Make Your Big Day Last: Here's How to Preserve Your Wedding Bouquet

Something that will always stand out in your wedding pictures and memories is your wedding flowers. According to The Knot Real Weddings Study, couples spend an average of $2,700 on wedding flowers. So, it makes sense that you might wonder how to preserve a wedding bouquet!

Additionally, according to a recent internal study, as many as 63% of couples seek to hang on to that special day by preserving bridal flowers and other items, like invitations. The best way to get the ball rolling on bouquet preservation is to collaborate with a floral professional. They're typically well-versed in preserving all types of wedding bouquets. You can find lots of options on The Knot Vendor Marketplace.

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In this article: What to Do With Your Wedding Bouquet After the Wedding | How to Preserve Your Wedding Bouquet | Wedding Bouquet Preservation Vendors | Wedding Bouquet Preservation Cost | Wedding Bouquet Preservation Ideas

What to Do With Your Wedding Bouquet After the Wedding

If you're like many brides, your wedding bouquet was likely pretty costly (unless you chose these affordable wedding flowers for your arrangement). But it's super sentimental too! Maybe you picked your favorite blooms, or you incorporated certain flowers for their specific meaning. Or maybe your florist put together a stunning bouquet that perfectly nailed the aesthetic you were going for. In any case, there are lots of reasons to hang on to your bouquet, at least in some form. The best option is to have it professionally preserved using a wedding flower preservation service.

In this article, we'll walk you through what you need to do, both on your wedding day and after, to have your bouquet preserved by a professional, no matter what types of wedding flowers you had. We've reached out to a few reputable floral experts for advice, as well.

How to Preserve Your Wedding Bouquet

For the best results, start prepping your wedding bouquet for the preservation process once you've finished using the flowers for photos, says Sanne Larson with Pressed Floral, an online floral preservation service. Here are some easy steps you (or a trusted friend) can take to preserve bridal flowers before and during the reception.

Design: Natalie Romine

1. Act Fast

The fresher the blooms are, the better they are for preserving, Larson says. "Keep the blooms in a cool, dry place while you are waiting to get the preservation process started," she advises.

2. Avoid Preservatives

One of the first questions to ask a wedding florist is whether they spray preservatives on your bouquet, since it causes browning when pressed.

3. Skip the Bouquet Toss

This can damage tender blooms or snap their stems. Instead, use an artificial flower bouquet for this tradition or skip it entirely.

4. Enlist Help

You'll be too busy enjoying your wedding to worry about prepping your bouquet during the reception, so kindly ask a loved one to disassemble the bouquet, remove any ribbons and pins holding the flowers together and diagonally cut about half an inch from each stem. Then, place the flowers in cool, fresh water.

5. Separate Them

Separate the blooms into groups, as each flower is different and requires different preservation techniques to get the perfect pressed bloom, Larson says.

6. Avoid Sunlight

Keep your bouquet out of direct sunlight and refresh the water daily until you can preserve the flowers.

How Much Does It Cost to Preserve a Wedding Bouquet?

If you know you're preserving your wedding bouquet, you'll definitely want to factor the cost into your wedding budget. The Knot Budget Advisor tool is a helpful resource for researching things like the cost of preserving a wedding bouquet.

Gloria Sims, florist and owner at Plant Empire, says on average, couples can expect to pay $250 to $600 for the average wedding bouquet storage cost. "Basic preservation services such as pressing or simple drying usually cost between $150 and $250, while more ornamental framed or resinized keepsakes are $300 to $500 and more," she says. Customized specialty items such as large shadow boxes, sublimated 3D displays or resin blocks can cost anywhere from $700 to $1,000, depending on size and complexity, Sims says.

Wedding Bouquet Preservation Vendors

Once you decide you'd like to preserve your wedding bouquet, it's time to find a florist or preservation vendor for the job. Browsing The Knot Vendor Marketplace is a great place to start. Here, you'll find tons of places to preserve wedding bouquets near you. We've highlighted a few below, representing locations across the United States.

Pressed Floral

Photo: Pressed Floral

Pressed Floral provides an online flower preservation service offering stunning results and several different products. Send them your flowers to have a pressed wedding bouquet made into a keepsake photo, an ornament or even a locket, which you can all register for on The Knot Registry Store. Or, send a photo of your blooms for a gorgeous memento at a lower price point.

