Make the memory of your wedding day last a lifetime with our wedding bouquet preservation tips and tricks.
Many brides often wonder what on earth they will do with their beautiful bouquet after their wedding day has passed. This is definitely a topic that should not be overlooked. Because flowers usually stay fresh for only about 4 days, preserving your wedding blooms is something that should be carefully planned and thought-out. Not a last minute afterthought. To ensure the memory of your wedding day lasts a lifetime, finalize your bouquet plans a few weeks before your big day. Either book a professional or purchase all the DIY tools needed to tackle your preservation right after your wedding is over.The Methods - The 4 most popular methods for preserving your bouquet are 1) hang-drying, 2) freeze-drying via a professional service, 3) pressing, and 4) drying with silica gels.
1) The Vintage Approach - Hang drying your bouquet is probably the easiest method available and the result will be a gorgeous vintage looking memento. After taking your bouquet apart, simply hang your stems loosely upside-down in a dark closet for about a week or more. After your flowers are completely dry, spray your blooms with flower spray (or hairspray) to preserve. This method will give your bouquet a vintage look because the dried flower colors will vary so dramatically from the original stems.Tip: Turn your dried petals into homemade potpourri. Take your bouquet apart and hang individual petals to dry. Afterwards, crush each petal up and add your favorite smelling oils to create your very own wedding day potpourri. To learn more on creating your own potpourri, check out these articles here and here.
2) Forever Young - Our 2nd choice is freeze-drying through a professional service. This method is the best way to keep your flowers looking as fresh as the day you got them. What is freeze-drying? The freeze-drying method is done by a professional service and usually takes about 8 weeks. Your flower professional will spray each bloom and freeze them so your bouquet will literally be preserved for years and years to come. While this method can be expensive (usually a couple hundred dollars), consider having only a portion of your bouquet freeze-dried to save cost. When opting for this method, it is best to keep your wedding bouquet in the cooler during your reception and use a toss bouquet instead to ensure your wedding day petals do not get crushed or damaged. Also, to ensure freshness, be sure to make professional arrangements well in advance so your bouquet will get sent out right after your wedding.
3) Picture-Perfect - Pressing your blooms is a vintage and unique way to preserve the memory of your big day. This method usually takes about 6 weeks to complete. Select only a few flowers from your bouquet, press them between sheets of wax paper and cardboard, and lay a heavy book on top. After about 4-6 weeks, you flowers will be ready to be assembled into your pressed mini bouquet. Frame your bouquet for a lasting keepsake. For a unique twist, add your favorite wedding day photo of the bride with her bouquet and frame the two together.
4) DIY Bride - Silica gels are a way to bring the benefits of freeze drying and hang-drying together. Not actually a gel as the name implies, silica gel is actually a sand-like substance that flowers get submerged into removing all moisture. Great for sturdier flowers like roses and dahlias, silica gels are not recommended for more fragile blooms. To learn more about this DIY approach, read these articles here and here.
Happy Planning!
Allie
Credits: Purple flower bouquet courtesy of david wedding photography, Potpourri in DIY cardboard container via esprit cabane, pressed flower frame courtesy of martha stewart weddings
