Preserve your bouquet and make it last forever

There are preservation procedures that would cost an arm and a leg, there’s also a way to do it yourself.  Depending on your budget, you can enjoy your flowers longer.

1.  Freeze dry

You would need a professional to do this and you would have to arrange it prior to your wedding day.  It won’t do well for your flowers to search for this supplier the day after, because it already needs to be in their hands by then.  It’s said that the results would yield the freshest looking flowers among the other methods.

2.  Silica gel or Borax

This is less expensive but would entail some cost as well.  You would need a lot of silica gel (you can get it locally, check the list below), enough to fully cover your flowers, heads and stems.  You can either do it in a box and forget about it for a few weeks or use the microwave method and zap them for 20 mins. or so.  That’s according to instructions.

From experience, it was not as easy.  The impatient result seeking curious mind made me use the microwave method on my sister’s bouquet almost 10 years ago, well…. we all know what happened to the cat.  Good thing she wasn’t the super sentimental type and I was able to get away unscathed.

The silica gels turn blue after a while and you have to dry these out before using it again.  And the flowers, didn’t look that pleasing after.  Maybe I did it wrong, but I tried the patient box method, and that didn’t work any better either.  Oh well, maybe you will have more luck.

I’ve read you can use borax for this method, but I still have to locate a good supplier for borax.

3.  Glycerine Method

I read about this method somewhere and I purchased glycerine from Mercury Drugstore.  You need to condition the flowers and immerse the stems in glycerine so they will soak up the solution instead of water.  It didn’t look that nice either.  I found out this works best for foliage rather than flowers and even that, it would take some experiments to see which would survive and still be beautiful after. Read more about it.

4. Air dry method

One of the simplest and least expensive methods you can do to preserve your flowers.  You just need a rubber band and place to hang it on.  Wait for a few weeks and you’re done!

• Disassemble your bouquet
• Group together like flowers, about a dozen per bunch and cut at the same length
• Securely tie them together with a rubberband, this will shrink with the flowers so it won’t inadvertently fall out
• Hang it in a dry, airy place, preferably not humid otherwise, molds will form.  I usually like to hang them on curtain rods, that way it also becomes decorative.

5. Pressing flowers

This is probably the easiest and almost every girl has had experience doing this.  You just need a telephone book and you are set.  I sometimes use my favorite books, especially the romance novels for this, but its really up to you.  If you plan to use it to frame your wedding picture, its best to wait for a few weeks until its completely dried out.

For this method, its also best to choose the smaller and flatter flowers for more efficient drying.  Examples are snapdragons, paper roses, some orchids, tulips, filler flowers.  In the case of fuller flowers, like roses and carnations, I prefer to dry out individual petals and rearrange them in a flower-like shape later on.  I have tried drying them as is only to be rewarded with moldy stems, (yewww).

6. Use beads and crystals instead of flowers

I made the bouquet on top for a Wedding Essentials photoshoot a few years back.  My concept is to have something that will last forever with the fresh flowers, in that way, the bride will always have something to keep as a souvenir.  I can even refashion it into a hair piece, brooch, christmas ornament (to mark the first Christmas together) or anything the bride would fancy, or she can do it herself making it even more of a heirloom.

Actually you don’t even have to stop there, you can actually have your whole bouquet made out of crystals and beads.  The beads and crystals will be wired to mimic flowers and it only needs to be a small one because (for me) its looks best when it’s very delicately done.  This way, you would really have something that lasts forever.

With flowers as the ulitmate symbol of love, isn’t it nice to preserve it as a constant reminder even when you are already celebrating your Golden Anniversary?  What do you think?  Is it worth it?  Would you go for the professional conservation or the tried and true DIY flower press way?

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For drying mediums

Dalisay Phils. Corp (for Silica gel)
112 J L Escoda, San Rafel Village, Navotas
2535994
Available in 25kilo packs: Php110/K white, and Php 185/K blue (color indicator)

Commoner’s Commercial (for silica gel)
725 Ilaya St., Binondo, Manila
2429114
Available in sachets in packs of 500 around Php200+

Michaels (Arts and Crafts Store) (for silica gel)
US (if you have family or friends travelling)
Available in quart and 5lb. containers
website: www.michaels.com

Alyson’s Chemicals Enterprises, Inc.
1425 G. Araneta Ave., near del Monte Ave., Quezon City, 1100 Philippines
712-2266
Silica gel Php2,000/25K
Borax Php57.50/K

Bouquet Freeze Drying Services

Precious Memories
15 Jasmin St., South Greenpark Km. 18
Bgy. Marcelo Green, Paranaque Sity
821-0117, 776-3890, 0917-8137647
info@floralpreserve.com

Bridal Conservatory Floral and Fine Apparel Preservation
Suite 3004 Astoria Plaza, Escriva Drive
Ortigas Center, Pasig City
482-5322
info@thebridalconservatory.com