leadership qualities, it would be appropriate to choose a bright bouquet of red flowers.
• Pink buds are suitable for a charming optimist.

What kind of brides are they suitable for?

Carnations are universal flowers, so they will suit almost any girl.

Very young ladies look charming with barely opened buds, while older women will wonderfully emphasize the elegance with lace of already fully opened flowers.

A red bouquet will suit a bright, confident bride, while a pastel bouquet will suit a dreamy and tender bride.

When choosing a bouquet, be guided by the general theme of the celebration, your dress and hairstyle and, of course, your own appearance. Tall brides should choose a cascading bouquet, while short brides should choose a round one.

Types and shades

There are a great many varieties of carnations , so you can choose any shape and color of the petals - terry, needle-shaped, two-colored, with edging. Carnations can be either bushy, a branch with several inflorescences, or single-headed, ending with only one bud.

The most popular types for weddings are:

• lush, as if corrugated carnation Shabot;
• more natural Turkish or bearded;
• exotic Chinese with contrasting edging;
• sandy with graceful needle-shaped petals;
• neat with miniature inflorescences of the Grenadine variety.

As for shades, you simply cannot help but take advantage of their diversity to create beautiful combinations or gradients.
Idea! Mono-bouquets of carnations look great. Absolute white will be the perfect finishing touch for a chaste look. This color is especially good in a duet with a lace or frilled dress.

A pastel bouquet will fit perfectly into a shabby chic or vintage style celebration. The combination of lilac with cream or blue will be the main highlight of a Provencal wedding, and a green ball interspersed with wildflowers is suitable for a carefree rustic celebration.

Decor

If you want to make a mono bouquet, then simply wrap the leg with a fabric, paper or lace that matches the color. An absolutely white, red, lilac accessory looks incredibly stylish and discreet.

Loose stems look no worse, only slightly tied with ribbon or even twine - what an idea for an eco-wedding?

You can decorate the bouquet with artificial elements, fabric, greenery, rhinestones - anything you have enough imagination for is acceptable.

Form

Cloves very easily take the desired shape, and due to their endurance, they do not wither even with a very high cut stem , so do not be afraid to experiment. For example, rosamelia looks great - a giant flower made up of dozens of small ones, because the terry shape of the petals will reliably hide all the joints. Such a bouquet in white is especially charming, but other tones are also acceptable.

In a cascading bouquet, carnations can play both a solo and complementary role. The buds are small, so there is no overcrowding, so you can be sure that the accessory will look elegant both in photos and at the event itself.

The spherical shape of the bouquet is another great option , while large buds of other complementary flowers collected in the center will add luxury to the composition.

Excellent results from carnations and pomander - a flower ball without a stem, attached to a special ribbon. This unusual accessory is very convenient, because you can always hang it on your hand.

What flowers can be combined with carnations?

If you want the bouquet to consist not only of carnations, but also to include other types of flowers, then it would be optimal to use:

• asters;
• dahlias;
• chrysanthemums;
• crocuses;
• anemones;
• rukuses;
• roses;
• gerberas;
• lisianthus.

In the company of these plants, carnation not only looks the most advantageous, but also retains its attractive appearance for a long time. Although it is a persistent plant, you should not add representatives of the euphorbia family to the same bouquet. You can select additional flowers for a bouquet either in the same color scheme (pastel) or in contrast.

The most harmonious combination looks like 2-4 types of colors and the same number of shades. Roses in tandem with carnations add a note of clarity, but the composition remains delicate. You can also add gerberas to them.

Composition ideas

You can easily use many other flowers, because carnations are completely unfriendly. The combination with wild and garden flowers looks good - the overall picture will be incredibly feminine, romantic, spring-like, regardless of the chosen colors. Lilies of the valley, bells, cornflowers, violets, clovers, daisies, and gerberas are suitable.

A bouquet of carnations and peonies of the same shade looks great , but in this case remember that peonies, unlike their resilient neighbor, are extremely delicate flowers, so they can hardly tolerate bad conditions.

Carnations also go well with exotic orchids. If you choose them as a complement, do not forget to use the gradient color of this flower. White petals and a pink center on a bouquet of carnations of a similar tone look incredibly elegant.

Roses

In a wedding bouquet, the queen of flowers usually takes the lead , but in combination with carnations this is only beneficial: a modest flower looks like a beautiful maid of honor in front of her mistress.

Idea! If you want more equality, then use miniature bush roses. They will not drown out the lace charm of their neighbor.

Both bouquets of the same color are acceptable, and both soft pink and burgundy red versions look equally magical, as well as a gradient or skillfully placed accents. For example, scarlet roses will wonderfully dilute a snow-white terry cloth, and pink carnations are gently combined with large rose buds of slightly different shades.

Lisianthus

Lisianthus is a Japanese rose. It is slightly similar to a flower familiar to everyone, but more delicate and miniature, with embossed terry petals. On a symbolic level, such buds mean calm and admiration.

Lisianthus comes in a huge palette of shades, so choosing a beautiful combination with carnations is not difficult. The overall bouquet will be delicate, lush, elegant.

Cream tones are suitable for the most innocent and romantic look, combinations of blue, lilac and purple will create a feeling of a fairy tale, and pinkish-red colors will create an aura of incredible romance.

Unlike low-temperature-resistant carnations, lisianthus do not tolerate cold air at all , so be careful with such a bouquet at a winter wedding.

Symbolic meaning

Carnations have beautiful fluffy buds that give the bouquet an airy and voluminous look. In Western countries, these wonderful flowers are often used to decorate wedding ceremonies. In the Middle Ages it was the favorite flower of European aristocrats. Carnation flowers are believed to represent freedom and devotion.

