How to Preserve Your Wedding Bouquet

This traditional method lets you keep your full bouquet intact and only costs a few minutes of your time. While it won't have your flowers looking fresh, they'll end up as an attractive addition to any wall or vase.

Find a warm, dry area in your home. Tie the bouquet upside down in a spot that won't be disturbed. Wait a few weeks, and your arrangement will be ready to display.

Silica is a low-cost absorbency powder available in most craft stores. If you're preserving your wedding bouquet as a DIY project, this at-home method will provide you with results that best mimic the original look of your arrangement. Keep the bouquet in an airtight container with silica for a week. After removing, spray it with hairspray or fixative gel.

This one is best left to the professionals. Freeze-drying is a service offered by many florists, and the results are astonishing. If you want your bouquet to look as fresh as it did on your wedding day, this is definitely the route to take. Just keep in mind that freeze-drying averages three months to complete.

Quickly dip your bouquet in melted paraffin wax, then dry it upside down. Preserving flowers like this is a surefire way to keep them identical to their appearance on your wedding day. This method, however, is not long-term. Wax dipping extends the life of your blossoms for around six months.

This method replaces the water in the flowers with glycerin, making them appear fresh, though the leaves and stems will darken. Add one part glycerin to two parts warm water. Set your bouquet's stems in a vase of this mixture for two or three weeks. Hang the bouquet upside down afterwards so the glycerin can reach the petals.

To dry your wedding bouquet with sand, you essentially follow the same steps as silica. For this method though, you'll need at least two weeks of drying time. Plus, sand works better with a sturdier arrangement. If you have delicate flowers, they likely won't withstand the weight of the sand.

One of the most common ways to preserve flowers is through pressing. This won't keep your bouquet intact, but it will allow you to save all the best parts.

Buying a pressing kit works well, but if you don't want this investment, use books. Pick the blossoms you want, and trim the stems. Place parchment paper or coffee filters within the pages. Add your flowers, then put additional weight on top. Let this sit undisturbed for at least three weeks.

For a unique way to display your bouquet blossoms, casting them in resin works nicely. Create a paperweight for your home or office, design suncatchers, or make a sculpture. Professionals can produce a magnificent work of art, or if you're confident in your crafting skills, do it yourself.

Fill a mold halfway with resin. Add your selected flowers in a majestic arrangement. Pour the rest of the resin on top. Let it dry for the recommended amount of time before removing the mold.

Maybe you're not the type to keep flowers around your home. That's okay; consider the idea of a painting or sketch instead. You can do it yourself or commission your favorite artist for the job. The best part is that you can turn your bouquet into any style of art to fit your taste and decor.

Turn your bouquet into functioning art. Get creative by drying it into potpourri, making clay coasters, crafting a wreath, or fabricating jewelry. Add petals to homemade candles, or use them as a floral bath soak. Keep them or give them as gifts. No matter what you do, it will keep the memory of your special day alive.