Source:weddingwire.com

6 Tips For Preserving Flowers After Wedding Day

November 1, 2021

The most precious thing about flowers is their fleeting beauty. And if it’s a bouquet from your wedding, doesn’t it hurt to watch them wither away? Won’t you like to preserve them? You might be thinking, “Yes, only if I could!”

But, that’s the thing, you actually can. Don’t believe us? Well, ask the professional florists at theonlyroses. They make flower bouquets with the best roses from the mountain tops of Ecuador and deliver them to your doorstep. For a quick overview, check out these six simple ways you can preserve your wedding bouquet –

Hanging them upside down:

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The most popular and simplest of all the methods is to hang your wedding flowers upside down and let them dry, preferably in a dark and cool place. Unwrap the bouquet and hang each stem one by one inside your closet.

However, this will also alter the colour of the petals. While taking them out, handle the flowers with care as they become crisp and fragile.

Pressing the flowers:

Source:foreverfloralpress.com

Another quick and easy way to preserve your flower bouquet is to place each flower inside a large book with parchment paper on both sides. Place a heavy object like a flower vase or another few books on it. Leave it for a week or ten days. Once they are dried, you can glue them on the cover or the front of your photobook. If you want to get more creative, you can place them inside a glass frame.

If you decide to press them, you must start it while the flowers are still healthy. However, if you want to retain their original texture, you better avoid this.

Dry with silica gel:

Source:silicagelly.com

Drying your flowers can be done quickly by submerging them in silica gel. Yes, the same ones that you find on new backpacks or capsule containers. You can buy them in your local craft store or find them online too.

First, place your flowers inside an airtight container. Then slowly pour silica gel inside it. Make sure that it reaches inside the petals. Then keep it for about 3-4 days. Once they are dried, use hairspray to enliven them. The benefit is that it preserves the texture and colour better than the air-drying method.

Sand-dry method:

It is similar to the silica gel method, except that since sand is heavier, avoid preserving delicate flowers this way. On the flip side, this is the best process to retain the vibrant colour and original texture of the flowers.

First, take a cardboard box and fill half of it with sand. Using a small cup, gently put the sand in and around the flower till the box is fully covered. After 10-15 days, pull the flowers out of the box.

Press in a Microwave:

Source:hgtv.com

Microwaving flowers is an easy and quick way to dry them from the extra moisture. To microwave them first you need to clip the leaves from the stem. Clean them carefully so as not leave any dust on the petals. Place the flowers on a paper towel and fold it over them. Arrange them anyway prefer- like a bouquet or lay them separately beside each other. Or you can spread the petals if you want to.

Once they are sandwiched inside the paper towel place a heavy object on them. Choose an object that is compatible with hot temperature, like a glass. Keep a timer of 30 seconds as most flowers will dry within 30-90 seconds. Once they are dry, they will become brisk and crisp and won’t feel sticky when you touch them. You can paste those flowers in your photobook or inside your transparent phone case.

Preserve them with resin:

If DIY crafts are your thing, resin preservation will appeal to you the most. The method is a bit tricky, but the results are definitely worth the trouble. Pick a mould of your choice from the local craft store. Then fill it halfway through with epoxy resin. After that, place the dried flowers inside the mould and fill it. Leave it for a few days to dry. Once you take off the upper crust, you will be delighted to see the result.

Depending on what you want to make, you must choose the flower accordingly. For example, if you’re going to make a paperweight, pick one flower with medium-size petals. While using resin, you must wear a proper face mask as the resin is harmful to breathe in.

Wax preservation:

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Dipping your flowers in wax will extend their life for about six months. The benefit is you don’t need to dry them. To utilize this method, you need to melt the paraffin wax on a saucepan.  Once it is smooth and even, turn the heat to low. Next, dip the flower into the wax. Once the wax is set on the flower, repeat the process with the stem. We bet you won’t be able to tell the difference between a fresh flower and a wax-preserved one.

Freeze-dry:

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Freeze drying is the best option if you want to retain the shapes and colours of your flowers as they were on the wedding day. The basic principle of freeze-drying is lyophilization. First, the temperatures of the flowers are lowered below freezing. Then, by applying high-pressure vacuum the moisture-level is reduced to minimum. Finally, by gradually increasing temperature the remaining vapour is also extracted. This way the original shape and the color remains intact. You can keep these flowers inside a glass box as if they are frozen in time.

Apart from these, you can also send your wedding bouquet to professional floral preservers. They have the necessary expertise and skills to make exquisite artworks out of them. For example, you can carve your or your wife’s initials on resin. You can even hire an artist to embroider your bouquet. Surely, these floral gifts will look exquisite on your walls.

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