Choosing a wedding bouquet for the bride is a truly difficult task. It should be far from banality, of course, beautiful and in perfect harmony with the dress of the bride, the suit of the groom and the general surroundings of the ceremony. In addition, holiday flowers should embody a whole range of emotions: from light sadness and tenderness to hope for a bright future. With all of these tasks, graceful calla lilies do an excellent job.
Symbolism of flowers
It should start with the fact that the calla homeland is called South Africa. The English officers who served there noticed these beautiful flowers and brought them home. The first bouquets, by the way, were intended for the royal family. Then - in the twenties of the last century - this species gradually spread throughout Europe, and brides began to choose a bouquet of callas for the wedding ceremony.
There was even a sign that if the flowers do not fade until the next morning, then a happy couple will be happy for many long years in the circle of a large family. The most valuable species then and now are considered species of calla zantedeskia. The culture is especially famous for the Ethiopian zantedesia (it is also called the Ethiopian whitefly) and the white calla varieties derived from it.
Today and in Russia, brides can choose for themselves on such an unforgettable day a bouquet of callas. These flowers symbolize the hope of a safe and happy marriage. In addition, they have an additional mystical meaning - such a bouquet will protect the hostess from any negative.Surprisingly, in some countries the attitude to callas is completely opposite - they are called widow flowers and are used not at weddings, but at funerals. However, this concept successfully fits into the ideas of the Slavic peoples about the bride. From ancient times in Russia it was believed that a young girl dies at a ceremony, being reborn as a mature woman.
The most common white callas, which mean the purity and innocence of the bride. In addition, they symbolize the bride’s desire for eternal happiness in a marriage. Red callas show passion and saturation of feelings within a couple. Pink flowers represent tenderness and tranquility, and yellow flowers represent fidelity and attentiveness, as well as the desire for prosperity and success. Violet tones speak of tenderness and trembling feelings of young people. The black variety of flowers is associated with a riddle, elegance, alluring femininity and even aristocracy.
Which bride is right for you?
It is worth mentioning that a wedding calla bouquet is not suitable for any dress. Ideal are the mermaid and columned silhouettes, classic straight models and outfits in the Empire style. In addition, you can not overdo it with voluminous details and on clothes - too decorated dress will seem tasteless in company with an elegant laconic bouquet. There are some restrictions regarding the figure of the bride - chubby and short girls should avoid elongated callas. The fact is that flowers visually shorten the figure even more, making the whole image pretty funny and absurd.
The same applies to pregnant brides. In this situation, it is better to give preference to traditional roses. There is, however, the opportunity to order a bouquet of mini-callas, but this only applies to thin miniature brides. Such a composition will not require special additional decor and will look very appropriate.
Suitable shades
The calla family is rich in many color variations. You can choose the classic white and delicate pink, bright yellow and calm peach, juicy red and burgundy, dark purple and black, positive lime and even two-tone. All this suggests that the bride will be able to choose the same color that will match her wishes and harmonize with the decor of the ceremony.
For summer and spring weddings, light, light and delicate shades are more suitable. - for example, white, beige, light yellow and others. In the cold season, bouquets of a rich orange color, bright yellow, purple and burgundy red will look much better. It is worth mentioning that the buds have different saturations. For example, the hue ranges from light purple to deep purple, almost fading into black. There are also iridescent variations when one color changes to another.
Combinations with other colors
And although callas look great in mono-bouquets, they combine wonderfully with other types of flowers. Ideal neighbors for them are roses, orchids, freesia, alstroemeria and lavender. When making a joint bouquet, it is important to maintain balance and ensure that some varieties do not overshadow others. The use of excessively lush flowers, for example, peonies and dahlias, is excluded, and, in general, the main rule for the composition of the bouquet is the expression "do not overdo it." In the bouquet, by the way, not only shades of different flowers should be harmoniously combined, but also smells. Therefore, the use of several plants with saturated harsh aromas is prohibited.
