Want to learn how to preserve a wedding bouquet? All of us married folks know the pain of throwing away a gorgeous arrangement from one of the most important events of our lives. Fortunately, those of you who are yet to tie the knot can learn the art of bouquet preservation and some prerequisite steps you must follow to ensure a smooth sailing process.

Expert florists at Distinctive Elegance have been in the business of bringing couples’ visions to reality through high-quality arrangements, bouquets, and decor. We’re equipped with insider knowledge to help you create stunning displays and even take the best elements of your florals and foliage for wedding flower preservation.

Are you curious to learn more? Keep reading!

Prerequisite Steps To Preserve a Wedding Bouquet

The first and most crucial step toward wedding bouquet flower preservation entails preparing the flowers. For the best outcome, we recommend getting down to it as soon after your wedding as possible while your bouquet is still vibrant and fresh. Since you likely don’t want to spend your wedding night preparing your wedding bouquet for preservation, we recommend delegating this task to a loved one.

Here’s what needs to be done beforehand:

• Take pictures of your bouquet from various angles.
• Dismantle and take the bouquet apart to preserve each flower separately.
• Remove anything that looks past its best, including browning stems and wilting petals.
• Trim the stems’ ends.
• Place the stems in a vase filled with fresh water.

Lastly, but most importantly, we recommend substituting your wedding bouquet with another one for the bouquet toss. If you can’t find a substitute, perhaps skip this tradition altogether, otherwise, your bouquet won’t look its best for preservation.

7 Methods To Preserve a Wedding Bouquet

With the prerequisite steps out of the way, you’re finally ready to preserve a wedding bouquet. There are 7 different methods to do this. The method you select can vary based on the tools you have at hand, the skills you possess, the time required, and the difficulty level. In the end, it comes down to your personal preferences and needs.

So, without further ado, let’s get down to the nitty-gritties of wedding flower preservation!

1. Get a Painting 

Some couples prefer capturing their wedding bouquet’s beauty through a sketch or a painting. If you don’t want to spend additional bucks on commissioning this, you can speak to your wedding photographer and ask them to take professional photos of your bridal bouquet. After you receive the photographs, you can simply print and frame them in your house. This way, your stunning wedding bouquet will always be on display and remind you of your special day.

2. Press Your Flowers

The only downside of pressing your wedding bouquet flower is that they’ll become flat and won’t remain three-dimensional. If you can look past this con, you’ll find it relatively easier and more time-friendly. Moreover, if you don’t own a professional flower press, you can simply press your wedding bouquet flowers in between the pages of a heavy book–which most of us have already done.

However, it’s pertinent to note that the pressing method is better suited for the more delicate blooms in your bouquet. The plumb flowers, such as roses or peonies, will likely rot before they dry. On the other hand, buttercups and poppies offer great results.

If you want to use the pressing method to preserve a wedding bouquet, try incorporating delicate blooms, such as the ones mentioned above, cornflowers, and sweet peas. You could go for a more natural-looking bouquet and include only these flowers.

You’ll likely need to keep the flowers pressed inside the book for about two to four weeks for them to be completely pressed. Once they’re ready, you can create a photo album of these flowers or create a botanical-style picture frame.

3. Preserve Your Wedding Bouquet by Freeze Drying

While free drying to preserve a wedding bouquet is fairly easy, you’ll require a dehydrator or a freeze dryer for this method. Unless you have one of the two lying around, you’ll likely need to hire the help of an expert professional. For this reason, this method is considered one of the least pocket-friendly ones out there. However, the results truly make up for its associated costs.

You can speak to a specialist florist to book your bouquet with them in advance. They’ll likely suggest any prerequisites you’ll need to follow and communicate the length of their specific process.

4. Dip Them in Wax

Although not a long-term solution, you can dip your flowers in wax to increase their lifespan. One of the best attributes of this method is that your flowers are guaranteed to look their absolute best for the few months they’ll last. 

