A wedding bouquet is a quintessential part of a bride’s ensemble on her wedding day. It can also be a great keepsake you can treasure for years to come. By preserving your bouquet, you can show it to your grandchildren when they’re going through the attic one day.
Here are some tips to keep in mind to make sure your bouquet will last throughout the years:
Don’t throw it away (intentionally or unintentionally)
One of the most famous wedding traditions is the bride tossing her bouquet to the available ladies at the reception. And there’s no reason to skip this fun tradition, even if you want to keep your bouquet. When you order the bouquet you want to take down the aisle, order a smaller one that will be used just for this purpose. Some florists may even offer to do this for free.
Also, have your maid of honour help you keep track of your bouquet. As soon as possible, hand the bouquet off to her, and have her take care of it until you’re ready to start preserving it. If you’re leaving right away on a honeymoon, she may have to take care of the first few steps of preserving the bouquet.
Take it to a professional
There are tons of professional preservationists who can keep your bouquet looking as fresh as it did on your wedding day (or, at least as fresh as it looks by the time you dropped it off to them). There are several methods preservationists use to do this, including using a silica gel or freeze drying.
Of course, this type of preservation comes with a price. Depending on the method, you may spend anywhere from $50 to $300 to have this done, so make sure this is in your wedding budget.
Do it yourself
A tried and true method of preserving a bouquet is to hang it upside-down in a closet until the drying process is complete. This will create a lovely dried flower bouquet that may not look like the original, but it will surely keep.
Another easy home method is to press some of the flowers from the bouquet. Place a flower on a hard, flat surface, followed by a piece of acid-free paper. (Wax paper works well, too.) Then place another heavy, flat object over the flower. This way, the flowers can be used in a scrapbook or even be framed.