Bouquet design
In general, it should be mentioned right away that calla lilies themselves are so self-sufficient that they do not need excessive wrapping and a large number of additional details. In addition, the shape of the bud allows you to assemble a composition of any size - to make it small and neat or large and luxurious. A bouquet of these flowers can be done independently. It is enough just to collect them in a neat bundle, trim the height of individual stems and cut off the peeping ponytails, and then dress them with lace cord or ribbon to match the dress. If you want to add a little variety, then it’s worth adding a few large elegant rich green leaves or twigs, as well as decorate with pearl thread.
In those rare cases when a wedding is organized in the styles of art nouveau, minimalist or avant-garde, then for a bouquet it will be enough to combine callas of snow-white and black colors, bandaging them with a neutral ribbon. Snow-white buds are also harmoniously complemented by eucalyptus or dracaena leaves. Greens always add freshness to the composition. To diversify such a bouquet, you need to combine callas with a milky rose.
Vivid and memorable will be a composition of snow-white callas and fresh lilac irises. Often, bright bouquets with this flower are complemented by burgundy berries. By the way, when preparing a wedding bouquet, do not forget about the groom’s boutonniere - both compositions should be combined. The same applies to the "live" jewelry of bridesmaids.
In addition to traditional green leaves, it is recommended to decorate bouquets with lace and twigs, and in suitable cases even with cones, feathers or shells. Forming the composition, you need to focus on the largest flower, for example, a rose, and place callas next to it so that they rise. Callas are usually located in the center and surrounded by other components. Flowers are placed tightly, but so that one element does not drown the other. Everything is fixed in the middle and at the beginning, and then an even overall cut is carried out. A tape or other cord is secured with pins.
Speaking about the shape of the bouquet, today the most popular is called cascadingwhich is very easy to bring to life thanks to the long legs of callas. Mono-bouquets are also popular - they are composed, as a rule, only of callas, but at the same time they do not look like several copies, but as one big exotic flower. This is called glamelia. The simplest option is when the buds on long stems are neatly laid out in a spiral and tied with a cord. In the case of creating a round composition, a large number of different plants are usually required, therefore, only callas can not do.
A laconic and restrained bouquet was called Biedermeier. Many girls choose an accessory in a vegetative style - it looks very natural and comes to a wedding ceremony celebrated in nature. Themed extravagant celebrations require the use of a fan bouquet, which, rather, serves as a bright decoration of a wedding outfit. A calla clutch bouquet is used at winter weddings, accompanied by photo shoots.
Tips from stylists and florists
Experts believe that choosing a bouquet of callas for a wedding, it is quite possible to order it in advance. It will not spoil at all - it will await the ceremony perfectly, and then its owner will delight for several days. Flowers calmly go without water for almost 2 weeks - this, of course, greatly simplifies the situation: the traditional attribute can be selected and placed an order a few days before the ceremony. By the way, if the heads of the callas fell slightly, this indicates that there was too much moisture for them. It is enough to remove the bouquet from the vase and remove for a couple of hours in a dry and unlit place.
Plants are not afraid of low temperatures - therefore, it is recommended to choose them for winter weddings. Withstanding temperatures up to minus forty, they will certainly survive a stay on the street. The same applies to high temperatures - calla lilies feel normal at forty degrees Celsius, which means they will not fade at a hot July wedding. TOa fallen bouquet in anticipation of a solemn day needs to be placed in cold water. True, you will also have to cut the stems a little every day.If the flowers fade a little, it will be enough to get them out of the water, keep them in a dry place for about two hours, then scald the ends with boiling water and lower them for a couple of seconds in molten paraffin or wax. In the event that the procedure is performed correctly, the life of the bouquet will increase by fourteen days.
Despite all the advantages, it should be warned that the smell of these colors is very bright and saturated. Therefore, if the bride does not tolerate the long-term effects of strong odors, it is better for her to either completely abandon this choice, or combine them with plants that have a neutral smell. There is another third option - ask the seller in the store to process the bouquet with a special solution that eliminates the smell. In this case, the bouquet will cease to be fragrant, but it will be stored much less. Again, completing the question with smell, you must be prepared that these flowers quite easily cause allergic reactions.
See how to make a bride’s wedding bouquet of callas with your own hands in the next video.