Everlasting Floral Preservation

Photo: Everlasting Floral Preservation

At Everlasting Floral Preservation, your wedding day blooms are preserved into an array of cool products like wine stoppers, paperweights and more. Staff work with you to bring your vision to life to ensure your flowers stay with you for years to come. Their full range of resin products comes with add-ons like gold foil flakes, fairy lights, colored backgrounds and personalization options.

B Creative Floral Preservation

Photo: B Creative Floral Preservation

Serving all of New Jersey and the New York City metropolitan area, B Creative offers gorgeous options for preserving bouquet flowers. After your wedding day, you have the option of dropping your flowers off or shipping them to B Creative, where they'll transform them into beautiful products of your choice, like bookends, resin blocks or even a custom piece of jewelry. Customers rave about the attention to detail and the option to spread payments over time for a more affordable experience.

Beaux's Botanical Designs

Photo: Beaux's Botanical Designs

If you're tying the knot in or near the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina, your wedding day bouquet belongs in the capable hands of Beaux's Botanical Designs if you're interested in bridal bouquet preservation. They offer products like bookends, end tables, resin initials, floral blocks and ornaments featuring your wedding day flowers. Customers rave about owner Whitney's amazing customer service and attention to detail.

Pressed Rose Studio

Photo: Pressed Rose Studio

Pressed Rose Studio, based in Western Pennsylvania, accepts orders from across the US. Owner Layla is a self-taught floral artist who will work with you every step of the way to create the floral preservation masterpiece of your dreams. She offers an array of products to choose from, including flat and 3D pieces of art.

Bloomsake Floral Preservation

Photo: Bloomsake Floral Preservation

This woman-owned business was a 2023 The Knot Best of Weddings winner, offering a full line of brightly colored, resinated products to preserve your wedding day bouquet. The gorgeous work at Bloomsake Floral Preservation receives rave reviews, and you can even add your names to your product for a customized touch.

Victoria Ann Handmade

Photo: Victoria Ann Handmade

Victoria Ann Handmade is your source for beautiful, full-color resin floral preservation products in the far northern part of the country. But they also accept shipping from across the US. They promise to deliver your custom products within 16 to 20 weeks, and customers indicate that each item is absolutely beautiful, with excellent attention to detail.

Creare

Photo: Creare

Serving all of New England, Creare offers a full line of floral preservation products including earrings, coasters and keychains. Or you can opt for larger pieces like pressed frames and 3D bookends. Choose from flat or 3D options and include your wedding invitation or other items for a customized keepsake that will keep your wedding day alive in your mind forever.

Darling By Darian

Photo: Darling By Darian

This woman-owned business, based in Augusta, Georgia, was a The Knot Best of Weddings winner in 2024. Darling By Darian owner Darian prides herself on using natural products for her creations, and uses a natural drying technique on your blooms as well. Her products will look amazing displayed on your walls, and she offers the option to include a variety of paper goods from your wedding day alongside your flowers, like your invitation or program.

Element Preservation

Photo: Element Preservation

What began as a hobby after receiving a special keepsake from her grandmother has grown into a flourishing wedding bouquet preservation company for owner Amelia. She'll work with you at every step to create the perfect memory from your wedding day. Choose from different customization and framing options, and select from her add-on packages for extra communication or the ability to weigh in on the product as she's working on it. You're sure to love the stunning arrangement created by Element Preservation once you receive it in approximately six months.

Wedding Bouquet Preservation Ideas

Once you've prepped your flowers, there are lots of ways to preserve them. You can try one of these DIY options for how to preserve your wedding flowers.

Photos: Getty Images,Design: Natalie Romine

Press your flowers.

This wedding bouquet preservation method is one of the easiest because heavy objects do the majority of the work for you. For pressing wedding bouquet flowers, select flowers from your bouquet and arrange them however you desire on parchment paper, wax paper or clean coffee filters (avoid using paper towels since their texture can transfer onto your flowers when pressed). Take the arranged flowers and place them in the middle of the heaviest book in your home, like a dictionary, so the weight of the book presses the flowers completely flat. Put another sheet of paper or coffee filter on top of the flowers (this ensures no ink from the book gets onto the flowers). Once you close the book, put additional weights onto it, like a skillet or more books, to help the pressing process. Leave the flowers to dry for about two weeks and, if necessary, repeat these steps if they still aren't fully dry.

When your flowers are pressed to your liking, we suggest you display your preserved flowers in a frame to showcase your DIY skills and special memories.

Hang your wedding bouquet to air-dry.

