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Save the Best for Lasting Enjoyment
Preserving Your Bouquet
By Michelle Madden Smith
Lucky is the lady who gets to carry and enjoy a bundle of fresh flowers for the day! The wedding bouquet is a long-standing tradition, and can carry with it just as much symbolism and emotion as there are flowers. Many brides choose to preserve the bouquet as a keepsake and reminder of the day.
While you can learn to dry the bouquet and preserve it yourself using silica gel, the process is time-consuming and you need to begin it immediately and keep an eye on the flowers. Due to honeymoon travel plans this may not be an option for you, but you could possibly enlist a crafty friend or relative who is keen on the idea. Do a little research online and see if this is something you or a friend would be interested in doing. Keep in mind that the silica-gel process is the least effective of all the drying options and may have lackluster results. If you chose hardy flowers, or are okay with accidental artistry, it might be a fine choice for you.
If not, there are many companies that offer professional drying services to keep the bouquet looking as colorful as the day you carried it. The preservation process takes several weeks and you will absolutely need to get the bouquet to them within a couple of days of your event. If you are using particularly delicate flowers, such as gardenias, getting the bouquet to them the day after the wedding may be critical. A helpful tip is to have your caterer store your flowers in a cooler immediately after the photographs to keep them looking as fresh as possible for preservation.
Since you may not live near the chosen vendor, pack the bouquet carefully, cradling the blooms in tissue paper for shipping or transport. It will be important to keep the bouquet cool so packing it in a cooler with ice packs will be the safest method. Be sure to protect the blooms from touching the ice directly as they will quickly bruise and discolor. If you are planning on having the traditional bouquet toss, remember bruised or damaged flowers can’t be fixed (and more importantly, it would be impolite to ask the “catcher” to return a tossed bouquet to you). You will need to order a second bouquet for this fun.
As for what to do with the dried arrangement, many brides choose to have the bouquet preserved as-is to use it as an arrangement in the home. A baking technique may allow the flowers to be displayed out in the open. Some may need a bit more protection and a dome display under glass will keep the flowers for years. Another popular option is a shadowbox arrangement, taking chosen blooms for a display that you can add to later with photos or other mementos. Pressed flowers are beautiful too, and have many, many uses.
As for cost, it varies of course depending on the method, the size of the bouquet, and how you want them preserved. You should plan to spend anywhere from $50-$350 for this. A good investment, because if done well, and protected from direct sunlight and humidity, your flowers could easily last long enough to show your great grandchildren!
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