Calla Lilies Wedding Ideas

Strking but pricey calla lilies make an impact in small numbers.

Calla lilies rank among the most elegant and expensive wedding flowers. While florists stock them all year, plan the wedding in the summertime if a bride dreams of an abundance of the delicate flower. Cultivate them from your garden during summer blossoming time, with a florist as a back up if the crop fails. Make up for their precious numbers by extending the theme into invitations and the cake.

Calla Lily Bouqet

Calla lilies make a striking boquet with or without greenery.

Make a spare, but elegant calla lily bouquet. According to Joanne O'Sullivan, author of the New Book of Wedding Flowers, "fill the stem with tepid water, then plug the bottom of the stem with a cotton ball" to make the bouquet last. Lay decorative grass or greens on a flat surface. Place the first lily on top of the pile with the flower peeking above the grass. Arrange two to five additional lilies around the first with flower tips slightly lower than the first. Gather the assortment in your hands and wrap a rubber band or florist wire to fasten them. Hide the bands with a ribbon. After walking back up the aisle, place the posies in a bowl of water to prevent premature wilting. Display it near the guest book.

Attendent Bouquets

A single calla lily stands out in a multi-flower boquet

To stretch the dollar, choose seasonal wildflowers in your wedding color for the bridesmaids. Use a single calla lily as an accent flower. Clip the stem of the lily short, and poke into the desired place in the pre-made bouquet. If the flower wilts in the sun or suffers tears with the over-handling of a flower girl, you may easily replace it moments before the ceremony or refresh it before the introductions at the reception.

Cake

Choose fondant or miniature lilies for the cake.

Lay miniature calla lilies on the edges of cake layers for a vine-like appearance. The stems curl and wrap unlike the hollow stems of their full-sized counterparts. Always remove the inedible flower prior to serving or only adorn artificial cake tiers.

Alternatively, convince the baker to make spun sugar or fondant lilies. The guests will remark how real they look and can eat them, too. If a baker or couple insists on edible flowers, substitute petals of edible species to accompany a lily topper. Cyndi Lauderdale and Erv Evans of the University of North Carolina School of Agricultural list roses and tulips among safely edible white-petaled flowers.

Centerpieces

Since lilies wilt without water, set each bridesmaid's bouquet in a compote bowl or a vase. Set one bouquet in the middle of each guest table. At the end of the reception, the bridesmaids may retrieve their flowers. Floating lily-shaped candles appear in many centerpieces. For an unexpected take on a classic, fill a clear bowl with shiny marbles or small stones and sea shells for a more organic look. Submerge petals from the green goddess calla lily, as suggested by TheKnot.com. Perch a lily similar in color to the bride's bouquet at the side of the bowl.

References

• "The New Book of Wedding Flowers: Simple & Stylish Arrangements;" Joanne O'Sullivan; 2004
• "The New Book of Wedding Flowers: Simple & Stylish Arrangements;" Joanne O'Sullivan; 2004
• Martha Stewart Weddings: Curling Calla-Lily Tower
• North Carolina State University College of Agriculture & Life Sciences; "Edible Flowers;" Cyndi Lauderdale and Erv Evans; 1999
• The Knot: Centerpiece Ideas - Use Green Goddess Calla Lilies