The simplest way to preserve your wedding bouquet is by air-drying it. This is a good option if you want to keep your flowers' original shape intact (slight shrinkage will occur) and dry the whole bouquet instead of a few flowers.

For drying wedding bouquet flowers, get rid of any browning parts of the flowers, along with torn petals and extra leaves. Then, tie a piece of string to each stem (hanging them individually keeps the flowers in the best shape). Hang your flowers upside down to dry in a dark and temperate area that is out of the way, like an infrequently used closet. Let your florals air-dry for at least two weeks or longer—this depends on the temperature where the bouquet is drying. The color of your wedding bouquet will gradually fade, but it will still look nice in a vase or hanging on a wall in your home (tie any ribbons you've kept from your wedding to help decorate it).

Preserve your flowers with silica gel.

Despite its name, silica gel isn't a gel but porous sand that can be used to absorb moisture from flowers to preserve your bridal bouquet. Using silica sand is one of the best methods to keep your blooms true to form and color. Silica gel can be found at most craft stores, and depending on how much you buy, the cost ranges from $10 to $30.

Grab an airtight container and pour a small amount of silica gel as your base. Then, gently place your flowers face up in the sand. Try not to overcrowd the container—this way, your flowers don't get damaged when it's time for you to take them out. Next, slowly pour silica gel over your flowers and allow the crystals to nestle into the petals. Fill the container until every flower is covered. Seal the lid to your container and let the flowers sit for one week. If the flowers are dry, dump excess sand and use a small paintbrush to gently brush off any sand left between the flowers' petals. Finally, use floral preserving sealant or hairspray to protect your work from moisture.

We recommend you show off your beautiful wedding bouquet preservation in a shadowbox frame. (Psst: The best part about silica gel is that it's reusable. Just heat it up in the oven or microwave to reactivate it—now you can make infinite preserved creations.)

Encase your wedding flowers in resin.

Epoxy resin is another great wedding keepsake idea that allows you to preserve your flowers in their original shape and color. You can get creative with this technique by encasing your flowers in different molds, like a sphere or heart shape, and you can even add glitter to your mold.

Here's how to preserve your wedding bouquet in resin: First, dry your flowers (use the silica gel method to accomplish this step). Pour a thin base layer of resin into your mold, then place your flowers face up into the resin. Using gloves, slowly pour the resin into each flower, being mindful to get into every nook of the flower to avoid air bubbles (which can cause the flower to brown). If air bubbles form during the process, use a small toothpick to pop them, then fill them with resin. Continue pouring resin to the halfway point of the mold and take the time to arrange your flowers perfectly—you won't be able to change them once the resin dries. Once you're satisfied with your arrangement, fill the mold until the resin reaches the top and let it harden for about 24 hours before removing it from the mold. Your resin wedding bouquet keepsake can be used as a paperweight, jewelry holder or centerpiece for your coffee table.

Our tip: Since this method takes patience and finesse, we suggest practicing with non-wedding flowers first before using the flowers from your bouquet.

Dip your bouquet in wax.

Unfortunately, dipping your flowers in wax doesn't preserve them permanently like the other wedding bouquet preservation options. At most, your flowers will last six months, but they will be almost indistinguishable from how they looked on your wedding day since wax helps the flowers keep their exact shape and color.

Melt paraffin wax (or melt wax from unscented, uncolored candles) in a pot. Once the wax is liquified and smooth, pour the wax into a heat-resistant container that is tall enough to dip your flowers. Let the wax cool enough so it's warm (if you dip the flowers when the wax is too hot, the flowers will wilt), then dip each flower into the container of wax. When you take the flower out of the wax, turn it slowly and let any excess wax fall back into the container. Dip your flower a second time to ensure longevity. You can hang your waxed flowers upside down to dry or place them upright in a vase so the flowers can dry with the petals open. Place your waxed flowers in any vessel you like, just as you would with fresh flowers.

Make a painting of your wedding bouquet.

The final DIY wedding flower preservation approach is painting your wedding bouquet. This is the perfect fun way to get in touch with your artistic side and have a permanent reminder of your gorgeous blooms. You and your partner can grab a canvas and create pieces that fit your individual styles using any medium, like charcoal, watercolor or acrylic. Find a lovely frame to match your artwork and showcase it in your home for your loved ones to see. If you love this idea but don't want to take on the task yourself, you can outsource the job to a professional wedding painter or other artists.

Additional reporting by Chapelle Johnson