When I was in high school, my absolute favorite flower was the calla lily. I thought they were the very embodiment of of regality and refinement. Like, if Julia Roberts had a favorite flower, it would definitely be the calla lily. Which makes sense, because if you do any kind of Google search for calla lily centerpieces, the results look like they’d fade right into the background of My Best Friend’s Wedding (which is to say, very, very ’90s).
If you’re planning a wedding right now, you know the current trend in wedding flowers is big, wild arrangements filled with every sort of flower. But the thing about wedding trends is… they’re not everybody’s cup of tea. So today, we asked Michelle Edgemont in Brooklyn if she could make us a minimal table centerpiece that still feels modern, and resurrect the calla lily into something cool again (and bless Michelle, she always says yes to our requests). Keep in mind, even with this kind of minimal aesthetic calla lilies aren’t free. So you will need to have some kind of flower budget, but we tried to keep the rest of our material prices reasonable for that very reason.
Always remember that when creating your own centerpieces, you’re going to need a little help! Make sure to allot time for making multiples, and do your bouquets before your centerpieces. (As a general rule, people tend to care more about the bouquet than centerpieces, and you want to play it safe knowing you have enough flowers for the thing you’re planning on holding in your hands.) Calla lilies are still popular enough that you can easily (and much more cheaply) buy them in bulk at places like Sam’s or Costco or your local flower market. (The cost is almost double if you buy online in this case. Costco was the lowest price I could find at just over one dollar per stem.) But if you plan to buy your flowers online, allocate for about thirty percent more flowers than you need, as some will inevitably arrive with broken stems or sad looking blooms. (The prices quoted below are using Costco prices.)
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Wooden box vase
- Floral Foam
- Clippers
- Bucket
- Waterproof Tape
- Eucalyptus (one bunch per centerpiece)
- White Calla Lilies (15 stems per centerpiece)
Cost per centerpiece: $45 (includes all flowers, vase and floral foam)
Steps:
1. Prep the foam by filling a bucket with water and letting the foam sink to the bottom.
2. Place foam into wooden box vase. Cut sections of foam and fill in gaps if necessary. Secure with a piece of waterproof floral tape.
3. Start with the eucalyptus. Stick pieces all the way around the vase. Put some lower, some in the middle, and some higher. You are going to be creating the basic shape of the arrangement with the greenery. You’ll need about one bunch of eucalyptus per centerpiece.
4. Add the calla lilies. Cut the stems at an angle and place them all the way around the centerpieces. Be sure to spin the centerpiece as you work to be sure that each side looks even.
5. This can be made up to two days before your wedding and stored in a cool, dark place (but avoid the refrigerator as non-floral fridges aren’t properly calibrated for storing flowers).
