How do you preserve flowers?
I use silica gel to preserve flowers. Silica gel is a
desiccant (meaning, it is a substance that can absorb
moisture) that looks like white sand crystals. You may
have seen tiny silica gel packs inside new purses and
shoes. Those tiny packets contain several grams of
silica gel, just enough to keep your purchase dry.
Silica gel-dried flowers retain their original shape
and size. They do not shrivel.
A note about color: No matter how you dry flowers,
whether it's air drying, pressing, silica gel drying,
freeze drying, or another method, white flowers will
turn ivory or sometimes even yellow, red flowers will
darken, and pale colors like peach and pink may fade to
ivory. This is normal. Also, over time the color of
your flowers may fade or “antique”. Paler flowers lose
their colors faster than deeper colors. Keeping your
flowers out of direct sunlight is one way to postpone
this fading. As soon as I receive your bouquet, I catalog
the number of flowers, the kinds of flowers, the
condition of the flowers, and I take several photos for
my records.
Then, I carefully take apart your bouquet.
Flowers that are squished, browned, shriveled, or
otherwise beyond repair are thrown away. If the flower
is still firm, but just has a little bit of brown on the
edges, I will trim the brown edges off.
Each flower is buried individually in silica gel for
up to two weeks.
Once the flowers are dried, I glue them so the petals
don’t fall off in the future and then I spray them with
a light coat of satin finish. This finish brings out their
color and removes any residual silica gel dust that may
be on the flowers.
It is my hope that you are completely satisfied with
the quality of your dried flowers. To dry the average
bouquet, I spend anywhere from 5 to 10 hours preserving
the flowers -- in addition to the time I spend designing
the shadow box or other creation -- and I hope you’ll
agree that the time, and the price, is worth it!
How long does this take??
Preservation alone will take about 2-3 weeks. After
preservation, much of the timing is up to each customer. The
design selection is the next step. After a design layout and
frame has been selected, we will need all your inclusions,
picture, invitation, cards or any other memorabilia. The faster
you work with me, the faster I can have your keepsake done!
How do I
get my bouquet to you?
Most of my clients are from Rockland County, which is
where I have my studio. Montvale, Pamona, Pearl River,
New City, Park Ridge are several of the other areas I serve. Most of my clients arrange to have a relative or
friend drop off their bouquet at my studio the day after their
wedding.If your wedding is taking place within a 30 mile radius
of my studio in Monsey, NY, I can pick up your bouquet
during your reception for a $25 fee. This must be arranged
in advance. This may be an important option for you if your
bouquet has very delicate flowers like hydrangea, lilacs,
tulips, or orchids and you wish to have the flowers
preserved as soon as possible, before they begin to wilt.
You can also arrange to have your bouquet dropped off at
the florist from where you purchased the flowers. You would give
the florist a $100 deposit. The florist gets a
referral fee
for each customer he refers to me. I will then pick up the
arrangement from the florist as soon as it gets there.
How soon after the wedding do you need the bouquet?
As soon as possible. The faster you get your flowers to me, the
nicer they will dry.
