DIY Flower Ideas: How to Preserve Your Wedding Bouquet

Do It Yourself Bridal Flowers

You meticulously planned every bit of its detail, so why not protect your prized floral possession?

 

Make sure your flowers never lose their beauty with this guide to bouquet up-keep and preservation.

What It Is

You dry your bridal bouquet — by yourself or via a professional service — and hang onto it as a meaningful keepsake.

Why Do It

A preserved bouquet can be both a memento and decorative piece for the home.

How It Works

There are three methods: silica gel (quick-drying mode via immersion in a sand-like, silicon substance); pressing (press select blooms from the bouquet and flatten via a flower press and framed); and freeze-drying (pros spray the blooms with a starch to set the colors and then “bake” the bouquet in a freeze-dryer). All modes allow for beautiful presentation in frames, glass domes, etc. But freeze-drying is the only method that allows for “open arrangements” (they don’t have protective covering), and yields the most true-to-life results in terms of flower shapes and colors.

Cost

$50-$300, depending on choice of preservation and presentation. Examples: A freeze-dried shadow box presentation might be $150, a dome presentation (preserved via silica gel) can cost around $300, while a partial bouquet pressed and framed against silk might price at $65-$200.

Transport

For best results, the bouquet should be dropped off at the preserving establishment as soon after the wedding as possible. Translation: the day after the wedding or the Monday following a Saturday reception. Many professional services will be unable to provide service if the blooms have been too badly dried out, bruised, or otherwise damaged. If you’re simply dropping off your bouquet at a local service, transport it in a Styrofoam cooler, with gel packs on the bottom. Loosely cover the packs with tissue paper or wax paper (so that the bouquet doesn’t touch them directly) and then place the bouquet on top. Then, pack tissue paper around the bouquet to prevent it from moving and bumping.

Tips

Think about preserving just a few select blooms instead of the full bouquet. This will cut down on the cost of preservation. Also, it’s important for preservationists to receive the bouquet in prime condition. So get a tossing bouquet, and, at the reception, leave your actual bouquet in a safe place where it won’t get bruised or crushed (maybe have a bridesmaid handle this) as a precaution. Sometimes brides will immediately have the caterer store the blooms in the refrigerator, or, if it’s a hand-tied bouquet, stick the stems in water.

Shelf Life

Receiving the finished, fully preserved product will take 8-12 weeks with freeze-drying; 6-8 weeks with silica gel; 6-8 weeks with pressing. Formally preserved flowers can last indefinitely, maybe even up to 100 years. If humidity is avoided, along with direct sunlight and bright halogen lamps, brides can expect their bouquets to last a lifetime.

High-End Hookups

Would You Pay Big Bucks

To Make The Perfect Match?

By Sierra Silverspoon

According to the National Enquirer, Oprah’s BFF, Gayle King is embroiled in a serious misunderstanding with one of the highest priced matchmakers in Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills Matchmaker Orly Hadida is out for revenge because she says Gayle reneged on a verbal promise. According to reports, Ms. Hadida filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Gayle King, after Gayle promised to get her on The Oprah Show, if Orly found her a man. Reportedly, Orly waived her usual $500,000 fee to help Gayle’s love life in exchange for an appearance on the popular show. The lawsuit was thrown out after the woman claimed that Gayle approached her because she was desperate to find “a man like Oprah’s boyfriend Stedman.” Gayle countersued, and the judge ruled that oral contracts involving dating services were not enforceable. The matchmaker claimed she set up at least five dates for Gayle with attractive wealthy men, which Gayle rejected.

This incident threw a serious spotlight on the many high-end matchmaking services and personal matchmakers that charge big bucks to find mates for affluent men and women. Research shows that the personal matchmakers are usually women who parlayed their natural talent for hooking up their friends into a very profitable business. The fees for personal matchmakers run from $5000 per match to $100,000 and more.

These prices are not related to actual matchups that succeed in getting married. These prices deal with introductions only. Do affluent black singles spend big bucks to meet Mr. or Ms. Right. They do. A 32 year old female attorney who wished to remain anonymous, told me how she spent over $10,000 last year with a very upscale personal matchmaker, who hooked her up with three matches. “All guys were professional and polished, but neither of them fit what I was looking for. I felt like I wasted my money, but I was in a frame of mind at that time that urged to explore and be more adventurous about finding Mr. Right. I was tired of all the mismatched encounters I’d been having, so I decided to do something different. I could afford it, so I did it.”

Carla, (not her real name), a corporate executive for a major company told me she spent $8,000.00 to meet “a man of stature and means,” but it didn’t happen. She met two guys who ended up being con men looking for a woman of means. She was very impressed with the third guy, but the feeling wasn’t mutual. She signed up for four matches, but the fourth one never materialized. In the end, she received a partial refund of $2000.00.

Studies show that affluent women and very rich men are more prone to pay a professional matchmaker to hook them up with that ideal person that they couldn’t meet otherwise. These types are usually too busy and far removed from the usual pick up a date scene. They rely on personalized introductions, either professionally or socially.

I did a short poll among some real upscale brothers to check if they could ever see themselves paying big bucks for a romantic introduction. They all answered no emphatically. However, when I polled the same number of women, they all answered yes if tey were able to look through a catalog first.

Top Wedding Trends for Grooms

Slim Fit with One Button:

A slimmer fitted jacket with one button and peak lapels is all the rage.  Choose a color that is closer to a midnight blue, to create a suave looking contrast with your black jacket lapels. Peak lapels help accentuate your shoulders and show off your amazing build.

Less Formal Wedding Attire:

Grooms are opting for suits over tuxedos.  It is very common for destination wedding grooms to wear linen and cotton suits in the summer, and charcoal and blue suits for evening weddings.

Simpler Shirts

Along with toning down the style of suits, dress shirts are becoming simpler, cleaner, and less formal.  There are fewer studded and bibbed tuxedo shirts being worn by grooms.

The Return of the Bowtie:

The bow tie has been coming back strong in modern weddings.  An oversized velvet bowtie is a great accent for any groomsman’s suit or tuxedo.  It’s always nice to take a bit of the old and mix it up with the new!

 

 

Yves Paris Photography: Over 25 years of Service!

Wedding Photographer Yves Paris has over 25 years in the photo industry.   We combine craftsmanship and sensitivity to capture your special event at its finest moments. Yves Paris Photography brings expertise and creative vision to every assignment. Using state-of-the-art equipment, we’ve honed our skills as artists through the many events we’ve captured on film and other media.  As Event Photographers, we know how to record the excitement of a joyous Sweet 16 celebration, Bar / Bat Mitzvah, banquet celebration, or any other affair.   Wedding Photographer Yves Paris will photograph any milestone and present it to you in your choice of formats