How to preserve a bridal bouquet: 7 methods

How do you preserve a bridal bouquet? Our guide shows you 7 different ways to do this, depending on the final effect you want to achieve. And these work equally well for preserving other flowers for crafts and decoration.

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The wedding is the most beautiful day in the life of a couple in love. In addition to photos, guest books and video recordings, the bridal bouquet can also become a long-lasting memorial. All you have to do is preserve it in the right way. In the following we present seven methods with which you can make your bridal bouquet long-lasting. We also explain how you should prepare the bridal bouquet and how you can present the preserved bouquet.

Prepare preservation

Before you can preserve the bridal bouquet, there are a few things to consider. On the one hand, the flowers should still be fresh and not dried or withered, otherwise the result will not be very attractive after a professional drying process.

On the other hand, you should make sure that the bridal bouquet, which may have been placed in a vase for 1-2 days after the wedding, is free of moisture. If the flowers or stems are still damp during the preservation process, the flowers can start to mold and the attempt to preserve them would be in vain. You should therefore pat the flower bouquet thoroughly with a paper towel after removing it from the water. You should also remove broken or dry spots.

Tip: It is advantageous if the bride knows before the wedding that the bridal bouquet should be preserved. Firstly, a copy of the bridal bouquet can be made, since the original often suffers when throwing the bridal bouquet, secondly, florists can directly recommend flowers that are particularly suitable for preservation.

Possibilities for the preservation of bridal bouquets

There are different variants with which you can make your bouquet durable at home. Some are simple, but the drying process takes time. Others are more complex, and the preservation process hardly takes any time. Here are seven ways to preserve them:

1. Dry bridal bouquet
2. Preserve bridal bouquet with dry salt
3. Preserve bridal bouquet with silica gel
4. Preserve bridal bouquet with wax
5. Press bridal bouquet flowers
6. Press bridal bouquet flowers with an iron
7. Press bridal bouquet flowers in the microwave

 Dry bridal bouquet

Drying the bridal bouquet is the most common and simplest option, which can be done with little effort, but with a little patience.

Required material: household yarn, possibly clear varnish
Drying time: several weeks

1. Tie the bridal bouquet on its stems with a thread, but not too tightly so that the stems are not cut.
2. Then hang the bouquet upside down in a dark, dry but airy place (basement, attic). It must not be exposed to direct light, otherwise the color may fade.
3. If you like, you can then spray the bouquet generously with clear varnish for some shine.

Tip: Check from time to time whether the yarn is still tight enough so that nothing can slip out.

 Preserve the bridal bouquet with dry salt

Dry salt quickly removes moisture from the flowers, so this method is well suited for the impatient. The exposure time is on the salt pack.

Required material:
dry salt, large closable container or vase + newsprint
Drying time: 3-5 days, see package insert

… if a closable container is available:

1. Cover the bottom 2cm with salt, carefully roll the flowers in it.
2. Place the bouquet upright and sprinkle each flower thoroughly with salt, close the lid.
3. Remove salt carefully after drying.

… If a vase and newspaper are available:

1. Sprinkle newsprint well with dry salt.
2. Carefully turn the bouquet in the salt.
3. Then place the bouquet in the vase and sprinkle each flower thoroughly with dry salt.
4. Remove salt carefully after drying.

 Preserve the bridal bouquet with silica gel

Silica gel or silica gel works similarly to dry salt and preserves the flowers equally quickly. Required material: silica gel, closable container
Drying time: about 3-5 days

manual

1. Fill the jar with the gel beads until the bouquet can stand upright in it.
2. Carefully place the bridal bouquet in until the sides are covered.
3. Then very carefully sprinkle the flowers with the balls until they are covered.
4. Close the jar and keep closed until completely dry.

 Preserve the bridal bouquet with wax

This method is more complex and should be enjoyed with caution. It takes a while to grow, but the bouquet is preserved immediately after the process. The wax can be bought (paraffin wax) or consist of white candle scraps. Never melt the wax directly, but only in a water bath as wax is flammable!

