It’s the day of the wedding and after all the planning, budgeting, & Pinterest searching, you finally get to walk down the aisle hand in hand with your bouquet. It’s everything you hoped it would be but you don’t want to say goodbye. Well, you don’t have to! There are many ways to preserve your flowers, from simply drying them to having them pressed and framed. Read on to see all the ways to keep your wedding day alive.
We would encourage you to plan ahead and decide how you’d like to preserve your bouquet before the wedding! Most options require sending your bouquet directly to the company as soon as possible after the wedding. But, I have listed some DIY options for extra special keepsakes.
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The first, and probably simplest way to preserve your wedding flowers is dry them. This option doesn’t require any special materials and you can keep the entire bouquet intact. It is suggested to remove the ribbon, floral tape, and any excess leaves that have already started to turn brown. Then, to be sure the flowers keep their shape, separate each stem and tie with twine or rubber band and hang individually to dry.
Hang the stems upside down in a dark, dry area undisturbed for at least 2 weeks, up to a month. It’s normal for the flowers to shrink and discolor. Once they are completely dry, there are a few options. You can arrange them in a vase, hang them somewhere in your home as art or place them in a personalized shadow box. If you’ve kept the ribbon originally used in your bouquet, you can wrap them back up for display.
*as in any flower preservation, be sure to keep away from sunlight, as this can make them even more fragile and will fade the color further
When pressing your flowers, select as many flowers as you’d like from the bouquet and spread them out on some wax paper. It’s important that you arrangement exactly as you’d like them to be displayed because once they’re dried and pressed, that’s it.
Once arranged how you’d like, place the wax paper with the flowers inside a heavy book or under something very heavy, be sure to place another piece of wax paper on top to protect the flowers. All that’s left is to wait, give it about 2 weeks to dry. If after you check them they are still not totally dry, you can re-press and check again in a few days. You can then arrange them in a glass frame for display or use them in DIY projects.
There are also flower press kits out there to help with this process. If again, you don’t feel comfortable with this project and would rather an expert do this-there are many artists and options. The above photo is from The Pressed Bouquet Shop and they do amazing work! With a quick google search, many artists are available.
Though this doesn’t “preserve” your actual flowers, it can be a wonderful way to freeze them in time in an artistic way. There are many artists to choose from and you may already have someone in mind. All you have to do is send in a photo for the artist to reference. Etsy is a wonderful place to start searching. This illustration is from Tay Wilson Art on Etsy.
Resin is a wonderful way to preserve pieces of your bouquet because there are so many options. The photo above showcases this perfectly! But, if you’re not one for hosting and want something for the office, you can order/create a paper weight, pencil holder, picture frame, or book ends. The list goes on, that’s why I love this option so much. You can get the tools to create these from any local craft store but if you’re not up for the DIY, send away your flowers and have it made for you! It’s also a wonderful anniversary gift.
Similar to the illustration, another wonderful way to artistically preserve your flowers. Again, Etsy is the perfect place to search for embroidery artists. Thread The Wick; on Etsy, created the above piece. I can just imagine this hanging as wall art, a beautiful memory to display.
Silica works by absorbing the moisture from the flowers in your wedding bouquet. This option is the best way to keep the original shape, color, and look of your bouquet. Silica drying gel can be found at most craft stores. Before using this method, we would recommend you test this process on other flowers before the actual bouquet. Use a paintbrush to cover the flowers with silica powder. Then, place the flowers in an airtight container, fill any empty space with powder to make sure the flowers are completely covered, and seal the lid. Next, we wait…let the flowers dry out for about a week. Once dry, remove the bouquet and gently dust off any remaining powder. Once the bouquet is full dry you can spray in a hairspray or protective floral spray.
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