Karen's Keepsakes
Some Bridal Flower Preserving Options …
As a bride you have several options when comes to keeping and preserving your fresh bouquet.
Your first option is to preserve your bouquet your self.
To dry the flowers whole, carefully attach a wire to the base of your bouquet and hang the whole bouquet upside down in a warm dry place. It will take several weeks for your bouquet to dry.
To press your flowers yourself carefully pull the flowers from your bouquet and place the whole flowers on paper toweling, cover with additional paper towels and place in a heavy book such as a telephone book and top with several additional books. You can also make your own potpourri from the dried petals of your bouquet.
A pressed flower arrangement by professional floral preservationists is another option.
Your flowers are pressed in large presses in a climate-controlled environment. This procedure takes from three to six weeks. After pressing, your flowers are arranged in a picture with background and mat colors chosen to enhance the color of the flowers. Ask to see if your wedding invitation, pictures or other low profile mementos may be added to your picture. Pressed flower pictures should be in an acid-free environment; this will help preserve the colors and life of the pressed flowers. The colors will “antique” over time but flowers preserved in this manner last several hundred years.
Freeze drying by a professional is a popular option that will retain your bouquet in it’s natural form.
The flowers are preserved whole and arranged to replicate the fresh bouquet. Inquire about the process; do they pre-treat and rehydrate before drying? This helps retain color and shape. Do they photograph your bouquet before hand so it can be recreated to duplicate your bouquet? Are the flowers post-treated to help protect the preserved bouquet from dust and light? These steps will help give your freeze-dried bouquet a longer life. Once dried you must decide how you want your flowers displayed, in a table display or in a case that can be hung on your wall.
Some Insight.
Should you decide to use a preservationist, it is important to contact them at least two months before your wedding to reserve space for your bouquet. Many will take your bouquet on a last minute notice but keep in mind that freshness is very important to processing the bouquet. Waiting three or four days after the wedding may require substitution flowers to preserve the bouquet.
Several flower preservationists are listed on the Internet, search for flower preservation, keepsakes or wedding flowers. Most web sites will provide complete details on how to prepare your bouquet for shipment.
No matter which option you select if you need more information or want an open and friendly discussion about what to do just Email us.