Required material: old pot, old heatable container, newspaper, old vase or similar, skewer skewer, wax
drying time: <30 minutes

1. Carefully remove leaves and dark spots on flowers.
2. Line the workplace with newspaper.
3. Heat the water in the pot, put the wax in the heatable container and place the container in the hot water.
4. Let wax melt and remove the pot from the heat.
5. Let the wax cool down a bit so that it is no longer very hot but still liquid.
6. Carefully dip a flower into the wax with a twisting motion. Take out after a maximum of 2 seconds and let the wax drip off while rotating.
7. Hold the flower upright and use a shish kebab to gently pull the flowers apart.
8. Place the flower at an angle in an old vase / container and let it dry for a short time.
9. If the result is not yet completely convincing, repeat the process.

Tip: The method works best with lighter flowers. Darker flowers sometimes don’t look as fresh afterwards. It’s still worth a try!

 Press bridal bouquet flowers in a book

This variant is simple and well suited if the bridal bouquet has suffered, for example, when throwing the bridal bouquet and only individual flowers are still intact.

Required material: thick heavy book, blotting paper
drying time: at least 1 week

1. Select the most beautiful flowers / blossoms and remove small leaves from the stem.
2. Take a thick book like an encyclopedia, a telephone book or an old classic book that is no longer needed later because it can absorb liquid.
3. Place the blotting paper on an open page in the middle of the book, carefully place one or more flowers on it. The flowers shouldn’t touch!
4. Place a second piece of blotting paper on the flowers and carefully close the book so that nothing slips.
5. Put other books on the book for safety so that the flowers are weighed down even more and let dry for about 1 week.

Press the bridal bouquet flowers in the microwave

This variant is suitable for the impatient who only want to preserve individual flowers. The effort is low and the result is quickly achieved.

Required material: kitchen paper, newspaper, 2 tiles, microwave.
Drying time: a few minutes

1. Cut newspaper and kitchen paper so that when folded in the middle it has the size of the tiles.
2. Place half of the opened newspaper on a tile.
3. Place a kitchen paper on one side of the newspaper, spread the flowers over it, which must not overlap / touch!
4. Put another kitchen paper on the flowers and close the newspaper. Now carefully lay the second tile on top of it so that everything results in a kind of sandwich.
5. Place in the microwave for 1.5-2 minutes. It is better to try it too short and if necessary let it dry a second time in the microwave.
6. The dried flowers are ready.

 Press the bridal bouquet flowers with an iron

If you don’t have a microwave and still want to preserve your flowers quickly, you can do this with an iron.Required material: 2 pieces of wax paper, iron, large book.
Drying time: a few minutes

manual

1. Place the wax paper on a non-iron surface.
2. Distribute individual flowers on them, which must not overlap / touch!
3. Carefully place a second wax paper on the flowers so that nothing slips.
4. Press the flowers briefly with a heavy, large book so that everything is flat.
5. Now press hot on the wax paper with an iron. Do not iron back and forth, but press each section individually, otherwise something will slip.
6. The dried flowers are ready.

Tip: After this process, you should clean your iron to remove any residue from the wax paper.

Show off the preserved bridal bouquet

Depending on the preservation method, there are different ways to stage the bridal bouquet. For example, you can place it in a classic vase or put it in a glass cabinet, for example, together with your wedding dress, in a large glass case.

If you have preserved individual flowers or blossoms, you can put them in a picture frame, for example with the wedding invitation, and hang them on the wall or put them up. Shredded flowers that are sprinkled in a tall glass jar also look charming. If the bride always wants to carry her wedding bouquet with her, she can make floral decorations, for example a chain with a glass pendant, earrings or glass charms with petals.

Care instructions

It is important that the flowers are not exposed to direct sun after the preservation process, otherwise they can lose color. If dust settles, it can be removed with a hair dryer on a cold level. Preserved flowers should not be wiped with a damp cloth or shaken vigorously. If you follow all of this, you will surely enjoy the flower memorial for a long time.