If you've recently got engaged, congratulations! Now you can enjoy the exciting process of planning your dream day! From choosing your wedding venue to the flavors of your cake, you will make numerous decisions in the months leading up to your wedding.
Flowers are one of the most fun parts of building your wedding aesthetic, and they are essential in adding texture and color to your tables, aisle decorations and many other areas within your venue. They're also a beautiful addition to the wedding party's outfits, with the bride and bridesmaids carrying bouquets and the groomsmen sporting boutonnieres.
Instead of discarding your blooms after your special day, flower preservation allows you to keep floral elements as a treasured memento. Here's all you need to know about flower preservation and why it's one of the best wedding keepsake ideas.
Why People Love Their Preserved Flowers
Preserving the flowers from your wedding is a beautiful reminder of your special day. Here are some reasons why people choose to preserve their wedding flowers:
Functional home decor: Preserving your flowers in resin allows you to create functional decor such as trays, coasters and jewelry holders. Each time you use these items, you'll be reminded of your special day.
Wedding keepsakes: Instead of hauling out a box of mementos every anniversary, using your blooms in floral art allows you to cherish these memories daily. Pressing floral elements of your boutonnieres or bridal bouquet enhances the sentimental value.
Customizable designs: There are multiple ways to make pressed flowers into art. Working with a reputable company such as Element Design enables you to create a piece that matches your unique style.
Maximum floral value: Flowers are one of the most significant expenses, with many couples spending around 10% of their total wedding budget on their blooms. Preserving your wedding flowers allows you to get more value from your purchase.
Thoughtful gifts: Weddings are not only a special event for the couple but also for their families and friends. Transforming your preserved flowers into useful items like ring dishes or coasters makes a great gift for your bridesmaids or the mother of the bride or groom.
Choosing the Right Preservation Method
If you're wondering what to do with a bridal bouquet after the wedding, you'll be pleased to know you have options. There are multiple preservation methods and finished items to choose from when creating art from your wedding flowers. Here are three options to consider:
1. Frame Them
After pressing the flowers from your bouquet, you have the option of framing them to display on your walls. With frame options such as gold, black and natural wood to consider, you can pick a color that suits your current decor. We offer three sizes of frames and multiple additions can be added to any frame, such as a photograph or piece of fabric.
Whether you choose to frame a smaller arrangement, such as a boutonnière or showcase your bouquet with a triptych bundle of three large frames, framing your wedding flowers offers an opportunity to think back to your happiest day every time you turn a corner in your home.
2. Preserve Them in Resin
From ring dishes to serving trays, resin makes it possible to display your pressed blooms in multiple ways. This hardy sustenance retains the color and texture of your flowers, ensuring their beauty is celebrated for years to come. You'll also be able to use resin items in your daily life. Some other ways to use resin in your designs include:
Serving trays: Every time you have guests over for dinner, you'll have a chance to use your gorgeous floral tray to serve coffee and dessert.
Festive ornaments: The first holidays you celebrate as a married couple are extra special. Add to the occasion by decorating your home with ornaments made with your wedding flowers.
Jewelry displays: A ring dish or display tray provides a practical and beautiful way to store your rings, earrings, or necklace chains. These are perfect for the night stand or to keep near the sink.
3. Order a Bundle
If you're trying to decide between framing your flowers or capturing them in resin, why not do both? Our bundle deals provide endless ideas for your wedding flowers after the wedding. You can customize your order to include frames and resin artwork or choose a bundle that allows for several frames or several popular resin pieces, so you get more value from your purchase.
From centerpieces to bouquets, there are multiple flowers left over from a wedding. Choosing a bundle deal allows you to repurpose more of them into beautiful home decor items. Bundles are also an economical option if you're planning to give some items away as gifts, such as coasters for your bridesmaids or a Flower Lovers bundle to preserve florals worn by the bride and groom’s parents.
How Does the Flower Preservation Process Work?
Many brides wonder what to do with a wedding bouquet afterwards — flower preservation offers a great solution. Here's a step-by-step guide of how it works:
Choose your design: Consider your flower types and try to envision how they will look as preserved artwork. If you'd like some guidance, chat with our team of floral experts.
Select your service: We offer multiple tiers of service for our clients. Every order includes our Tulip Experience, which means we will use your exact florals and includes a complimentary 15-minute consultation. We also offer the Rose Experience, a sort of floral insurance that will allow our team to replace any blooms that may have been damaged by time or transportation. Our highest tier is the Peony Experience, which allows clients a further consultation with Creative Manager, Jenni and the ability to receive proofs and make changes to the designs. Choose whichever level of experience makes the most sense for you!
Framing or resin: Decide if you would like to enjoy your pressed flowers as a wall display, practical everyday-use item or both. By considering how to use your florals, you can decide to frame them or preserve them in resin.
What to Do With Your Flowers After the Wedding
While you may want to observe the tradition of throwing the bouquet, you should avoid using your bridal arrangement. Instead, you can arrange for a second bouquet or use one from your bridal party. Your bouquet will need to remain fresh for preservation — here's an overview of the process:
Place your order: In the days leading up to your wedding, place an order with us to be sure you don’t forget. Be mindful of our holiday schedules and how they will affect your floral delivery.
Keep your florals fresh: Place your bouquet in a cool place, dark place to retain its freshness. We have lots of tips for keeping flowers fresh, and you can always reach out to us with any questions. You should also aim to have your flowers delivered within five days for optimal longevity.
Ship with confidence: We highly recommend sending us your bouquets to our Easton, PA location via FedEx or UPS. We are available to receive your bouquet during our shop hours — consult our shipping guide for more information. If you are local, you may schedule an in person drop off to our showroom.
Rest easy knowing you'll receive a notification as soon as your flowers reach our location and are ready for preservation.
Enjoy Lasting Wedding Florals
If you've been wondering what to do with your wedding bouquet after the wedding, flower preservation is a great option. As you spend a significant part of your wedding budget on flowers, you deserve to enjoy your blooms for years to come. Once your flowers are pressed, you can choose between framing them or retaining their beauty in resin.
Element Design specializes in both of these options, enabling you to preserve the most important memories in the form of gorgeous floral art. We allow you to be as hands-on with the process as you’d like to be, whether you want to be surprised by the final piece or have a say in the design with the Peony experience. Simply arrange with a trusted individual to collect your flowers the day after the wedding, send them to our team and we'll create a floral masterpiece!
Explore our designs for inspiration or schedule a free consultation today. We're looking forward to making your floral design dreams a reality!
