It’s hard to find a bride who doesn’t feel at least a little bit of emotional attachment to her wedding flowers. After all, so much work went into choosing them and they were a significant part of the big day, so it’s sad to see the bridal bouquet wilt and to have to throw it away. But did you know that you don’t have to part with your wedding flowers forever? Here are a few ways to preserve your bridal bouquet:
Preserve your bridal bouquet by pressing the flowers
One of the easiest ways to preserve wedding flowers is to pick a few flowers from your bouquet or flower arrangements and put each flower between two pieces of parchment paper inside of a heavy book. Additionally, place heavy objects on top of the books to help make the flowers flat. Then, leave the flowers to dry for a week or two and use the flat, dry flowers to create a framed artwork with your wedding flowers.
Preserve your wedding flowers by drying them upside down
Another great way to preserve your bridal bouquet is to carefully and tightly tie all the flower stems together and then hang them in a part of your home that has dry air of a moderate temperature. A hallway closet usually works best for this, plus, the flowers won’t be in the way too much. In a few weeks, the flowers should be completely dry and preserved.
Preserve wedding flowers using silica gel
Even though silica gel is called this way, it’s not actually a gel but a kind of sand that absorbs water really well, drying out your flowers and preserving them along the way. Silica gel is typically sold at crafts stores and you can usually get the amount you will need for less than 20 dollars. Once you have the gel and your flowers, find a large airtight container, pour some silica gel into it to make a base, gently place the bloom part of your wedding bouquet into the gel making sure that the shape of the blooms doesn’t change and gradually fill the container to the top. Close the lid of the container and wait about a week for the flowers to dry. After that, carefully remove the silica gel from around the flowers and use some hairspray to fix the bouquet and give it some shine.
Bridal bouquet preservation using epoxy resin
Believe it or not but it’s actually possible to preserve your entire bridal bouquet or just a few flowers using epoxy resin. All you need to do is buy the necessary amount of the resin and a square or circular shape from a craft store near you. Then, fill the shape with the resin halfway through, insert your flowers in the resin and fill the rest of the mold with the resin, allowing it to dry completely before taking off the mold. Afterward, you should have a gorgeous paperweight with your wedding flowers in it.
Use wax to prolong the life of your wedding bouquet
Unfortunately, dipping your flowers in wax won’t keep them fresh and beautiful forever, but it will allow you to keep your wedding flowers for up to 6 months compared to a week or two. All you need to do is get some paraffin wax and a saucepan that’s large enough to fit your flowers. Put the wax into the pan and melt it over boiling water. Once the wax is completely melted, turn the heat down to cool down the wax a bit without letting it to solidify just yet. Dip your best flowers into the wax one by one, taking them out immediately after dipping them. Hang the flowers upside down until the wax dries and then create a new arrangement using the preserved blooms.