The wax method of bouquet preservation is known to retain the flowers’ colours. This method is perfect for couples who want to display their wedding bouquet at a specific event or as a centrepiece for some time but don’t want to keep it around forever. Here’s what needs to be done:

• Take your bouquet apart and tidy the stems.
• Take a long (enough to dip your flowers) heat-resistant container.
• Melt paraffin wax or some candles in the container.
• Prepare a bucket or a vase for your wedding bouquet flower preservation.
• Cool the melted wax enough so your flowers won’t wilt.
• Dip each flower in the wax separately and one at a time.
• Turn the flowers while you take them out to remove any excess wax.
• Dip them for a second time for even better results.
• Put your blooms in the bucket or vase to dry.
• Ensure your flowers are upright so they are preserved with open petals.

5. Seal Them in Clear Resin

This method will ensure that you can save your wedding bouquet forever. Sealing the blooms in resin offers various options. You can create a unique ornament or make a beautiful piece of jewellery using dried flowers and resin.

The only downside of this method is that you’ll require high-quality, industrial quantities of resin for optimal results and to preserve the entire wedding bouquet. Other than that, you can select your favourite blooms from the arrangement and turn them into a creative souvenir.

We love the idea of turning your wedding flowers into trinket trays, coasters, paperweights, and ring holders using flowers and resin. These items can be used for wedding flower preservation or to create thoughtful gifts for the wedding party.

Before you encase your flowers in resin, however, ensure that they’re completely dry. Moreover, you’ll find plenty of options for moulds and resin online or at a craft shop. Here’s what you’ll need to do:

• Pour the liquid resin into a silicone mould of your choice.
• Use tweezers to arrange the flower[s] in the resin.
• Leave the resin undisturbed for about 2 days to cure.
• Take it out of the mould and use it as intended.

6. Dry Your Flowers With Silica Gel

The silica gel method is also one of the easiest ways to preserve a wedding bouquet by absorbing moisture. With this desiccant’s crystal texture, you’ll end up with wedding flowers that look like pressed flowers but have intact dimensions. Here’s how you’ll achieve exceptional results:

• Separate the flowers before placing them in boxes of silica gel.
• Cut the stems short and replace them with wires to speed up the drying process.
• Put the flowers in a box with a layer of silica gel.
• Add more silica gel until the blooms are completely covered.
• Seal the boxes and check them after a couple of days.

Tip: Separate your flowers into groups of similar sizes. This will ensure that your flowers are drying at the same rate.

It’s also important to note that this method won’t preserve a wedding bouquet forever but simply prolong its life and beauty. Moreover, you can utilise this method to dry your flowers before using the resin method discussed above.

7. Air Dry Your Blooms and Foliage

If you’re low on resources and don’t want to put in a lot of effort to preserve a wedding bouquet, you’ll love the air-drying method. This low-maintenance method will ensure you end up with beautiful, fully-dried flowers. Here’s how you can dry your wedding flower bouquet:

• Find a dark, warm, and dry space, like a boiler room or an airing cupboard.
• Take your bouquet apart to hang your flowers separately (this will ensure the air circulates around each stem).
• If you don’t already have a clothes drying line, create one with any available material.
• Alternatively, you can use coat hangers for this process.
• Create hooks from the florist’s wire.
• Gently poke one end of the hook through the stems.
• Leave them to air dry for about 4 weeks. 
• Regularly check on them to ensure they’re doing fine.

It’s important to note that some flowers will dry quicker than others. Moreover, since the stems contract during the drying process, steer clear of tying them onto the line because they will likely slide off once they’ve contracted.

Final Thoughts

Planning your wedding but don’t know which florals to incorporate for the best aesthetic appeal as well as preservation? Distinctive Elegance, with its years of experience in the floral styling and decorating industry, can help bring your wedding dream to reality. Get in touch with us now to discuss your specific requirements and receive bespoke services to preserve a wedding bouquet!