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Can you imagine a wedding without flowers? Seems like a doom-and-gloom event, right?
Well, there’s a reason why flowers are such an integral part of wedding ceremonies. Going back to the origin story, it all started when ancient Romans began wearing them in their hair as a sign of fidelity (and fertility) – and the custom has carried on ever since.
These days, flowers are used to set the mood within the venue, but what about the tradition of brides carrying bouquets? That can be accredited to Queen Victoria, who held one at her own wedding and set off a whole movement that has only evolved with time.
These days, one cannot imagine a bride who isn’t holding a beautiful bouquet. What’s more, is that these bouquets are specially curated to symbolize certain meanings. For example, roses mean love in flower language while ranunculus’s symbolizes charm.
It’s all very romantic, except for the fact that the flowers aren’t permanent features. They wither with time, and no matter how much care you treat them with, they eventually die. So, is there a way to immortalize them? Yes, there is, and it’s called wedding flower preservation.
Flowers are a big part of a wedding ceremony, so it’s a shame when they (especially the bouquet) dry out over time. However, brides, these days have come up with the perfect solution to this dilemma. It’s called wedding flower preservation, and it’s the new trend in post-wedding essentials.
It’s a whole process where the flowers from the wedding bouquet are preserved in one manner or another. There are several ways to do so and some of them involve hiring professionals to do all the heavy lifting for you. This brings us to…
There are different ways to preserve wedding flowers and here are some of the most popular ones:
Pressing: Pressing the flowers of your wedding bouquet is a great way to preserve them. Just make sure to lay them out on wax paper and put them in the middle of a thick, heavy book. This will flatten the buds down and allow you to rearrange them in any way that you might see fit.
Hanging upside down: This is one of the simplest ways to air-dry your wedding bouquet. All you have to do is take it apart and hang each bloom upside down in a temperate area (think: hallway closet). The process is all-natural and perfect for DIY-ers who’re hoping to make a gallery wall or even box-frame the whole bouquet as is.
Glycerin: This is a great DIY preservation method, but do note that you’ll have to patiently wait for at least three weeks for it to take effect. You basically just put the bouquet into a vase that’s filled with two parts water and one part glycerin. Then it’s just a matter of waiting for the absorption to take full effect.
Freeze dry: If you want to retain the original form of your wedding bouquet, then this is the preservation method to opt for – although, do keep in mind that it’s a time-consuming one. You have to cut the stems, remove the leaves, and put the blooms in a freeze-dryer when they are in full bloom. Pro tip: it’s best to put the flower in a vase full of water for at least twelve hours before going ahead with this technique.
Silica gel preservation: So, silica gel is used to take out moisture from the material. In fact, you might have seen it in one of those tiny sachets that come in medicine bottles and shoe boxes. Basically, you just have to sprinkle this powder around and about your wedding flowers (make sure all the nooks and crannies are covered), then put the whole thing in an air-tight jar. It’ll take around a week to fully crystalize your blooms. After that, you just have to take it out and set the blooms with hairspray.
There are so many ways to preserve wedding bouquets. Some are DIY methods while others require professional services. It’s all about personal preference. Here are a few ideas that might attract you:
Box-framed wedding flowers make an excellent statement piece – especially when hung on a highly visible wall in the room. It’s a go-to and traditional way of doing things, and the best part is that you don’t have to take the bouquet apart to make it happen. You simply have to dry out the entire thing, put it inside a box frame, and voila!
Immortalizing your bridal bouquet in a custom jewelry item is another trendy way of preservation. It might seem like a daunting task to take on by yourself, but you can easily get a hold of DIY kits with step-by-step instructions to make it happen. Alternatively, you can also hire professionals to get the task done.
Kind of similar to box framing, but here, you’ll have to take the bouquet apart and distribute the blooms into several pieces to make enough frames for the gallery wall. Also, instead of box-framing, you can press the flowers and flatten them out within traditional frames.
If you want to bring a more useful twist to your wedding bouquet preservation, then you might want to look at resin utensils. Here, the flowers are dried out and remade into useful items like coasters, trays, bookends, paper-weights, and cakestands. It’s an excellent way to make your bridal flowers an inherent part of your everyday life.
Wedding flowers are symbolic – even more so than the dress, which is why brides these days tend to preserve them for posterity. This way, they become heirlooms and keepsakes that you enjoy for the rest of your lives.
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