Many brides want to treasure their wedding day flowers for a lifetime. Fortunately, there are several ways to preserve flowers for wedding events. Below are four methods of flower preservation that can be done as a DIY project or by a professional florist.
Tips for Preparing Wedding Bouquet Preservation
A primary pro tip for prepping wedding flowers for preservation is to request that the floral designer passes on spraying the bouquet with a flower spray preservative. This can result in browning buds for those who want to press their flowers.
Use an artificial bouquet for the traditional toss, or skip it entirely to avoid damage. Keeping the floral arrangement away from sunlight and in freshwater is essential until you have time to preserve them. Let's proceed with some flower preservation methods.
1. Flowers for Weddings Can Be Pressed
Want to preserve a few flowers versus the whole bouquet? Select the ones you treasure most and arrange them on wax or parchment paper. Place them into the center of a page in a heavy book. Then add another piece of paper on top of them and close the book. Add weights atop the book for best results. The flowers should be dry in around two weeks.
2. Air Dry Wedding Day Bouquets
To preserve the entire arrangement and keep its original shape intact, air drying is a great option. After getting rid of any torn petals, extra leaves, and any browning parts, take a string and hang them upside down in a dark, temperate area. Be forewarned: some slight shrinkage may occur with this method. Flowers need to air dry for two weeks or longer.
3. Preserve Flowers for Weddings with Silica Gel
Silica sand is another way to keep flowers to their shape and color. Get an airtight container large enough to hold the bouquet. Pour a bit of the silica gel into the base of the container and arrange them however you want to preserve them. Place the bouquet face up into the sand. Slowly pour the gel over the flowers until all blooms are fully covered. Seal the lid and then allow the arrangement to sit for a week.
4. Encase Wedding Bouquets in Resin
Epoxy resin is another excellent way to preserve wedding flowers and maintain their color and shape. However, it's necessary to dry them first using the silica gel method. Pour a base layer of resin into your mold to arrange them.
Then, place the bouquet face up into the resin and slowly pour the solution into each flower. Fill the container halfway and double-check that they are perfect, as you can't change them after the resin hardens. From there, fill the mold to the top with resin. Within 24 hours, the resin should harden and you can then remove the arrangement from the mold.
Keep the memory of your special day front and center using these wedding flower preservation tips. And don't forget to give the groom's boutonnière the same treatment to complement the display.
Reach out to a florist to learn more about wedding flowers.
