Many brides spend a lot of time and effort on their wedding bouquet, and as such it’s a shame to simply discard it after the wedding is over. So, why not preserve it in a Christmas ornament? Trust me – it’s not as difficult as it sounds. In fact, it’s rather easy if you follow the steps below. The bottom line is that if you’re the crafty type and you’ve been trying to figure out what to do with your wedding bouquet, read on!
You will need to purchase a 4-inch clear glass ornament with a fairly large opening on the top to complete this DIY project. Alternatively, you could do the same thing using a clear snow globe. You can find plenty of options in any craft store. The first step is to dry out the flowers. There are actually a couple of different ways to do this in the comfort of your own home; you could let them air dry, or you could dry them in a microwave oven.
To let them air dry, tie the stems to a wire hanger so that the flowers hang upside down, and hang the hanger in a dark closet for 3-4 weeks making sure to avoid disturbing them during this process. Then remove the flowers from the hanger and spray with hairspray. And, that’s it. This is generally the easier / safer method of the two, but it takes a long time.
Conversely, drying them in the microwave is a much more immediate process. To dry them in the microwave, spread some silica gel on the bottom of a microwave-safe dish, put the flowers in the gel, and lightly pour some gel over top of them to achieve the desired final position of the petals. Then microwave the flowers (uncovered) on a lower heat setting, only progressing to higher settings if needed. Note that some trial and error will be necessary to figure out the best settings for your particular type of flowers; for example, more durable flowers such as roses can take a higher setting, whereas more delicate flowers such as lilies cannot. Once the flowers are completely dried, cover most of the dish (leaving a crack for ventilation) for 1-2 days, and then clean and spray the petals with an acrylic serum.
No matter which method you choose, once the flowers are dried, dismantle the bouquet as you see fit by trimming the stems and petals, making sure that the pieces will fit nicely into the ornament. Then simply arrange and insert the pieces into the ornament, making sure not to crush the leaves or petals. And that is it – you are done! To view a nice picture gallery of this technique, click here.
The best part about this DIY project is that it kills two birds with one stone; it preserves your wedding bouquet by converting it into a wonderful keepsake that will allow you to reminisce about your big day every holiday season, and it makes productive use of that dust-accumulating item that you weren’t sure what to do with before you read this post! I certainly wish I thought of this before I (ahem) threw away my bouquet! But, at least you don’t have to make this same choice unless you really want to. Good luck!
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