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Wedding Bouquet Preservation: 10 Ways to Keep Your Wedding Flowers

Want to enjoy your wedding flowers for longer than a day? Here are the best ways to preserve your wedding bouquet for everlasting enjoyment

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A woman untying the ribbon of a bridal bouquet on a table ready to preserve the flowers.
Pexels/Anna Shvets

A woman untying the ribbon of a bridal bouquet on a table ready to preserve the flowers.
Pexels/Anna Shvets

Along with ensuring your photographer captures plenty of snaps for your wedding album, preserving your wedding flowers is a wonderful way of holding on to the memories of your big day. It also ensures the money spent on your beautiful blooms goes even further with a keepsake piece – think a glass paperweight, a piece of jewellery or some statement wall art. 

“Wedding bouquet preservation is a fabulous way to keep the memories of your special day,” agrees Laura McGrath of wedding flower preservation service Nogard Creations. “After spending so much time and thought choosing your bouquet – not to mention, of course, the financial aspect – it does seem a shame to have to throw it away after a week.

“By preserving your bridal bouquet and turning it into an ornament, a piece of jewellery or some kind of keepsake, you can continue to enjoy the beauty of your wedding flowers for years to come,” she adds.

The most important thing to note with any kind of flower preservation is that the sooner you do it, the better. Your wedding bouquet won’t remain aisle-worthy for more than a day or two and if you wait any longer, you risk your flowers wilting, bruising or discolouring.

If you hope to jet off on your honeymoon as soon as the wedding is over, plan ahead. Is there a friend or wedding party member you could entrust with starting off the process for you? If not, and if budget allows, you might also consider asking your wedding florist to make up an identical flower bouquet upon your return so you can preserve that instead.

There are a number of different methods you can pick from to save your wedding bouquet – many of which can be done yourself. From air-drying to preserving in resin, wax preservation to framing it, be inspired by these flower preservation methods below.

10 Ways to Preserve Your Wedding Bouquet

Do you dream of keeping your bridal flowers but have no idea what to do with them? Check out these creative and unique wedding bouquet flower preservation ideas:

1. Air Dry Your Wedding Bouquet

Some white flowers and stems arranged on a table ready to be air dried.
Pexels/Micheile Henderson

  • Best for: Whole bouquets or individual flowers
  • Pros: Budget-friendly
  • Cons: Flowers can become brittle and lose their colour

As the easiest option for even the most creatively challenged newlyweds, air drying your flowers is also the most traditional form of wedding bouquet preservation. So, how to dry a bridal bouquet?

Tie the stems together and hang them upside down for a few weeks in a warm, dry spot away from direct sunlight – such as an airing cupboard or over a radiator. If you’d prefer your flowers to maintain their original shape as much as possible, consider hanging them individually.

Once your bouquet is fully dry – this will take at least a week – it’ll look gorgeous rearranged in a vase or into a wreath to hang on a wall in your home.

2. Preserve Your Flowers in Silica Gel

  • Best for: Durable and vibrant-coloured petals
  • Pros: Easy to DIY
  • Cons: Not recommended on especially delicate or lighter coloured flowers

A slightly more advanced way of preserving the bouquet from your wedding, this involves submerging the flowers in silica gel, which very quickly removes all the moisture to retain your blooms’ shape and colour. It’s worth noting you won’t get as good colour retention as some other forms of preservation – they’ll almost take on a kind of vintage, paper flower effect – but it does work beautifully on most wedding flowers and is very easy to do at home.

You can pick up silica gel in most craft stores or online. Ensure your flowers are completely submerged in the gel, ensuring it gets among the petals too, without compromising the shape. Leave in an air-tight container for up to up to seven days (but at least 24 hours) and voila! We highly recommend displaying in a shadow box frame post drying.

