So the big day has passed. No more thinking about diamond engagement rings, bridal gowns, wedding invitations, decorations, flowers, etc. The most important day of your life is in the past. But this doesn’t mean that your responsibilities are over. There are still a few things you need to take care of. What are you going to do with your bridal gown? Who is going to keep your bridal bouquet? Will you keep your wedding veil, or are you going to offer it as a gift to a dear friend?
I have asked the brides what they have done with their bridal bouquet and I received various answers. Most of the brides admit that they threw their wedding bouquet for the young unmarried girls to catch. But there are also brides who thought about preserving the bridal bouquet and keep it as a live memory of the happiest day of their life. There are many ways you can preserve bridal bouquets, but there is one specific process that caught my attention: freeze – drying the flowers from your bridal bouquet.
freeze-drying-bridal-bouquet (source:http://www.evyjacob.blogspot.com )
The freeze – drying process
Freeze – drying is a process that can make your bridal bouquet look exactly like it looked on your wedding day for up to 20 years. The legend says that freeze – drying process has been used by the Indians living in the Andes Mountains ever since 1700. But the modern version of the freeze – drying process was introduced in 1813 by William Hyde Wallason.
Practically, freeze drying flowers is done by sublimation, or passing (by heating) from solid state directly to a gaseous state, without passing through the liquid state. In other words, you use a freeze drying machine to eliminate the humidity from the flowers of your bridal bouquet. You put your bridal bouquet in a chamber where the pressure is reduced by creating a vacuum. At this point, the boiling point of the water is below freezing.
Electromagnetic radiation is applied to the flowers so that water will not evaporate from its tissues. This way, the tissue will not shrink, keeping the exact appearance of the flowers. After the trial, a polymer layer is applied to the flowers to prevent shattering and stop moisture from being absorbed into the tissues again. If the flower’s colors fade they can be painted back on.
Freeze – drying your bridal bouquet is the most expensive way to preserve it, but giving the fact that your bouquet will look exactly the way it looked on your wedding day, I believe it is worth.
freeze-drying-machine (source:http://home.earthlink.net)
Freeze – drying your bridal bouquet
In order to make sure that the freeze – drying process will work for your bridal bouquet, you need to ask your florist to provide you the freshest flowers he has. With fresh flowers the success of the freeze – drying process is guaranteed, and there is less damage to your bridal bouquet.
If you have chosen a freeze – drying expert, make sure you ask him to give you a container and a preparatory spray. The spray ensures that your bridal bouquet moisture is constant, and this makes it easier to freeze dry your bridal bouquet.
Once your freeze – drying expert has your bridal bouquet, he will take some photos of it and start disassemble it. He will soak each and every flower of your bridal bouquet into a special preservation solution. Next, the flowers are placed in the special chamber where the pressure is gradually reduced in order to eliminate all the moisture from the flowers. Next step is to place the flowers in a low humidity room for several days and then coat them with a final preservation polymer coating, seal them and color enhance them.
The freeze – drying process takes 12 to 16 weeks, but in the end your bridal bouquet will match the pictures your freeze drying expert took at the beginning. Put the freeze – dried bridal bouquet in a glass box and make sure you choose a visible place for it in your house. You want all your guest to see how beautiful your bridal bouquet still looks.
Did you preserve your wedding bouquet?
freeze-drying-bridal-bouquet (source: http://www.rapulera.com)
freeze-drying-bridal-bouquet (source: http://www.thepinkbride.com)
Tags: freeze drying bridal bouquet, freeze drying machine, preserve bridal bouquet
