Carnation Garland FTW

How to Create This Baller Floral Accessory

Written by: Abigail Schubert

Carnations are a wonderful wedding flower for multiple reasons. They are extremely hardy and come in a wide variety of colors. They are inexpensive and can take up a lot of space in a design. Carnations are the perfect filler flower. (Think of them like a push-up bra for your floral arrangements!) Garlands made out of carnations are a great way to add impact and style to your wedding without breaking the bank.

These lovely blooms sometimes have a bad reputation because they remind us of Valentine’s Day in middle school. However, they have a totally different vibe when mixed in with other wedding flowers or turned into a unique creation like a garland. The ruffled texture of a carnation will break up the round spiral petal shape of flowers like roses and ranunculus. The carnations will bring in more visual interest to the design without adding too much more to the cost.

How To:

Carnation garlands are easy to make. All you need is a fishing line, strong thread, or approx. 22 gauge floral paddle wire and a sewing needle. If you choose to use wire you most likely won’t need the needle as the wire should be able to poke through the flowers on its own. However, you might still want to have one on hand just in case.

To start, cut off your carnations stems to the base of the flower. Cut only about 25 stems first, and leave the rest in water to keep hydrating while you are working. Next, cut your wire or string to the length you would like the garland. Bend the wire at the end or tie several knots in the string. Poke either the wire or needle with string through the center of the carnation. Slide the carnation down to the end of the string. For the next carnation decide if you want it touching the first flower or if you want them spaced out. For a thick garland with each flower touching, continue to string one carnation after the other and slide each one down to touch the next one. For this style plan on about 6-8 carnations per foot of garland.

For the string or fishing line, you will need to tie a couple of knots before adding each flower so the flowers will stop where you want them to instead of sliding all the way down. Another option is to add all of the flowers to the string, space them out where you want them, then add small pieces of tape so they don’t slide down. I recommend spacing each flower out about 6-10 inches.

More Ideas

In addition to the solid carnation garland, we’ve seen These Carnation Walls becoming popular. This style is beautiful as a ceremony or photo booth backdrop. I love to see strings of carnations hanging from a tree to create the perfect garden wedding setting. For this look, I recommend either fishing line or string. The wire will still work but it will be more noticeable and stiff.

We loved this tutorial from A Practical Wedding on how to easily create this look as well.

This style is also great for indoor spaces that have high ceilings. The wall can be hung from the ceiling to create a beautiful focal point in the room. And the best part is that it is so cost-effective for a DIY bride! You could also take this on if you have a florist but just want to do this one yourself.

To make a carnation wall, repeat the above process to create multiple garlands. You can hang it from an arch, beam, or a tree as pictured.

Photo Via A Practical Wedding

Carnation garlands are now one of my favorite things. I love how they can be made in any color to match your wedding theme or color palette and they make such a big impact for only costing a few dollars per foot! I also love how they can be used in so many ways. Drape them over a mantle, string them across the back of chairs, or wear one as a floral crown! The options are endless!

Do you love carnation garlands as much as I do? Will you be using them in your wedding or event decor?

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About the Author

Michela Thompson is the media manager here at Flower Moxie. When not writing flower puns, you can find her trying to pet every dog in a 30 mile radius, writing about esports and gaming news, or hanging out with her husband and dog. (The dog and the husband are two different entities, she is not married to a dog. Don’t make it weird.)

Keyword: Flower export