How to Preserve Your Wedding Bouquet: 7 Techniques

A wedding bouquet, also known as a bridal bouquet, is a floral arrangement traditionally held by a bride on her wedding day. You may purchase the bouquet and other wedding flowers—such as boutonnieres, corsages, bridesmaid bouquets, and centerpieces—from a professional, or you can create your own wedding bouquet using store-bought flowers, fresh flowers from your garden, or wildflowers.

You may want to preserve your wedding bouquet as a keepsake to remember your special day or as a piece of artwork to display in your home in place of fresh flowers. Or you might want to create a tradition of passing your wedding flower bouquet down to your children and future generations. Or you may preserve your floral arrangement to present as a gift to your spouse on your wedding anniversary.

You can choose from several options for wedding bouquet preservation. No matter which preservation process you choose, prepare your flower arrangement beforehand by asking your wedding florist not to spray preservatives on your bouquet, keeping it out of direct sunlight, and using a different floral arrangement for the bouquet toss. Choose any of the following options to preserve your flowers:

1. 1. Air-dry: After removing any browned flowers or leaves, tie a piece of string or twine around the stems and hang your flowers upside down in a dry temperate location. The drying process takes at least two weeks to a month, depending on the temperature and humidity. Dried wedding bouquets maintain their original shape, though dried flowers may shrink slightly and fade over time.
   
2. 2. Create a painting: Though commissioning a painting of your wedding bouquet won’t preserve the actual flowers, it will provide you with a visual remembrance and a framed piece of wedding décor that will last a lifetime. You can choose acrylics, watercolors, or any technique that pleases you, then paint it yourself or hire a professional to paint it for you.
3. 3. Freeze-dry: Though professional freeze-drying will cost you more than drying your flowers at home, freeze-dried flowers maintain your flowers’ original colors and resist fading. Your wedding florist may offer freeze-drying preservation options, or you can find a floral preservation company specializing in freeze-drying. The process takes approximately three months.
4. 4. Preserve in resin: You can preserve your bouquet in epoxy resin purchased at a craft store, turning your flowers into a paperweight or decorative piece using a square, heart, or half-sphere mold. Dry your flowers by airdrying, then fill your mold halfway with epoxy resin, arranging your flowers to your liking in the fluid. Fill the mold to the top with resin, then allow it to dry for at least 24 hours before removing your floral keepsake from the mold.
5. 5. Preserve in wax: Preserving your flowers in wax will keep your bouquet looking as it did on your wedding day. Melt paraffin wax in a saucepan, gently dip your flowers in the wax, then hang them upside down until dry. Wax preservation lasts about six months, so avoid this method if you want to preserve your wedding bouquet for longer.
6. 6. Press your flowers: To press your flowers, select the entire bouquet or individual flowers and spread them on a piece of wax or parchment paper. Place the flowers into a flower press or inside the pages of a heavy book, then place additional heavy items on top until the flowers flatten. Allow your flowers to dry for about two weeks, then frame them in a picture frame or shadowbox.
7. 7. Submerge in silica gel: Use the drying properties of silica gel (a type of sand that absorbs moisture) to preserve your flowers in the same condition as on your wedding date. Buy silica gel at your local craft store, then form a base of the gel in an airtight container, laying your flowers into the gel and pouring additional silica gel around the flowers to the top of the container. Close the container and let dry for seven days, then spray the flowers with hairspray or sealant spray. Learn more about drying flowers with silica gel.

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