So you’ve had your big day, bouquets are picked, corsages are counted, boutonnieres are matched to suit colors, table counts are complete. Now your flowers are sitting in their vase full of water (or out which isn’t good), now what? We have made a list of ideas, thoughts and guidance on wedding bouquet preservation. For those who want a forever keepsake of their bouquet. We’ve seen resin, pressed and floating frames, coffee tables, ornaments, you name it we have seen it.
Other than trying to relax until your big day, there are just a *few* things left to consider, one of them being the AFTER – more specifically, what are you going to do with your wedding bouquet preservation? We’ve had more than a few brides call us in a panic the Monday after their wedding to see if we can still do something with their bouquet, so we figured it may help a little if we gave you a few tips ahead of time to take the stress out of this!
1. What do you envision for your florals with bouquet preservation?
First thing is first, there are so many options out there it can be a little overwhelming. From drying them to pressing them, and then how to turn those into a finished piece of art that you want to hang in your home. Certain flowers do better air drying, others prefer silica gel, and some will fade in color as well.
With pressed flowers, there are similar considerations with color, bulk of the florals (can it even be flattened?), and whether certain varieties press well. So, take a deep breath, and go for a browse on pinterest to see if you want a 3D piece in resin, a pressed bouquet wall frame, or maybe a few holiday ornaments made as keepsakes – the possibilities are endless and you can let your creativity loose!
2. Our biggest tip with bouquet preservation: WATER!
Regardless of what you choose to do – the biggest tip of all for the best results? Keep your bouquet in fresh clean water at all times when you don’t need it for pictures or a special moment. This includes AFTER the wedding too! There have been times where brides have returned a bouquet to us for pressing, completely out of water and drooping which makes it really hard to work with. Fresher flowers press better, are more vibrant and create a better product at the end of the process. This is a PRO tip with guidance on wedding bouquet preservation.
3. A big no-no; Frozen Flowers
Do NOT freeze them! This completely destroys the flowers. But do try to keep them cool – an August wedding bouquet left in a sunny spot won’t hold up for long out of water!
4. What to try DIY?
Want to dry it yourself? Totally possible! Many times people will take their bouquet and just simply hang it upside down. You may want to do a trial first with some of the flowers to see how well they dry this way, but we find that overall most florals do well just hung up to dry. If you are looking for a specific end result, you may want to experiment first.
5. Pressing
There are LOTS of options for pressing, so take some time to really understand how the process works with a few video tutorials, or by following some pressed floral artists online.
I can’t tell you how many failures, moldy papers, and just gross yucky flowers we have gone through to really understand the process! There are TONS of posts, TikToks, Youtubes and Pinterest links about how to do this…. Just trust us and do yourself the favor of practicing!
6. Communication to Us
Whether you choose to DIY your floral preservation or hand it over to a professional, one of the last and most important tips we have for you is to let us know ahead of time!! Knowing that certain flowers either dry or press better than others, we would do our best to work in those blooms that will last with you through the years.
We can also set aside a few extra stems of the exact varieties that we used in your bouquet for you wedding bouquet preservation, that way there is some wiggle room built in for any oops moments! Coordinating with the preservation artist that you choose is also an easy step for us – we want to make sure that it looks good, too!
7. Who we Recommend
A little too overwhelming to do it yourself? We are fortunate to work with so many talented and artistic folks who are pros at this! Two of our favorite professionals locally are Sarah Postles of Ellie Belle Events as well as Forget Me Knot Florist.
Sarah owns Elle Belle Events which many of you may know for wedding planning. Recently, she has made the decision to be home more often with the little people in her life, and although she is coordinating events less frequently, pressing flowers lets her stay in the industry while not having to be away from family for extended periods of time. Her work is classic and timeless! Located in Chestertown, MD, she is right around the corner from our farm.
Find her on instagram @elliebelleevents!
Forget Me Not Florist and Preservation in Middletown, Delaware is another option. They have a little more “formal” of a preservation process and can take up to six months for work to be returned. There may also be less options, as they have built a fairly specific process that works with their style. They do beautiful work!
Click below to go check out their handles!
Forget Me Not Florist and Preservation
No matter how you choose to preserve your wedding bouquet, the biggest thing to know is to plan for it. Knowing what you want to do ahead of time instead of trying to figure it out at the last minute makes things so much easier! So, have a few ideas or a pinterest board before starting the process, but most of all? Have fun picking out a happily ever after for your flowers, too!
