I have tried Hydrangeas, now it’s time to try Carnations.  They’re very affordable and I love the fullness of the blooms.  Please pardon the visible rubber bands.  I ran out of floral tape and I didn’t get to wrap the bouquet handle with ribbon before I did the corset-type wrapping.

Unfortunately, to get the bouquet size I wanted, I had to use a lot of carnations which ended up being more expensive than the Hydrangeas I used earlier.  I spent $15 for 50 carnations.

The biggest advantage of using Carnations is that they last long. They lasted more than a week just being in a vase with water (no flower food).

To save money, we’re planning to DIY bouquets… kinda like “create your own bouquet” thing .  I think my bridesmaids are willing to do their own . I don’t know exactly what flowers I like to use, but I’m definitely using white ones.

First up is hydrangea.  I got the hydrangeas from the NYC flower district for $10/6 bunches.  I only used 5 which was about a foot in diameter altogether, 6 bunches were too big for me.  Of course I had to use the knot on the handle too!

I love the fullness of the hydrangeas.  But since a bunch is too big, the stem is too thin.  I like my bouquet to have a thicker handle.  Maybe I could just wrap it more with the knot to thicken it.  However, I’m still not sure what style I like to use for the ribbons/knots for the handle.

It cost me just a little less than $11 including tax to create this bouquet:

Hydrangeas (5 bunches) = $10 / 6 bunches
1 1/2″ Satin ribbon (1 yard) = $15.99 / 50 yards – you can get this cheaper at PaperMart.com
Knot (2 yards) = $5.50 / 10 yards

Next up, I’ll be trying on carnations.  They’re inexpensive and when bunched together, they somehow create the same effect and fullness.