3. Press Your Wedding Bouquet

Some small glass frames arranged on a wall, each one containing a different pressed flower.
Pexels/Merve Bayar

  • Best for: Bouquets with more delicate petals
  • Pros: Easy and inexpensive
  • Cons: Doesn’t maintain your flowers’ 3D shape, which might not appeal to some

Pressing your flowers is a simple way to preserve your bridal bouquet – and a great process to learn how to do.

Separate the flowers of your wedding bouquet and place the individual stems between two sheets of clean parchment paper. Then place them inside a heavy book (avoid using one that’s special to you in case the pages get damp) or flower press.

If you’re looking to use a flower press, you can buy dedicated flower press kits from the likes of Etsy and Not on the High Street. If you choose a book, weigh it down further with another object or more books and leave for at least 7-10 days.

It’s important to ensure the parchment paper in this process is both on top of the flowers as well as underneath – otherwise you could end up with ink on your petals! After the time period, undo the press or lift the book gently. Make sure your flowers are completely dry, so they stay looking pretty.

Once your flowers have dried, there’s plenty of things you can do with them. Framing them is one option, as is gluing them into your wedding guestbook or showing them off in the back of a clear phone case. If you don’t want to display them, combine the petals with some Epsom salts and a dash of essential oil to create a luxurious bath salts mix.

4. Freeze Dry Your Flowers

  • Best for: Intensifying the colour of your arrangement
  • Pros: Petals are slightly more pliable, making them great for more intricate displays
  • Cons: Can be costly

Another form of wedding bouquet preservation, freeze drying your flowers is a great way to keep your blooms looking as close to their original state as possible and can either be done at home or via a professional. If you’re going down the DIY route, however, you’ll need to purchase (or have access to) a freeze dryer which isn’t so cost effective unless you’re planning on freeze-drying other things in the future!

“Freeze drying is a quick and straightforward technique that removes moisture from the flowers while maintaining their structure and vibrancy” says Laura. “It usually takes around seven days to complete.”

If you want to have a go yourself, ensure you prep the flowers beforehand by re-trimming the stems, removing any leaves and placing the blooms in water for 12 hours before freeze-drying. Once preserved, these will look great presented in a shadow box frame. 

5. Preserve Your Wedding Bouquet Flowers in Resin

 

Preserved wedding flowers paperweight

  • Best for: More durable flowers with sturdy petals and structure
  • Pros: Great for gifting
  • Cons: The item must be kept out of direct sunlight to avoid the flowers fading and the resin yellowing over time

Professional companies like Nogard Creations and Viva La Flora can preserve your blooms in epoxy resin, turning them into the most amazing 3D floral art, jewellery and cool décor pieces for your home.

Resin is a versatile material that when cured becomes hard and durable, encapsulating your flowers in a transparent block. Choose anything from square or rectangular moulds, spherical or custom shaped designs and create something truly beautiful (and useable) that can be gifted, such as a beautiful paperweight, set of coasters, ring dishes, epoxy resin jewellery or key rings.

All the moisture within your flowers will be removed, allowing them to maintain their shape and colour. The process typically takes around 16 weeks from start to finish – send your flowers as soon as possible and they’ll be safely stored until the company is ready to preserve them.

6. Try Your Hand at Wax Preservation

  • Best for: Flowers that are fully open
  • Pros: Inexpensive; easy to display
  • Cons: Can be messy; won’t keep your flowers preserved forever

Dipping your wedding flowers in wax will typically extend their life by around six months. It’s also a process that can be tricky, so it’s worth practising a few times before you have a go at doing it with any sentimental flowers. The flowers will, of course, feel waxy afterwards – you’ll undoubtedly be able to tell them apart from fresh – but this method is a great way of maintaining both the shape and colour of your blooms for a little while longer.

You’ll need to ensure you have all the tools required beforehand, including a large pan and parchment paper for drying.

Melt down some paraffin or soy wax in a pan and leave it to cool slightly (check the temperature before submerging the flowers to avoid burning yourself). Then dip the flowers in, one by one, until they’re completely covered. Pull them out almost immediately and leave to hang dry.