The ancient Greeks called it the divine flower.

In a wedding bouquet, carnations signify true love. If it is made up of buds of the same shade, this means complete agreement with your partner. A girl with carnations in her hands will be a devoted and loving wife.

White, pink and red flowers are mainly used to create wedding compositions. White buds signify luck and optimism. Pinks express the desire to possess, while bright reds represent passionate and sensual love.

Yellow buds were used in bouquets to clarify relationships and indicate inattention to one’s person. Flowers with a striped color express a desire to refuse, so they are unlikely to be suitable for a wedding composition.

Mono-bouquet of white, pink or red carnations

Monobouquet is stylish, elegant and very interesting. Most often, a round or even spherical shape is used for this idea - a pomander. White or pale pink carnations in a pomander turn into a magical accessory, very delicate, chaste, and airy.

To complete the look, use a satin ribbon or bouquet stem decoration in the same shade. It would also be useful to add greenery or large leaves. This move will immediately fill the bouquet with spring freshness, while simultaneously giving it the shape and desired outline.

A red monochrome is also possible, and it can be either bright scarlet or the sensual color of Marsala. Such a bouquet will definitely not go unnoticed and will become an incredibly bright accent in the bride’s image.

It is important to add some more red detail that matches the colors in tone on tone. This could be lipstick, shoes, a belt, hair decoration. A red mono-bouquet of carnations is a boiling energy, sensuality and emotions.

Master class on making a bouquet of carnations with your own hands

Do you want to have original wedding flowers for your wedding? Make your own bouquet. This way you will create a wedding accessory that will contain a piece of your heart and soul. And this will add a special charm to your creation, and will also convey through it your festive mood to the groom and all the guests at the celebration. When you look at your wedding photos years after your wedding, you will be pleased to see the floral masterpiece you created. You can tell an interesting story about its design to your future children.

To create a wedding floral accessory, the following plants are needed: lilies of the valley, myrtle branches, Turkish carnations, white hyacinths. We cut off the stems of all flowers and insert floral wire instead. This is done because the stems are thicker than the wire and when forming a composition with a large number of flowers, its handle will be too thick and uncomfortable. The wire bends well, which allows you to install the elements of the composition in the desired position. Materials and tools for creating a bouquet:

• Carnations – 11 pcs.
• Lilies of the valley – 15 pcs.
• Hyacinths – 10 pcs.
• Myrtle greens – 5 pcs.
• Floral wire - 45 cm for each flower.
• White satin ribbon – 1.5 m with a width of 1.5 cm.
• Scissors, glue, floral paper.

The process of creating a flower arrangement:

1. It is best to make the composition a few hours before the ceremony. Freshly cut flowers should be placed in water for 3 hours before forming a bouquet.
2. Take a clove and cut off its stems 3 cm below the bud.

3. We pierce the stem at the base of the flower with wire (45 cm).
4. We stretch the floral rod through the stem so that its ends are at the same level.

5. We wrap the stem-wire with floral tape, starting from the puncture site and down to the end of the rod. We wrap the rod several times with tape. This is how we make an imitation of the stem.
6. We take lilies of the valley and remove the leaves from them. We form them in bunches of 3-4 pieces. We wrap them with a floral rod and then with special paper. We leave the removed leaves from the lilies of the valley to form a bouquet.

7. We collect 11 prepared carnations into a bunch in the shape of a heart. This must be done very gently, because these buds are too fragile. When you put them together, you will notice voids in the composition.
8. We fill the empty spaces with prepared bunches of lilies of the valley, hyacinths, and myrtle branches. After this, we insert lily of the valley leaves into the voids of the bouquet. This way we get a composition with flowers directed outwards. We tie the stems with a special floral tape.

9. We wrap the base of the composition in a spiral with a satin ribbon (1.5 cm wide). We secure it with glue and also with decor.

Tips for choosing

When choosing the shape and content of the bouquet, be sure to focus on the theme of the wedding, your general image - dress, hairstyle, as well as color type and appearance features:

• A cascading bouquet is better suited for tall brides;
• Short - round or pomander;
• Rosamelia, as the most unusual form, looks good with any external characteristics, but the larger you are, the more voluminous the composite flower should be.

Advice! If you choose multiple colors, do not use more than three bright pure colors or five shades. Otherwise, you will get an overly chaotic accessory that draws attention to itself.

Carnation is an extremely resistant plant to any vicissitudes of fate, but if you combine it with other flowers, be sure to take into account their characteristics and care for the bouquet accordingly. Remember that even one faded element can ruin the overall picture.

And some more useful recommendations from florists:

• The brighter the carnation, the stronger its aroma , and snow-white flowers smell the least;
• Red buds will add bold accents to the image, pastel ones will add tenderness, and white ones will add purity and innocence. Try to create a composition from unusual combinations - flowers with borders, two-tone or even green;
• Be careful when choosing striped or spotted buds. Such a neighborhood can easily disrupt harmony;
• The stem of the bouquet should not be too thick , because you will have to hold it in your hands throughout the day.

Photo

A bridal bouquet made of carnations can look very unusual and even luxurious. In addition, the rich color palette allows you to add this flower to a wide variety of floral arrangements:

Photos of beautiful wedding bouquets for the bride made of carnations

Delicate and romantic, bright and passionate, pastel, original - carnation flowers attract the attention of florists and form the basis of many wedding compositions. Having become popular a long time ago, this flower does not lose its qualities even now. One of the main advantages of the plant is the fact that the buds retain their freshness and beautiful appearance for a long time. This means that the bouquet in the hands of the bride will not fade even at the end of the celebration.