How to Preserve and Display Your Bridal Bouquet

Discover ways to maintain your flowers long after the wedding day.

If you need a project after your wedding – oftentimes women report feeling a void and having too much free time once they no longer have an event to plan – there are also plenty of ways to DIY the preservation.

By Emily Lasnier

wildflowers-inc-large-cascading-burgundy-bouquet
Photo: Erin Taylor / WildFlowers Inc.

If you think your photos and wedding video are the only aspects of your nuptials you’ll have after the big day, think again. Some people may consider it a little old fashion, but preserving your bridal bouquet is a great way to have another keepsake from your celebration, and depending on the method you use, it can be a chic piece of art to display in your new home. If you are not particularly crafty or are worried about ruining the bouquet, there are plenty of businesses that can press or freeze dry your bridal bouquet to frame or enclose in a dome. However, if you need a project after your wedding – oftentimes women report feeling a void and having too much free time once they no longer have an event to plan – there are also plenty of ways to DIY the preservation. 

how to preserve your bridal bouquet after the wedding, press flowers, dip flowers in wax, hang to dry
  
Photo by Laurie Bailey Photography

One of the simplest ways to dry flowers is simply by hanging them upside down. Tie the stems tightly together and find a dry area of your home that won’t get too hot or cold. This process will usually take a couple of weeks, so you could even ask someone to do this for you and return from your honeymoon to find your beautiful blooms dry and ready to display. 

If you only want to maintain the look of a fresh arrangement of flowers for a little while longer, rather than as a permanent installation in your home, you may consider dipping them in wax, which will help keep a freshly picked appearance last for months. To do this, you need to melt paraffin wax to about 100 degrees and carefully dip single blooms before placing them in bottles or bud vases while they dry. Be sure to line the area with paper so the wax doesn’t drip on your countertops. Once dry, the blossoms can be rearranged into a bouquet.

To press your flowers, spread out your selections on paper inside a thick book, such as an old college textbook. You may need multiple books depending on how many blooms you choose to press, but you can stack them on top of each other in order to better flatten the florals. Allow one to two weeks for them to completely dry and then arrange in a frame of your choice. 

For more post-wedding tips, learn what to do with your bridal gown after the wedding and discover why white flowers are such a popular choice.

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