Have you ever wished there was a better way to preserve the memory of your wedding day? After all, if you're like most girls, you've spent literally your entire life planning and imagining what your wedding day would look like. Once you're actually engaged, you've spent thousands of dollars guaranteeing that your dream wedding comes to fruition. So, once the big day is over, it can feel like you spent most of your life leading up to an event that slipped by too quickly.

[[supplies]]

One way to preserve the image and memory of your wedding day is by preserving your wedding bouquets. There are lots of different ways to have beautiful, preserved wedding flowers, including using artificial bouquets for weddings. If you preserve some of your beautiful wedding flowers, you’ll be able to display them in your home, or reuse them in the future, and remember the excitement, romance, and beauty of your own wedding day.

Types of Wedding Bouquets

First of all, you should understand that you're going to have a lot of different bouquets at your wedding. you obviously don't need to worry about preserving all of these bouquets, but understanding the amount of flowers that you'll be using at your wedding can help you to realize the value of preserving at least some of your flowers. Here are a few of the different types of floral bouquets that you might have at your wedding.

Bride Bouquet

Of course, you'll have your bride bouquet. This bouquet will likely be the biggest and most unique out of any floral arrangements that you'll have at your wedding. It also will likely have the most emotion and memory connected to it. So, if you only have time to preserve one bouquet from your wedding, you should definitely preserve your bride bouquet through one of the approaches that will be explained later on in this article.

Bridesmaid Bouquets

You will also probably have a large number of bridesmaid bouquets at your wedding. These bouquets are usually a little bit smaller and less dramatic found your bride's bouquet. however, they add a lot of beauty to your ceremony and bridal party. If you have a very close relationship with your bridesmaids, chances are that they will want to preserve their bouquets from your wedding as well.

Flower Girl Bouquets

If you're having flower girls at your wedding, you also might have some bouquets or arrangements for them. Flower girl bouquets are usually a lot smaller and simpler than bridesmaid bouquets. A popular shape for flower girl bouquets is a spherical shape. This shape can be easily preserved by hanging dry, as explained later on.

Toss Bouquet

If you are wanting to participate in the tradition of tossing a bouquet to the Single Ladies at your wedding, but if you don't want to toss your bride bouquet, it is a great idea to have a toss bouquet. Toss bouquets are designated specifically for this tradition and are generally a little bit smaller and more compact so they’re easy to throw. However, they are still always very beautiful and might be placed on a table as a decoration while your guests enter the wedding.

Table Centerpiece Bouquets

Don’t forget all of the floral decorations that you’ll have at your wedding! It is likely that you’ll have table centerpiece bouquets at your rehearsal dinner or reception. These bouquets can also be preserved for decoration or reuse.

How to Preserve Your Wedding Bouquet

Now that you’ve put so much thought into the different bouquets that you’ll have at your wedding, you should think about preserving them. It can be quite the expense to spend thousands of dollars on your wedding flowers only to have them wilt and die a day later. If you put some effort into preserving your flowers, you’ll be able to enjoy them for years to come. Brides.com also has a few great suggestions for preserving your wedding bouquet that you should check out. Here are few of the most popular preservation methods:

Dry It

There are a few different ways to preserve your bouquet by drying it. You can hang it upside down so the petals dry in a smooth, natural way and use it as a wall hanging. This is a traditional method for drying herbs, plants, and flowers. Another more modern approach for drying flowers is by pressing them and allowing them to dry flat. Then, once they’re completely dried, you can arrange the pressed flowers in a bouquet shape and have them framed. This makes a sentimental and beautiful decoration for your home.

Preserve it in Resin

You can also preserve your wedding bouquet by preserving it in resin. Your wedding flowers can become gorgeous and unique bookends, paperweights, or other resin decorations. You can hire a resin artist to place your bouquet in a beautiful resin arrangement. Or you can buy the supplies at a craft store and go through the resin process yourself. Just make sure that you use the proper safety equipment!

Paint it

If you’re heading off on your honeymoon right after the wedding, and don't have time to preserve your flowers yourself, a great way to preserve the memory of your flowers is by getting them painted. You can hire a watercolor artist to paint your wedding flowers during your wedding, or you can have your bridal party take your wedding bouquet to an artist while they're still looking fresh the day after the wedding. Then, you can have a beautiful, handcrafted watercolor painting of your wedding flowers that you can enjoy in your home for years to come.

Use Wood Flowers

If you don't want to worry about the expense of buying fresh flowers only for them to wilt quickly, use wood flowers instead. Wood flowers are a great option for artificial wedding bouquets. They are made out of natural dried materials, such as tapioca root, so they're already preserved in a way that won't need any extra effort. Wood flowers are carefully shaped to imitate a huge variety of styles like natural fresh flowers. You can still get a beautiful realistic look for a fraction of the price of fresh flowers by using wood flowers instead. Plus, wood flowers can be dyed to match any wedding color scheme, and since they won't wilt, that color won't fade. You'll be able to display and reuse your wedding bouquets many times over the years if you choose wood flowers.

[[supplies]]