If you’re planning a pop-up wedding with a small group of friends and family, simple bouquets of flowers can add some timeless romance to your celebration. One of the great things about wedding flowers is that you can enjoy them for years to come if you know how to preserve them.
As you choose the flowers for your special day, keep in mind some of these creative ideas for preserving your bouquet!
1. Let Them Air Dry
One of the simplest, most traditional ways to preserve the flowers from your pop-up wedding is to let the bouquet air dry. Gather the stems and tie them closely together before hanging the bouquet upside down in a dry area. Pick a room in your home that stays warm and free of moisture.
After a few weeks, your flowers will be completely dried. Consider placing them in a vase on your mantle–this can serve as a daily reminder of the beauty of your wedding and the vows you made.
2. Press Your Flowers
Want to preserve your flowers in a more artistic way? When you press your wedding bouquet onto parchment paper or a canvas, you can transform the flowers into a colorful piece of artwork for your home.
Choose the blooms that mean the most to you–whether you want a handful of flowers or the entire bouquet–and spread them on a clean piece of parchment paper. Lay the paper and flowers in the middle of a heavy book, and add a piece of parchment paper to the top so no other colors bleed into your flowers. Shut the book, and weigh it down with something heavy enough to flatten the blooms. After approximately 10 days, your wedding flowers will be dried, pressed and ready to be framed!
3. Preserve Them with Silica Gel
Silica gel is a porous sand that works wonders for preserving and absorbing the water from your wedding flowers! If you want to keep your bouquet looking as vibrant and realistic as the day of your wedding, start by placing a pile of silica gel in an airtight container. Stand your flowers in the sand and slowly add more gel around the petals, while keeping the shape of your bouquet in tact. Once you’ve filled the container to the top with sand, seal it and wait a week to remove the flowers from the sand.
Not only will the gel preserve the color and shape of your bouquet, but you’ll smile and reflect on your wedding every time you see the flowers in your home.
4. Paint Your Bouquet
If you love art and love the way your wedding bouquet looked, consider asking a local artist to paint a romantic picture of your flowers. This keeps your memories alive without making you feel obligated to keep the exact bouquet you held that day. Plus, it will be a romantic addition to the decor in your home and remind you of the happiness you felt on your wedding day.
Are you looking to plan a personalized pop-up wedding? Pop the Knot can help you plan a modern celebration with beautiful flowers! Get started today.