Your dream wedding is unfortunately already over. But they are still so happy and romantic. The soul is dancing and the heart is still beating so high. The beautiful memories will accompany you for the rest of your life. The wedding photos also immortalized all the unforgettable moments. You can keep your wedding dress for decades if you feel like it… But what about your unique bridal bouquet? In most cases, this consists of fresh flowers that are doomed to wither in a few days. Then the bridal bouquet simply ends up on the compost. This need not be! Today we will tell you how to dry and preserve your magnificent bridal bouquet.
Dry the bridal bouquet and save a piece of wedding romance
1# Bridal bouquet allow to air dry
Right from the start it has to be said that drying and preserving the bridal bouquet is not really a spontaneous thing. Because not all flowers and plants can be optimally preserved in this way. It would therefore be quite sensible to discuss your intentions with your florist beforehand. As general information: not only the well-known everlasting flowers are suitable for drying, but also roses, hydrangeas, lavender, heather, carnations, meadow flowers, yarrow, silver agaric, sea lavender, globe thistle and a number of ornamental grasses.
With this simple first method, drying the bridal bouquet is really easy. Nevertheless, you should pay attention to a few details. Don’t leave your flowers in the water any longer, but start drying them as early as possible after the wedding. Otherwise the delicate blossoms will wilt and the stems can also become moldy. So take the bouquet out of the water and slightly cut off the ends at an angle. Then tie the flowers together with a rubber band and additionally with a jute cord that is a bit longer for hanging.
Dry the stems thoroughly with a towel
Choose a darker, cooler and above all dry place. The most suitable are: basement, attic or your closet. Hang your bridal bouquet upside down and let it dry for about 7-10 days.
Extra tip: Spray the bouquet with clear varnish after hanging it up and before it dries, so that the flowers don’t become too brittle afterwards.
If dust has formed on it afterwards, you can use the hair dryer on the lowest setting
Sort of like how you actually dry herbs
If you want to turn your bridal bouquet into a wellness experience, then DIY bath salts are ideal
2# Create a herbarium with your bridal bouquet
If you don’t necessarily want to keep the 3D shape of your wedding bouquet, you can create it as a herbarium. No experience with it yet? No worries! Because nothing is easier than that. In addition to your flowers, you also need parchment or baking paper and thick books. This method has optimal results when the flowers and leaves are cut rather small. But you can also carefully try to herbarize whole flowers. Simply place the blossoms or leaves between two sheets of parchment or baking paper in a thicker book and weigh them down with other books or other heavy objects. Now all you need is patience. After about 10 to 14 days you will have your Herbarium bridal bouquet. You can then arrange this in a frame with double glass or as a picture on a white background. Another idea for presenting is: design individual blossoms as jewelry, for example in the form of fine necklaces or earrings.
Eucalyptus leaves can also be dried perfectly as a herbarium
The dried bridal bouquet still looks elegant in a simple picture frame
This more abstract variant is a bit more playful
Gorgeous pieces of jewelry of a special kind
3# Preserve the bridal bouquet with silica gel
This preservation method is actually our favorite approach. This is because it makes the flowers look like they are really fresh. Only a professional could do it better. In order to dry your bridal bouquet using this method, you need the so-called silica gel, which can actually be bought in powder form. You can get this either in a well-stocked craft store, a drugstore or on the Internet. Alternatively, you can use another dry salt. All you need is an airtight bowl and a pair of scissors.
There are basically two ways to carry out this drying method. The first is if you want to preserve the flowers individually and the second is if you want to dry the bridal bouquet entirely.
1st variant:
Cut off the flowers of your bridal bouquet. Fill the bowl with a layer of silica gel and place the flowers in it. Then fill the bowl up to the lid with the gel until all the flowers are completely coated. Close the lid carefully and leave the bowl closed for a few days, depending on the manufacturer’s instructions. After opening, carefully remove the flowers and be amazed! The moisture was removed by the dry salt, but the buds retained almost 100% of their beautiful colors.
An impressive method for drying the bridal bouquet
2nd variant:
If you want to completely dry your bridal bouquet, place a layer of silica gel on a piece of newspaper and roll the bouquet in it. Put it in a vase and dust it with the dry salt. After a few days, the moisture is completely removed from the flowers and leaves and you’ve made it. Your bridal bouquet has already become durable.
4# Immortalize your wedding bouquet with epoxy casting resin
Perhaps you have already made something with epoxy resin. Or not yet? Then you can do it now, with your bridal bouquet. However, it is advisable for absolute beginners to do a test with other flowers or objects beforehand. The popular ideas for preserving the bridal bouquet with resin are DIY paperweights and the initials of both spouses. Of course you can let your creativity run free and use other molds to make the whole thing even more imaginative.
In addition to flowers and leaves from the bridal bouquet, you will also need casting resin, hardener, release agent, clear varnish, casting mold, brush, mixer and stirring stick for the production. Also, it would be good to have an old cloth, wet sandpaper, and polishing compound handy to give your creation the finishing touches. Extra tip: Never use molds made of glass!
Beautiful table decoration or paperweight the end Tinker cast resin
Especially if you want to embed several flowers with casting resin, you should definitely work in layers and never pour the mold in one go. Otherwise you run the risk of getting unsightly cracks inside the dried casting resin. And this is how it’s done:
1st step: Cut the flowers and leaves into smaller pieces as you like and spray them with the clear coat. Leave to dry for a while.
2nd step: During this time, brush the inside of the mold and let it dry for about 15 minutes.
3rd step: Mix casting resin and hardener according to the quantities given in the manufacturer’s instructions. And stir quickly.
4th step: Pour the first layer of resin into the mold and let it dry.
5th step: Now embed the first blossoms and leaves of your bridal bouquet and sprinkle them with the second layer of resin.
6th step: Repeat the previous step until you fill the entire mold and allow to set according to the packaging instructions.
7th step: Then carefully remove the finished resin decoration from the mold and sand and polish the pouring edges and the entire surface with the wet sandpaper and the polishing paste. Finished!
Romantic decoration made of bridal bouquet and cast resin
These four methods aren’t the only ones when you want to dry your bridal bouquet. There are also other techniques, such as those with glycerine or wax. You can also commission a competent specialist to do this if you do not trust yourself or if you simply place great value on professional conservation.
Make your bridal bouquet last and keep a piece of wedding romance!
Roses are best dried or preserved
You can combine dried wedding flowers with one of your wedding cards
Make gorgeous floral decorations with style from your bridal bouquet flowers
Vintage flair with preserved bridal bouquet
Some brides even decide in advance to have a wedding bouquet made of dried flowers