Your blooms will look great arranged in the centre of a table or as a garland when attached (gently) to some string with glue.

7. Present Your Bouquet in a Shadow Box Frame

A white wooden shadow box frame featuring a purple bouquet of roses.

  • Best for: Flowers that don’t lose their petals so easily, including delphiniums, roses, hydrangea, larkspur and gypsophila
  • Pros: Allows you to recreate the exact composition of your bouquet
  • Cons: Bouquets must be sent within 1-3 days; not suitable for some flowers, including open peonies, sunflowers, gerbera and large chrysanthemums

If you dream of your flowers taking pride of place in your home, look to wedding bouquet preservation specialists such as Precious Petals who will preserve your blooms using special drying techniques and display them in a shadow box frame to create a beautiful 3D piece of wall art.

Having preserved wedding flowers for the likes of Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, and Harry and Izzy Judd, Precious Petals knows a thing or two about maintaining a bouquet’s original beauty and uses bespoke frames with special conservation glass to ensure it will always look as good as the day you receive it. If you’d prefer a 2D piece of artwork, the company can also dry your flowers flat.

The process takes around 18-20 weeks and can work for everything from buttonholes and corsages to bridesmaid bouquets too. It really does make a perfect wedding keepsake.

8. Commission a Custom Painting

Image of a watercolour painting of a bouquet.

  • Best for: First anniversary gifts
  • Pros: You can go as abstract as you like
  • Cons: Doesn’t preserve the physical flowers

Unless you’re incredibly artistic, this is likely one for the professionals, however, having a permanent and rather beautiful reminder of your wedding bouquet in the form of a painting really is something quite special.

From acrylic to watercolour – and even line drawings – find an artist out there whose style you love and hang the piece in your home as a constant reminder of your big day. It’s important to have a good quality photo of your wedding bouquet to send to the artist, so they can paint it to the best of their ability – and many will send you a photo of the piece before shipping so you can check you’re happy with it.

This makes a beautiful gift idea for an anniversary. Try Katie Hipwell Design over on Etsy, or floral stylist and artist Harriet Parry who will create the most adorable postcard-sized paintings of your bouquet in miniature.

9. Create Your Own Potpourri

  • Best for: Roses, lavender, jasmine, eucalyptus and bouquets with herbs, such as mint
  • Pros: Inexpensive; can be fun to DIY
  • Cons: Will typically only last around 2-3 months

While for some, the idea of potpourri conjures up images of those heady, artificially scented petals of the '80s, your wedding flowers are the perfect excuse to create something modern and fresh for your home. It’s a simple craft that’s also fun to do – all you need are your dried wedding flowers, some essential oil (we like rose oil), a fixative such as wood chips, bark or orris root, and an apothecary jar.

In a bowl, combine a mix of the dried whole flower heads and individual petals, along with a few leaves or herbs for colour. In a separate bowl, combine the wood chips, bark or orris root (whichever you have chosen to be your fixative) and add around 10 drops of the essential oil.

Toss this fixative mixture with the dried petals, leaves and flowers, combining well. Let the mixture settle inside the jar for around six weeks (a black jar is great for keeping out light, allowing the mixture to retain its colour and scent) before placing in bowls to display.

10. Press Your Wedding Flowers into Candles

Some white tapered candles with dried flowers pressed into them.

  • Best for: Small flowers and petals that have fallen off
  • Pros: Looks beautiful; perfect for gifting; a great way to use up smaller flowers
  • Cons: Might take some practice to get right

You won’t need all your flowers for this craft, so if you’ve preserved your wedding bouquet using another method, why not hold a few stems back to create some beautiful, tapered candles too? This works best with petals that have been pressed beforehand, and you’ll also need a pair of plain tapered candles, a tea light and a small paint brush to get you started.

