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The Whole Works
By Louise Baltruschat Hollis
You are either planning on falling in love with your bouquet or you are newly married and can’t bear to see your beautiful wedding bouquet wilt. Am I right or am I right?
Well, there is no need to fret, because I am here to the rescue with different ways to preserve your wedding bouquet to keep forever!
Now, as a bride, I have to admit that my bouquet was my favourite physical element of my wedding day. I was in love with it and I often wistfully look back on my photos of it.
I really regret not having tried some more ways to preserve my bouquet. I did do a couple of the options below with mixed results, but I winged it in all honestly, rather than having a solid plan of action!
So, take a look at these ideas, choose one or two to do and get all you need at the ready to preserve when your wedding bouquet is at its best!
If you do really want fresh flowers (I totally get it – I did too!) then read on.
photo by London Wedding Photographer, Tony.
All you need to do is hang up your bouquet, somewhere dry, away from water. It should simply dry out on its own.
I did this with my flower crown and it now sits on my living room shelf.
Before my flower crown fresh. Photo of my flower crown by Alexa Loy
After, my flower crown dried (6 years after the wedding).
Pros
Cons
I tried pressing some of my wedding flowers, but some flowers were too large. Using a DIY flower pressing kit, I pressed flowers and framed them as you can see below.
However, it didn’t quite go fully to plan. Some flowers were quite large and needed a heavier/bigger flower press which I didn’t have. So they weren’t exactly flat, so it’s worth considering the type of flowers in your bouquet AND how many flowers you want to save.
You could press flowers and then frame them, or make a wedding memory scrapbook. You could even create your own pressed flower artwork.
Pros
Cons
This is another way I had my bouquet preserved. I was really lucky that an artist sent me a beautiful illustration of my bouquet as a gift. It’s a really special momento and something that can be framed and hung in a lovely spot in your home.
A dressing table/room, office or bathroom can make for a sweet spot for a painted bouquet.
Illustration gifted to me by Harriet Parry Flowers | Photo of my bouquet by Alexa Loy
Pros
Cons
Perhaps an obvious idea, or is it? If you are hiring a professional wedding photographer or filmmaker and your bouquet is really special to you. Tell them!
They can then ensure they capture your bouquet in all its glory for you to relive and enjoy for years to come. I have some beautiful shots of my bouquet which I am really thankful for.
You can then frame your photos, create an album or create a spot for them on your social feeds.
Photo of my bouquet by Alexa Loy
Pros
Cons
This is definitely not something I have not tried, but you can preserve flowers with wax.
Whether or not you can preserve your whole bouquet is uncertain. But you may be able to dip individual stems in wax which seems simple to do.
Pros
Cons
Not for the faint-hearted, preserving flowers in resin may need a little professional assistance. This is something I’d love to try as a little DIY project.
Photo of my bouquet by Alexa Loy
Pros
Cons
How about reusing your flowers rather than preserving them by adding them to beauty products for scent?
Flowers such as these could work really well:
Be sure to check flowers you use are safe for beauty products and look online for beauty recipes.
Pros
Cons
Silica gel is made of crystals used for water absorption, so they make a great option for drying wedding flowers. However, quite a lot of silica gel would be required to preserve your bouquet. Not to mention a really large container.
This option is best for preserving individual stems and the results can be quite effective.
There are different methods, from storing in a container to using a microwave with different timelines for both.
Pros
Cons
For a speedier drying process, you could ping your wedding bouquet flowers in the microwave. Quick and easy to do, however, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to keep your whole bouquet and results can vary.
Photo of air-dried hydrangeas
Pros
Cons
On low heat, and with careful guidance you can bake flowers in your oven to dry them out. You will need to think about taking the stems off and just using individual flower heads though.
Again, you won’t be able to keep your bouquet intact, but it should be a fairly quick and easy process.
Pros
Cons
Think about adding keepsake items to your bouquet, so that if your flowers don’t last, the keepsake will:
Eh? How to avoid preserving my bouquet? I hear you ask! Yes, you could opt to have a bouquet made from materials other than fresh flowers. Here are some options:
So if you want a flawless way to preserve your wedding bouquet, simply make it to last!
It’s best to try your wedding bouquet preservation as soon as possible. Fresh flowers last around 1 week depending on the flower and how you care for it.
So if you want to start the preservation process, aim to do so while flowers are at their best. Ideally within 1 week after your wedding day.
The cost of preserving your bouquet really depends on the method you choose. Air drying at home is free. But hiring a professional could cost up to £500 to preserve a whole bouquet.
Other ways of preservation could cost in the region of £50, depending on equipment or preserving stems only.
→ This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase – at no additional cost to yourself.
Now we’ve taken a look at different wedding bouquet and flower preservation techniques, let’s see some ways the pros can do it for you!
Oh, how pretty is this framed dried flower artwork? It’d look really beautiful hung pride of place.
Casting wedding flowers in resin is such a fun way to preserve your flowers and their colours. Plus it protects them!
Drying and framing your whole bouquet has to be the ultimate way to preserve your bouquet, surely?
Pressed flowers can look so pretty arranged in frames like this.
How about embroidering your bouquet or getting a pro to stitch up a storm?
These wedding bouquet paintings are so beautiful, wow!
I love how these resin bottles allow the flowers to be 3D and in a suspended effect.
Keep your wedding bouquet with you always, in a ring. So special!
So there we have it, the ultimate guide to preserving your wedding bouquet.
Whether you go down the DIY route or hire a professional, be sure to make a plan ahead of your wedding day. That way you won't miss the crucial 1-week window and take the right steps before you make a mistake.
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