How to preserve your wedding flowers

Weddings are wonderful; they represent love and laughter while embodying so many great memories – it’s the biggest celebration of your life and one you’ll cherish forever. When you’re walking down the aisle clutching your hand-chosen wedding bouquet, you hope that the flowers you hold close will be used once more past your wedding day. But then what happens to your bouquet once it’s made it down the aisle?

Well, you can preserve your wedding flowers in different ways to keep them forever (and without them wilting away). And this article is dedicated to helping you do just that! Just read on to discover how to preserve your wedding bouquet in a way that suits you.

Prepare your flowers for different creations

Before we get started, there are a few things you can do to ensure your flowers are in tip-top shape so you can turn them into brilliant keepsakes.

If you’ve not had your big day yet, but are hoping to preserve your wedding flowers, take these steps beforehand:

• Choose a wedding flower supplier carefully – you want the utmost quality for your big day because if not then, then when?
• Ensure your wedding flowers are kept out of direct sunlight; you don’t want them drying out or wilting before you’ve started your preservation process!
• Ditch the old wedding tradition of throwing your bouquet to all the singles in the crowd; this will only damage your beautiful blooms! You want to keep them as fresh as possible.
• Ask your florist to avoid spraying preservatives on your bouquet arrangement to keep them fresh. Otherwise, the chemicals will age/brown your flowers.

Turn them into dried flowers

Dried flowers are all the rage at the minute, and for good reasons other than looking chic and quirky in your home. Because dried flowers keep your best wedding bunches alive for longer than their shelf date, allowing the memories of your big day to live on. This preservation method is super simple, too, as it’s the traditional way of drying flowers out.

To transform your fresh wedding bouquet into dried flowers do the following:

1. Find some old shoe laces - these will help you tie up and bunch your blooms together.
2. Hang the flowers upside down for three weeks or more in a warm spot (from your kitchen window where the light shines through, to your airing cupboard or above a radiator).
3. Once you’re happy with their shape and colour, place them in a modern vase and pop them above your mantlepiece.

Press and frame your precious flowers

Another way to preserve your wedding bouquet is to frame a stalk or two (or even scatter the petals) by pressing your flowers from this amazing day. Then you can hang this creative print on your wall, to match your collection of floral artwork – with an added touch of sentiment!

To press and frame your flowers, you’ll need to:

1. Buy the size and colour of the clear-glass frame that will display your flowers best.
2. Purchase some silica gel from a craft store (like the tiny sachets you find after buying a new purse or handbag) to remove the moisture from your flowers.
3. Prepare/arrange the flowers you want to press by covering them with the silica gel, then put them to one side - headed flowers are the best for this kind of thing.
4. Place your flowers in an airtight container in a dry, cool space in your home (as this will completely dry them out) and leave them for up to seven days.
5. Once the flowers look how you want them to, apply lots of weight to them. To fully press them, use objects like paperweights, heavy books, or even bricks to press the moisture out.
6. Let the flowers air out for 2-3 weeks before framing them, then start arranging them in your glass frame.
7. Finally, use double-sided sticky tape or a dab of glue to firmly hold the flowers down onto the framing mat (this is optional, but a really handy tip).

If you’re really into nature art, this idea is perfect for you because you’re preserving a wedding bouquet yourself while channelling your interests into these creations! Although, there are plenty of businesses out there that’ll frame your wedding flowers for you. So if you’d prefer to do this, search online for companies offering these handy services.

Make a paperweight you can keep forever 

To preserve your wedding bouquet, you can get your DIY on and create this pretty keepsake – a floral paperweight. Wondering how would you do this? Just follow these simple steps.

First, you’ll need to head to the craft store and buy a suitable mould for your creation, as well as epoxy resin. Preserving wedding bouquets in resin means you can keep your beautiful blooms forever. Both of you can revisit the best day of your life, knowing a piece of your wedding will always be amongst you in your home together!

To preserve your flowers and make a paperweight with them, just follow these easy steps:

1. Fill half of the mould up with the epoxy resin and arrange the stems carefully and decoratively.
2. Next, fill the mould up with resin (to the top) and leave it to dry.
3. You need to let the mould set, so leave it for up to 72 hours to dry.
4. Voila, you’ve got a perfect paperweight!

You could even spell out your and your partner's initials in resin to create personalised paperweights that represent the two of you, and use even more of the flowers from your special day. Our top tip: If you can pop it on a mantlepiece (or any space) where the sun shines through, you’re onto a winner – as this will cure the resin much quicker.

Discover further insights

You’ll be itching to take our advice on board to start preserving your wedding flowers, but remember we have a host of other inspirational articles over on our blog. Check them out to read a range of tips on how to create your own scrapbook, as well as the most expensive paintings in the world!