Had a wedding bouquet emergency with no peonies left in the shop

Bride wanted all peonies, but my supplier in Tacoma was out. Tried a trick I saw online. Took some pink roses, cut the stems short, and fluffed the petals out with my fingers. Told the bride they were a special 'garden rose' variety. She loved them, said they were perfect. Has anyone else had to fake a flower in a pinch?

3 comments

3 Comments

gavin9281mo ago

Read somewhere that carnations can look like peonies if you cut them right.

grant_torres28d ago

Oh yeah, this is a legit trick. I've done it myself a bunch of times. @morgan_jenkins90 is right, cheap grocery store carnations work totally fine for this. The key is to use really sharp scissors and cut each petal at an angle, kind of tapering them so they look more layered and ruffled like a peony. You gotta be gentle though, too much cutting and they just look bad. It's a good way to jazz up a simple bouquet without spending a ton.

morgan_jenkins901mo ago

Wait, is that the trick where you cut the petals to make them fuller? I tried it once and it actually worked, they looked way more fancy. I used some cheap grocery store carnations and they turned out pretty good. It's a solid move if you want that look without the peony price tag.