DIY instructions for making a lily bouquet

Calla lilies are a favourite for the contemporary bride to be. Will you say “I do” to making your own hand-tied calla lily wedding bouquet?

When you consider that the average Canadian wedding costs between $15,000 and $25,000, it’s no wonder the modern bride looks for DIY options to save a few bucks. Thankfully, designing your own bridal bouquet with calla lilies creates a sleek, contemporary look that'll leave you a few extra dollars to spend on your honeymoon.

Here are a few tips on creating your own calla lily wedding bouquet.

• Calla lilies are not actually true lilies, but they still make excellent wedding flowers.
• Mini calla lilies are the easiest to work with and have the largest range of colour options. Pick blooms that match the theme of your wedding and the colour design of your dress.
• Be sure that the flowers have been fully hydrated in water for at least two hours before you begin working with them.
• Take each flower and lay them side by side on your kitchen counter. You want to delicately mould each stem to reflect the natural curve of the lily. Gently work the stems to remove any bends or kinks, but don’t crush them.

• Start by taking two calla lilies to create your centre. Position the blooms so that the curve points outward. Secure these two together with floral tape, near the neck of the flowers for strength.
• Start adding additional calla lilies, building out from the centre. Every couple of flowers, tape the new flowers to the centre to keep things in place. Your bouquet should start taking a slight pinwheel shape to it.
• Keep adding flowers to any holes in the bouquet to fill it out. It’s okay to stretch the tape, as it keeps the flowers from moving and the tape from bunching. Be sure to tape over the same spot each time.
• Calla lilies are so gorgeous that they can stand on their own as a wedding bouquet, but if you’d like to add additional flowers or foliage, go crazy. Just be sure to add tape in the same spot.

• Now that your bouquet is built, you can decorate the handle to match the decor of your wedding, your dress, or your bridesmaids’ outfits.
• You’ll want to cover the tape with something pretty. Try a silk ribbon (that matches your colour scheme) or burlap and lace for a rustic, contrasting texture.
• Secure with pearl-headed corsage pins and add any additional decorations that suit your tastes!