Wish you could enjoy your wedding florals longer than a day? Well, if you want a sentimental, physical reminder of your celebration, you can learn how to preserve a wedding bouquet. It’s a great way to not only hold onto the memory of that special moment but also lets you get a bit more bang for your buck out of your wedding flower budget. The process is a relatively easy one that can transform the beautiful blooms you held as you exchanged vows into a charming dried floral arrangement, a piece of art for your wall, or even a unique paperweight.
There are a few methods available to preserve your blooms—and most you can DIY. Since your wedding bouquet will not stay in aisle-ready shape for long, it’s best to decide on your preserving style ahead of your nuptials so you can get started on the process sooner rather than later. Check out how to preserve your wedding bouquet ahead.
Hang Dry Your Wedding Bouquet
Love a dried floral arrangement? Luckily, preserving your bouquet in this style is simple for even the most creatively challenged. “The easiest and most natural method to preserve your wedding bouquet is by hanging it upside down in a dry location away from direct sunlight,” shares Allison Futeral, owner of botanical boutique Crimson Horticultural Rarities. “Exposure to the sun can cause the flowers to fade. Based on my experience, achieving the best results involves a faster drying process. This not only maintains the vibrancy of the colours but also preserves the shape of the flowers.”
Preserve a Wedding Bouquet in Silica Gel
A more advanced way to preserve the flowers from your bouquet involves submerging them in silica gel. “The flowers take on a striking resemblance to delicate paper flowers, retaining their color and shape beautifully if executed correctly,” explains Futeral. “Silica gel effectively removes moisture at a rapid pace. We've adopted this method for some of our dried arrangements, and the outcomes have been stunning. While this method requires a more advanced approach to drying, the results are exquisite.”
It’s possible to hire a professional to preserve your wedding bouquet with silica gel, but Futurel says it’s entirely possible to do it yourself. “I recommend buying a five-pound bag of silica gel along with a sufficiently large Tupperware bin to immerse your bouquet upside down,” she says. “Place your bouquet upside down in the bin and slowly pour in enough silica gel to submerge it. Cover the bin and allow it to sit for a couple of weeks. They may become somewhat brittle, so take caution when removing them. Alternatively, you can disassemble your bouquet and lay the flowers flat in the silica gel. Then you can arrange them in a vase.” The floral designer adds, “Honestly, even if a few flowers are lost in the process, the end result is so breathtaking that it's undoubtedly worth it.”
Press Your Wedding Bouquet
If you want to hang your wedding bouquet on your wall, consider pressing the flowers. This preservation method lets you get creative with the arrangement and make a piece of art you can hold onto forever. To press the florals, lay out blooms and greenery from your bouquet on clean wax paper in a heavy book like an encyclopedia or textbook. Place another piece of wax paper on top, then shut the book. You can place another book or a heavy object on top to add more weight. Then, leave it be for seven to 10 days. Once they are fully dried, remove the florals and arrange them within a glass frame.
Preserve Your Wedding Bouquet in Resin
Create a unique paperweight with your florals with some help from epoxy resin. Purchase resin molds on Amazon or your local craft store in the shape of your choice that you would like to display your wedding bouquet in. Fill the mold up halfway with the epoxy resin and arrange petals and greenery within the liquid however you like. Simply fill the rest of the mold with resin when you’re finished and let it dry. Remove the mold to reveal your memory-filled object.
The original article can be found on Vogue US
