Wedding Bouquet Preservation: Vacuum Freeze Drying

Brides often long to keep their wedding bouquets looking beautiful after their big day. Many brides choose to use faux flowers in order to preserve their bouquets. Some brides however long for live flowers and then choose wedding bouquet preservation for after the ceremony. Vacuum freeze drying is one of the best methods for wedding bouquet preservation. Many bridal vendors can give names of local people who specialize in this preservation method.

The specialists that perform the wedding bouquet preservation commit a lot of time and effort to each bouquet. It is not a simple one-hour process. The process can take more than a month. When choosing a wedding bouquet preservation specialist, be sure to ask their turnaround time. If it is less than a week, then you know they may not be doing an adequate job and you might want to look elsewhere. The process can only be done slowly, so the flowers are properly preserved.

When you drop off your bouquet, it is photographed to capture its natural design. This helps the specialist when it comes time to put the bouquet back together. After the photographing, the bouquet is carefully taken apart. The flowers are then re-hydrated, which is a process that can take up to three days. This allows the flowers to look fresher.

Chemicals are then added to the flower. The type and amounts of chemicals used all depends on the type and color of the flower. These chemicals are meant to preserve the color of the flower. They also prepare the flower for the freezing process.

The freezing process can take up to four weeks. The flowers are put into a freezer with temperatures between zero and ten degrees. After this process is complete, the vacuum freeze drying begins. Vacuum freeze dryers are set to temperatures of about 15 to 20 degrees. The flowers will then continue to freeze for another 10 to 12 hours.

Next, the preservation process really begins. The vacuum slowly takes the moisture from the flowers. This is a slow process so that the vacuum does not damage the flowers. This occurs for about ten to fourteen days. After adequate time has passed, the flowers are warmed to normal temperatures and removed from the vacuum.

Flowers are then treated with a semi-plastic substance and prepared for storage until they are ready to be put back together. Some brides ask to have their flowers arranged in a glass container instead of the original bouquet shape. Other want their bouquets back together, and after the entire process, specialists put them back to their original form.

After this lengthy process, the bouquet is now more manageable and resistant to crumbling and being affected by light. The bride can display her bouquet or simply pack it away tightly as a sentimental memento of her special day.

Wedding bouquet preservation through freeze drying is an innovative way for brides to preserve their original bouquets. It allows the bride to keep a precious souvenir from the wedding day for her children to admire.

About the Author

Whitney Acke is a freelance writer from Lexington, Kentucky. In addition to freelance writing she also enjoys songwriting.