Flowers Forevermore: Preserving your Wedding Florals
You’ve dreamed, researched and planned your wedding for months (and even years!), and no detail is insignificant. So once you’ve slipped on your wedding band and kicked off your Jimmy Choos at the night’s end, it can be hard to say goodbye to it all.
Your wedding florals are one of the most fleeting elements of your special day. The transient beauty of such blooms arguably plays into their allure. Given their limited time, it’s no wonder we romantics adore and treasure them so dearly. As florals have a significant impact on your event design and can take up a large portion of your wedding budget, it’s natural to want to preserve their beauty indefinitely.
This is where floral preservation comes into play. While the art has been around for decades, it is seeing a revival with modern couples. In an era where personalization and bespoke experiences are highly valued, preserving wedding flowers offers a unique way to create a lasting, personalized memento. Whether transformed into coasters, jewelry or a framed piece of art, there are more creative and affordable floral preservation options out there than ever before.
Karen Austin of Austin Preservations has been in the flower preservation business for more than 15 years and partially credits the craft’s resurgence to social media coverage and viral trends. She notes specifically, “Interest has increased in resin lately because there is a wide variety of options, from decorative display pieces or functional art pieces such as trays, wine stoppers, coasters, jewelry holders, candle holders and more.”
Various methods of floral preservation offer innovative ways to maintain the beauty and sentimental value of wedding flowers. The most popular methods are freeze-drying, silica sand and pressing.
#01. FREEZE-DRYING
The freeze-drying method for flower preservation involves removing moisture from the flowers by exposing them to extreme cold temperatures. This method preserves the flowers’ original structure and colors better than traditional drying methods, making it an ideal method for long- term display uses.
In this process, flowers are first frozen at a very low temperature, typically around -20 degrees, to solidify their moisture content. The frozen flowers are then placed in a vacuum chamber where the frozen water changes from ice to vapor, bypassing the liquid phase. Any remaining moisture is removed by gradually increasing the temperature while still maintaining the vacuum.
#02. SILICA SAND
The silica sand method for flower preservation involves using silica gel (a desiccant) to pull moisture from the flowers, effectively drying them.
The process begins with placing cut and trimmed flowers into a container filled with silica gel. More gel is then poured over and around the flowers, ensuring full coverage while being careful not to crush them. The container is then sealed and left for several days as the silica gel absorbs moisture from the flowers. Once the flowers are dry, they are carefully removed from the silica gel and any excess gel can be brushed off.
#03. PRESSING
The pressing method for flower preservation is a more traditional technique involving flattening flowers under weight. This process begins with pruning the blooms to remove unwanted stems or leaves. Then the flowers are placed between layers of absorbent paper, such as parchment or blotting paper, and sandwiched with even pressure distribution in a heavy book or flower press. The flowers then remain in the pressed position for several weeks, ensuring the absorbent paper has time to draw out all moisture. Once fully dry, the flattened flowers hold their beauty in a unique two-dimensional form.
Each method has its own benefits and pitfalls, so be sure to research businesses and communicate with your chosen floral preservation artist about which type is best for your specific floral choices.
There are preferred methods for preserving flowers based on your desired outcome, but the type of flowers you use also plays a role. Karen Austin shares that the best preserved flowers include roses, calla lilies, hydrangea, ranunculus, peonies, carnations, succulents, anemones, orchids, lilies, delphiniums and general greenery. Thin-petal florals typically preserve well, but water-heavy or rubber-textured florals such as berries or anthurium can prove more difficult.
However, no matter the plant, weak and unhydrated flowers do not preserve well. The fresher the flowers are when they are dropped off, the better they do. To ensure flowers are in the best condition for preservation, keep them in water until they are dropped off with your preservation artists.
So on top of deciding your overall wedding floral design and choosing your floral preservation artist, you still have more decisions to be made! If you’re facing decision paralysis after a long year of wedding planning, don’t worry! You have time to decide exactly what you want to create with your preserved flowers, just as long as you get the fresh blooms to your preservation provider ASAP. Luckily, the drying process (which takes weeks) affords you extra time to think about what you want the final product to be. The possibilities are endless — from turning your flowers into beaded jewelry to creating a shadowbox display with your invitation suite and photos — there are local providers happy to create something special with you.
Whether preserving a full bouquet or creating an heirloom out of portions of your ceremony arch, your treasured wedding florals can withstand the test of time with some planning ahead. May your wedding florals last now and forevermore!
About the Expert
Karen Austin is the co-owner of Austin Preservations, a local mother-daughter floral preservation team. Austin Preservations specializes in preserving flowers from all events, from your wedding bouquets and memorials to any flowers that have special meaning to you. With expertise in freeze-drying flowers, they are able to create a one-of-a-kind floral keepsake to be cherished for a lifetime. Don’t let your blooms fade away — entrust them to the preservation specialists at Austin Preservations!
Austin Preservations | austinpreservations.com
