Flowers

Hydrangeas vs. Carnations

Hi ladies!  So I am trying to decide on flowers.  I know for sure I want light pink roses.  I have always loved the soft, romantic look of hydrangeas but number one, they are expensive and number two, I have heard they wilt easily and we are having an outdoor August wedding.  I have found in pics that carnations can look soft and romantic like hydrangeas for a lot cheaper and they seem to last awhile.  Has anyone done a carnation/rose bouquet or hydrangea/rose bouquet?  What do you think?  Thanks for any input!
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Re: Hydrangeas vs. Carnations

  • I'm personally a bigger fan of hydrangeas, but that's just me.  Hydrangeas will only wilt if they're not kept cool prior to the ceremony, and as long as you put the stems in water between the ceremony and reception (when you're not taking pictures of course!), and put them in water when they're at the reception, they'll be fine. 
  • If you are using a florist they will know how to properly handle hydrangeas to prevent them from wilting.

    Like PP, I prefer hydrangeas...to me carnations look cheap.

    As for other options, have you considered lisianthus?  Lisianthus does not resemble hydrangeas but in fact tend to look like softer roses.  They come in pink, white, dark purple and light purple.  I think a mixture of lisianthus and roses will give you the soft, romantic look you want but won't wilt like hydrangeas might.

  • I had a rose and carnation bouquet. Price was a huge factor for us. We DIYd and bought in bulk and it saved a ton to go with the carnations. Second, hydrangeas do wilt, I have seen it in weddings. I went to an outdoor wedding in May and the bouquets didn't last long. We had an outdoor wedding in July on one of the hottest days of the year and our flowers held up perfectly. Here is a picture of my bouquet, which I didn't think looked "cheap". 



    Photobucket
  • I like both Hydrangeas and Carnations and was in a wedding with hydragea bouquets that didn't wilt any faster than anyother cut flower that I've seen. 

    I think carnations have gotten a bad wrap recently as looking "cheap" and I'm not sure where that comes from except that maybe they were overused for a while? I think they're very romantic and it's a very traditional bouquet flower. They look best when they're clustered and I straight up love greysquirel's bouquet. They would definately be a good choice for a bouquet with roses. 
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  • Personally, I am NOT a fan of hydrangeas at all.  I only used them as the base for my bouquet for shape, but made sure to completely cover them up.  I love carnations because they're fluffy and fun...hydrangeas just look plain and stale (and WAY overused) to me.

    Here is my bouquet (I used yellow carnations/chrysanthemums/ranunculus and white dahlias) to give you an idea of how they look, although mine are silk:



  • Thank you for your feedback!  We are DIY and plan on ordering them in bulk.  Thank goodness my mom has done it and is very crafty.  Gotta love those moms who aren't scared of doing anything DIY!

    I love your bouquets ladies!  Thanks for showing them.  The lisianthus is a really nice flower.  Very soft looking.  I think I just need to pick different kinds up and try to do a bouquet to see what it looks like.  I do know one thing though.  I want light pink so at least that is a start!  :)
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  • Obvoiusly there is opinion on this choice, but I am much more partial to hydrangeas because they look so much more elegant!  If you choose an experienced florist, they are capable of keeping them fresh for your event and you have to ensure they stay in water when not used.  Another thing to keep in mind is that 1 hydrangea can take up the space of almost 5 carnations in a bouquet because of their size.  Hope that helps
  • If you're DIY'ing it, I'd recommend carnations.  They are much more affordable and an easy flwoer to work with. 

    I ordered in bulk from fiftyflowers.com and flowersandfreshness.com and was really happy with the quality.  Other brides on here have used Sam's Club and Costco with good results. 
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  • I used this bouquet for our main sponsors. I believe these are carnations. Visit my blog for more pictures! http://lovechildmonster.blogspot.com/2012/02/if-theres-one-reality-show-that-i.html Hope it helps!

     
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