Wedding flowers play an important role in the overall look of your day, tying all the different parts of your theme together flawlessly. Your flowers are also one of the most memorable features of your wedding decor, so naturally you’ll want to keep them around for as long as possible once your celebrations have drawn to a close. Unfortunately, real flowers have a limited lifespan. Preserving them helps reduce waste and is a sustainable way to keep memories of your wedding.

Let’s discover three of the best, long-lasting ways to preserve your wedding flowers after the big day.

Seal them in resin

Resin is a popular craft supply and can be used to preserve your flowers for a very long time. You can use it to make a paperweight or ornaments in a variety of shapes, depending on which mold you select. This can be quite a complicated and tricky process, so it may be best to hire a professional resin caster to do this for you. But if you want to do it yourself, be sure to practice on some non-sentimental flowers first.

Whilst it is a little harder to do, sealing your flowers in resin gives the longest-lasting results. Be sure to use epoxy resin, as other resins can dry with a yellow hue – you’ll want it to be crystal clear to appreciate your flowers properly.

Press the flowers

Pressing your wedding flowers leaves you with a lovely, frame-able piece of artwork for your home, and is a great way to keep your blooms around without taking up too much space. You can do this yourself with only a few supplies, or hire a professional service to do so for you. Either way, you need to act fast – the flowers need to be pressed as soon as possible after the wedding to avoid losing their colors and quality.

To press your wedding flowers you will just need some wax paper and some books.

1. Lay out your flowers on top of a piece of wax paper onto something smooth and flat, like a large book. Avoid putting them straight onto a table or countertop as you won’t be able to move them for a while!
2. Once you’re happy with the arrangement, lay another piece of wax paper over the flowers. Then, stack a pile of heavy books on top of each other, to press down on the flowers. You can use other heavy objects, just be sure the entire bouquet is covered evenly.
3. After around ten days, gently lift the top layer of wax paper off your dried flowers, being careful not to damage them. Now you can frame your wedding flowers and enjoy them for years to come.

Dry them in silica gel

Silica gel is actually a sand-like substance that absorbs moisture – it’s what you get inside packaging boxes in those little sachets. You can buy it in larger quantities at a craft store, and use it to preserve your wedding flowers beautifully. You’ll need an airtight container big enough for your flowers with room to spare, silica gel and some hairspray or artist fixing spray.

1. Pour some silica gel into the box, then set your flowers onto it gently with space in between them.
2. Continue slowly pouring the silica into the box until your blooms are submerged. Be sure to do this slowly to not crush the petals or deform the flowers.
3. Secure the airtight lid and leave them for a week, then gently remove and spray each flower with hairspray or other fixing spray. You can display them in a vase and have a constant reminder of your big day.

As they are ultimately natural items, even dried or preserved flowers have a lifespan. How long yours lasts will depend on the type of flower as well as the method of preservation, so be sure to consider this before you choose how to preserve your wedding flowers. The best way to ensure they look their best for as long as possible is to keep them fresh until you or your hired professional preserve them. Put them in water as soon as you can after the wedding, and store them in a cool, dark room until you’re ready.

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