In place of expensive arrangements built from imported orchids, the new trend for 2026 weddings - especially the outdoor ones - is sculptures made of fruit and vegetables. Lemons stacked into a tower, grapes cascading down, tomatoes tucked between the flowers. It sounds bizarre, but it looks remarkable. And, more importantly, it costs less.

Spanish florists have rebranded the offer: two years ago everything was about white roses and eucalyptus; today even the biggest salon teams sell a "lemons and friends package" to couples who want something fresh. The compositions vary - monochrome (only lemons and yellow stems), or colourful (tomatoes, carrots, green peppers, chilli). Citrus is popular for the smell it adds to the room as much as for the look.

Setups vary: on traditional wood or silver bases, on tall sculptural candelabras, or on low rustic baskets. For richer weddings - baskets with strawberries and violets. For classical ones - lemon towers with olives. For modern weddings - complex geometric vegetable forms inside pre-designed silver cages.

For the Balkan bride, this is a rescue from an old dilemma: florists at our weddings absorb money that doesn't end up in the food or the music. Yellow lemons and ripe tomatoes from the local market cost ten times less than tulips and orchids from the Netherlands. And - they don't get binned after the wedding. In the days that follow, they become sauces, jams, or just end up on the kitchen counters of the parents' homes. Balkan economy of beauty: it should look great, and in the end it should be useful.