First, light your tea light and allow the wax to soften. Hold one of the dried petals or stems over the plain tapered candle, dip your paintbrush into the melted wax and use it to paint over the flower like glue, sealing the flower on to the tapered candle, pressing gently as you go, so it stays flat.

Apply as many flowers as you’d like to the tapered candles – just be sure to move quickly before the wax dries!

How to Preserve a Wedding Bouquet: FAQ

Everything you need to know about how to preserve your wedding bouquet flowers

How to Prep For Wedding Bouquet Preservation

For high quality results, we highly recommend thinking ahead when it comes to preserving your bouquet and wedding flowers. Here are some steps to consider before and during your big day that will keep your blooms looking their best prior to preservation:

  • Ask that your florist doesn’t use any spray preservatives on your bouquet, as they can cause the petals to brown when pressed.
  • Keep your flowers out of direct sunlight as much as possible and change the water frequently until you can fully preserve them.
  • Skip the traditional bouquet toss, or swap it for a dummy bouquet instead, to prevent your blooms getting damaged.
  • Keep your flowers as wedding-worthy as possible before the big day by storing them in a cool, dark place and cutting their stems diagonally before submerging in water. This will stop them from wilting. If your flowers are being delivered before the morning of the wedding, your florist will be able to advise further on how to keep them looking fresh.

How Do I Preserve My Wedding Bouquet?

There are a number of ways to preserve the flowers from your wedding, whether it’s your bridal bouquet, your bridesmaids’ bouquets – even the groomsmen’s buttonholes.

From air-drying and home-pressing your blooms to framing and encasing them in resin, we have plenty of wedding bouquet preservation suggestions above to help you create the most charming floral arrangements, art pieces, home objects or jewellery. We’ve even got tips to help you create your own bath salts and potpourri.

The biggest tip we can give is to plan ahead on the right method of wedding bouquet preservation for you.

How Do You Preserve Already Dried Wedding Bouquet Flowers?

If you opted for a dried wedding bouquet, there are still lots of ways you can keep them in preserved in mint condition.

Try gently displaying the flowers in a glass frame and hanging it in your home, or pop any small, delicate flowers into the heart of a locket. You could also consider gluing your blooms into a shadow box frame along with a photo or invitation from your wedding day, or incorporating your dried petals into bath salts.

How Long Will My Preserved Wedding Flowers Last?

How long your wedding flowers will last all depends on the wedding bouquet preservation method used – using your wedding bouquet to make homemade potpourri, for example, will extend their life by around three months. And wax preservation will keep them in a vase-worthy condition for around six months.

One of the longest ways you can preserve your flowers is to have them preserved in resin or professionally dried and framed. However, it’s really important to take care of your preserved flower bouquet properly – even when using these methods, your flowers can discolour or break if not kept out of direct sunlight and handled gently.

How to Preserve a Wedding Bouquet: DIY vs Professional Wedding Bouquet Preservation

Whether or not you choose to preserve your wedding flowers yourself  at home very much depends on what you want at the end of the process and how sentimental your wedding flowers are you to you. While choosing a professional artist or company to preserve your wedding bouquet will always come with the added cost, it may well be worth it if what you want is a beautiful piece of art, home object, or gift for your first anniversary.

Remember, as with all wedding suppliers, do your research before choosing a company to preserve your wedding flowers: “As with any craft, there are some artists who use cheaper and lower quality materials,” says Laura. “It’s always worth asking what brand of resin the artist uses so you can check the quality of it.

Read company reviews across multiple platforms, too,” she adds.

If you’re planning on preserving your flowers yourself, Laura also suggests getting in some practice beforehand. “The last thing you want to do is lose irreplaceable flowers,” she says. For at-home jobs, air-drying, flower pressing and preserving your blooms in silica gel are the simplest options. For anything else, we highly recommend calling in the pros.

You might be a DIY boss – but does a DIY wedding actually save you money? Hitched investigates…

Search wedding florists 🌻
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