How to Preserve Wedding Bouquet

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Aside from the groom, the bride's bridal bouquet is a significant element of the wedding. A beautiful floral display with carefully arranging and color coordinating results in a wonderful component of the bride's attire. But, when the wedding day is over, many brides are left with a beautiful bouquet that will soon simply die in a matter of days. Many brides regrettably throw their bouquets away without ever realizing there are a number of ways they can preserve wedding bouquet to last for years.

How to Preserve Wedding Bouquet

Your bridal bouquet can carry a number of sentimental memories that you can preserve and do something creatively meaningful with. It can be a sentimental expression to leave it upon a loved one's grave or you can keep it on display with your wedding pictures. However, the following recommendations will allow you to keep the wedding bouquet in perfect (or near perfect) condition and enjoy it for many years.
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Press and Frame Your Wedding Bouquet

If you want to keep a few of your bridal bouquet flowers, you can use this simple method to flatten a few of the blooms. This incredibly simple method is a quick DIY project that only requires a book to complete. Just press a few of the petal between the pages of a book. Once the petals are flattened, you can frame them or create a personalized stationary for them to be adhered to. You can choose to have this done by a profession. This is one of the most cost-efficient and effortless ways to preserve wedding bouquet.

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Dry Your Wedding Bouquet

Drying your wedding bouquet can be done with the entire arrangement or with just a few blooms. There are a number of ways you can go about drying it.

  • Silica Gel. This is a sandy like substance and can keep you bridal bouquet looking the way it did on your wedding day. It can be easily found in a number of art and craft stores and is perfect to use for roses, zinnias or other sturdier flowers. Preserving your wedding flowers using silica gel is a very easy process. You simply buy the gel, use a large container to cover the bouquet in the silica gel and allow it to sit for a week. Carefully remove the bouquet from the gel to reveal your perfectly preserved wedding bouquet.

  • Air Drying. One of the most traditional methods brides preserve their wedding bouquet is by hanging them upside down. This method will result in a vintage bouquet that can then be used as a centerpiece for tables. All you need to achieve this is a rubber band and a well-ventilated room where the flowers will not be in direct sunlight. Simply secure the bouquet with the rubber band, then hang it upside down for a few weeks. The flowers will shrink and change color, resulting in a timeless arrangement of your wedding bouquet.

  • Microwave. If you want a quick and easy solution to preserve wedding bouquet, than you can utilize your microwave. For this method you will need a microwaveable bowl and cat litter. You will need to make only one petal at a time, so you might want to consider doing just a few. Simply place the petal you want to dry in a bowl and cover with cat litter. You typically need about four cups of the cat litter to ensure the petal is completely covered. Place the bowl in the microwave for 2-3 minutes on high. Allow the cat litter to cool and remove the flowers. You will want to give them a dusting to remove the excess cat litter, then you will be left with beautifully preserved flowers.

  • Vase. If you do not want to go through any additional steps to preserve your wedding bouquet, you can go the effortless way and just set them in a case. The method is best used on flowers that do not have slender stems, such as hydrangeas or baby's breath. Simply fill a vase with a few inches of water and leave the bouquet in it. The water will evaporate and the flowers will dry in an upright position. This is a great option if you want to tie a ribbon around them and display them on a wall or leave them in the vase for a table decoration.

  • Freeze Drying. To preserve wedding bouquet, the freeze drying method can be a bit more costly but is one of the best ways to keep your wedding bouquet looking as close to its original form as possible. This method requires a professional to do the job. The flowers are sprayed with a starch to preserve the colors and are then left in a freeze dryer for about 3 months. Display your frozen dried bouquet in a shadow box or glass case to keep dust and other elements off.

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NOTES

When you want to preserve your wedding bouquet, it is best to start the process as soon as possible when the flowers are freshest. This can be difficult for many brides because they tend to leave for their honeymoons right after the wedding day. Trust a bridesmaid to start the preserving process for you. Explain to them the steps to ensure the process is done successfully. If you are taking your flowers to a professional to preserve wedding bouquet, then make sure you make a reservation at least a month before hand and have it delivered in a cool container.