Flower Preservation: how we transform your wedding bouquet into a work of art

If your curiosity is blooming, and you’re wondering how we take your beautiful fresh flowers and transform them into a long-lasting piece of art, we’ve got all the details you need. Flower preservation is a little bit of magic, a little bit of chemistry and a whole lot of love and time.

When it comes to preserving flowers, fresh is best

One thing to keep in mind is that when preserving flowers, whether they’re a wedding bouquet, memorial bunch or just your favourite flowers, time is of the essence. While we can work a lot of magic, we can’t transform wilted, dead flowers into a work of art. Because we need to work with the freshest flowers possible, we can only take on so many blooms a week. 

Step 1: Save the date! Book your flower preservation early. 

You can reserve your preservation date on the website. This secures your space in our calendar, whether you want a pressed flower frame, resin flower preservation or a beautiful 3D flower shadow box - you can decide on the details later. Things get particularly busy during our peak wedding season, which runs from September to May. Book early so you don’t miss out.

We’ll send you an email with all the shipping/ delivery details and all the other information you need to get started. 

Step 2: A different kind of bouquet toss - how to prepare your flowers for preservation

When it comes to preservation, the fresher the better! We ask that you send your flowers (or drop them off, if you’re local) as soon as you can following your wedding day. The next day is ideal, but we appreciate this isn’t always possible.

There are few steps to follow to keep your flowers as happy as possible:

1. Keep your flowers in water following your wedding and store in a cool area. Ask your reception venue if they can provide a vase for your bouquet - this looks great on the table and makes sure they’re in water as much as possible.
2. When you get them home, try to find some room in the fridge until you’re ready to post your flowers. Often your flowers won’t fit in a vase in the fridge, so any kind of container that keeps them cool and in water works. The most important thing is to keep them away from fresh fruit or veggies. We suggest reserving their space with a chilled bottle of bubbles so it’s ready to pop when you get home! 
3. For every day they are still in your care, cut about a centimetre off the end of each stem and replace with fresh water. 
4. When you’re packing them for delivery, follow the instruction guide we supply. Pack them carefully so they’re as upright as possible and make sure they’re securely held in place with packing materials. Fresh flowers are tender little things - particularly those that have been handled extensively in building your bouquet - keeping them secure will minimise any bruised petals. 

Step 3: The flower preservation process

This is where the fun begins for us. Once your flowers arrive, we’ll check them over, take your bouquet apart and sort through your blooms. We treat and condition your flowers to make sure they’re in the best possible condition before we start to preserve them. This varies depending on the type of flower they are. After they’ve been conditioned, we start the preservation (or pressing!) process. 

Step 4: Pressing, preserving and resin-casting flowers

The preserving process is different depending on what you want created with your flowers. They say good things take time and that’s definitely the case for flower preservation. At Bloomy Days, the preserving process alone takes between 3 to 5 weeks. Flowers destined for resin are preserved using silica gel, while our pressed flowers are deceptively simple - the pressing process requires paper changes every day for 8 days, before they’re left in the flower press for at least 3 weeks. 

Once the process is complete, your flowers are safely sealed and rested for the next 4 weeks while they preserve. Regardless of whether they’re being framed or set in resin, it’s absolutely vital that your flowers are completely dry before we start creating your keepsakes.

This is also the point where you’ll need to make the final payment for your flowers. We can’t start the creative process until full payment has been received. Once that’s done, we bring out your flowers and start the fun part. This is also when we repair any flowers that might have been damaged during the process.

Step 5: Designing your floral work of art. Our favourite part. 

Once we have perfectly preserved flowers to work with, the design phase begins. Watching your flowers bloom into a second life is our very favourite step. Each piece is designed by hand in our dedicated studio, using your flowers to inspire your unique keepsake. It’s a work of art, we’re so privileged to be trusted to transform your flowers into an everlasting memento of such a special day. Depending on whether you choose our framing preservation or our resin preservation will determine the next steps and timelines. If there are extra flowers after we’re finished, we’ll check in to see what you’d like done with them.

The resin process

Beauty takes time. To complete your floral resin masterpiece, we need to pour the resin in layers. This gives your piece the appearance of the flowers being eternally suspended in the resin. This is a long process and is dependent on factors like heat and humidity. On average, our larger pieces require 5 layers. With each layer needing time to cure before the next layer can be poured, this phase can take up to 6 weeks - it’s a true labour of love. 

Once your main pouring is complete, your piece is removed from the mould and gently sanded, ready for the final top coat that gives the resin that shiny, glossy sheen. Once your top coat is complete your piece needs to sit for another 14 days to completely harden before we can send them back home. All up, we’ll spend between 3 to 5 months working on your piece. Your precious flowers become like a sweet old friend.

The flower framing process

Just like the resin, when we’re framing your flowers we follow a similar design approach and let the flowers inspire us. While the process is quicker than resin, we’re still very hands-on. We build our 3D shadow boxes by hand, so while your flowers are drying and preserving, we’re cutting, sanding, and nailing your frame together. Your bouquet is designed within your frame, with any accessories added, before we close it up and get it ready to hang on your wall. Generally, the framing process for pressed or preserved bouquets is about 3 to 4 months.

The floral homecoming

Once your order is complete, we’ll send you another update - along with some photos to give you a sneak preview of what’s coming your way. We’ll then lovingly prepare your pieces for collection, or pack your order to send it home, so you can adore your flowers for years to come. 

And that’s it! It’s a long process, but you’ll agree it’s worth the wait when you receive your treasured keepsakes or beautifully framed pieces. 

If you love the idea of preserving your wedding flowers, to have and to hold forevermore, click over to book in your date, and let us weave our magic once the big day is done.