The simple elegance of the calla lily has long been used to symbolize beauty, femininity, and purity, which has made it a popular bloom for artists, connoisseurs, and, of course, brides. They always look beautiful in a bouquet – their heart shaped leaves, which range from 20 to 36 inches, makes them ideal. Or you can use a single bloom as a simple boutonniere. The sky is the limit with the potential these blooms possess.

According to botanical experts, the true meaning of the calla lily is sophistication and beauty. It has also been said that the shape of the blooms resemble trumpets heralding victory to the heavens. Callas popularity results from their pure white blooms and vibrant green stalks and leaves – they are available in other colours too: lavender, pink, orange, rosy red, and green – any of these colours are perfect for a wedding. Due to the callas vivacious green, a rich emerald green colour is the perfect accent for a white calla lily theme. Other colours that look fantastic and complement a white calla lily wedding are butter yellow, burnt orange, midnight blue, and ruby red. And callas are the perfect flower to mix with many different flowers – don’t be afraid to experiment with them! Try pairing them with roses, freesia, tulips, or try tropical beauties like birds of paradise and orchids.

The Queen of Good Things, Martha Stewart, is a big advocate of calla lily themed weddings – especially as the wedding flower – and no one does wedding better than her. According to Stewart, the calla lily was the flower that early Romans used to signify the passing of winter solstice. The Romans would plant them just inside their homes, and time the planting perfectly, so that they would bloom as the winter solstice occurred; the calla lily would then offer light and beauty in an otherwise dark and dreary time of year.

Nowadays, calla lilies are popular flowers for Spring and Autumn weddings, although they work perfectly for a winter wonderland wedding too. A calla lily wedding theme is exquisite no matter what season the wedding is held, or whether it is a morning, afternoon, or evening ceremony.

Calla lilies also have strong connections to the Virgin Mary making them popular in formal cathedral ceremonies. Throughout history, artists have included the calla lily in their paintings and sculptures of the Virgin Mary and the Angel of Annunciation – with the calla lily representing purity and faith. For centuries the calla lily has been a treasured flower which has been celebrated and stood as the showcased theme at many weddings. As a result, over time, the calla lily has become one of the most highly sought after flowers for a bride – and one of the most popular wedding themes for couples of all ages, races, and religions.

The calla lily has also been used over time to represent youth, regeneration, and innocence, all of which make the flower popular among contemporary couples who are seeking rebirth of their relationship in a symbolic sense at their wedding.

When planning a calla lily themed wedding there are many ways to incorporate the flower into your wedding, aside from fresh flowers. In addition to the flowers you could include a unity ceremony candle in the shape of a calla, cake serving set, bride’s garter, ring bearer pillow, guest book, bridal drawstring purse, or silver pen set. There are many other wedding accessories and decorations that are available with a calla lily motif. You can customize your wedding program, use embossed calla lily seals on your invitations, or include a small image of a calla on place cards.

Since a calla lily denotes sophistication and grace, other complementary wedding and reception decorations include cut glass, crystal, and polished silver. Great places to use these accents are on your reception tables. Use polished silver place card holders, gleaming crystal candle holders, and cut glass centerpieces – all of these will emphasize the beauty of the callas.

If you decide to go with a calla lily theme, remember a few things:

• Before the wedding, be sure to place your lilies away from direct sunlight, heat vents, drafts, or air conditioners. Calla lilies can be very finicky when it comes to direct shots of heat or cold.
• Never store them on top of TV or near any source of heat or electricity; this goes for any type of fresh floral arrangement.
• If you are making your own table arrangements, make sure you use floral preservatives to keep them looking lovely and fresh for a longer period of time. Since vase life is anywhere from 7 to 10 days, you may want to invite some guests to take table arrangements home, so they can enjoy the callas beauty for days after the ceremony.
• Calla lilies are great cut flowers and look exquisite in hand-tied bouquets. Use natural satin ribbon for the best contrast of colours and texture.

When you are selecting your wedding theme, or flower, you could not select a more eloquent flower than the calla lily. Whether you get married in a church, a backyard, or a city hall, the presence of majestic callas will make the event that much more powerfully expressive and refined.