You worked hard to make sure every detail of your wedding is perfect, from the dresses and catering to the vows and music. You’ve even chosen the perfect flowers to symbolize your love. But once the wedding is over, what will you do with all of your beautiful flowers? As it turns out, there are a lot of great ideas out there for how to recycle, repurpose and regift your flowers to keep them beautiful longer.
The floral experts at Marco Island Weddings have some great ideas about reusing, recycling and preserving your wedding day flowers. Here are several ways you can make your wedding flowers last much longer than your wedding day. Enjoy every beautiful bloom, knowing there’s a great plan in place for them after the ceremony.
Enjoy Pressed Flowers
Pressed Flowers
Pressed flowers are a great way to maintain your special blooms and keep them forever. To press them yourself, dry them completely by hanging them upside down for several weeks or in silica gel (you can find it at any craft store). Once you’ve dried your petals, press them flat between wax paper using heavy weights (like large books). Then arrange them as a keepsake by:
- Framing Them: Place your dried flowers in a shape or design of your choosing on clear or white cardstock. Carefully cover with the glass of your frame and enjoy your beautifully framed image made from your flowers.
- Scrapbooking Them: Glue dried flowers into a blank scrapbook to provide a lovely keepsake of the flowers from your special day.
- Including Them in Paper: Flowers pressed into cardstock can make excellent thank you cards to send to your guests or to use in the future.
Enjoy Preserved Wedding Flowers
Dried Flower Wreath
To keep your bouquet of wedding flowers long-lasting and beautiful, there are a few ways to preserve your blooms so that you enjoy them long-term. Here are a few ideas:
- Place Dry Buds in Vases: After drying your bouquet, place flowers in vases, mason jars or other creative containers around your home. Your wedding flowers will dry beautifully and can be a constant reminder throughout your home of your special day.
- Grace a Headstone: Adorn the headstone of lost loved ones with some of your wedding flowers as a way to remember them on your special day.
- Make Jewelry or Candles: Place dried petals from your wedding arrangements in glass beads to make a necklace or bracelet. Similarly, preserve your flowers by having a candle made with some of your petals embedded in the wax. Either one will make a beautiful gift to pass down to future children and grandchildren.
- Plant Your Own Garden: As you begin a life together, begin growing a garden as well. Replant any plants or succulents used as centerpieces or decor throughout your wedding. Let your new life bloom right along with your beautiful garden.
Send Home Wedding Flowers
Wedding Centerpiece
Give flowers away at the end of your evening to guests, attendants or even helpful staff. They’ll love having a beautiful keepsake of such a memorable evening, and you’ll love knowing your flowers are still being enjoyed. Here are some fun, creative ways to send your flowers on to a new life with someone else.
- Give Centerpieces As Prizes: Honor specific individuals for things like who traveled the furthest to attend the wedding, longest marriage, youngest or oldest couple, and so on. Give a centerpiece or other wedding bouquet as their gift.
- Send Floral Arrangements Home with Staff: A lot of people help to make your big day amazing- from servers and bartenders to DJs and photographers, a lot of people work hard to bring your dream wedding to life. Why not send them home with a beautiful bouquet at the end of the night? They’ll feel appreciated for their hard work and you’ll love knowing your blooms went to a good home.
- Bring Them To the Morning-After Brunch: Repurpose and reuse your beautiful flowers one more time for the morning-after brunch. Enjoy the flowers again as you enjoy your remaining guests and relive the fun of the night before.
Donate Wedding Flowers
Flowers in Hospital Hallway
There are plenty of opportunities to donate your flowers to a local venue and make someone’s day a little brighter. Local hospitals, nursing homes, community centers, and homeless shelters will be happy to take your flowers the day after your wedding and brighten the lives of the people they serve.
- Local Nursing Homes: Marco Island Weddings has a great working relationship with nursing homes and retirement centers in the Marco Island area. We’re happy to help you work out delivery times and options.
- Local Shelters: Homeless shelters, half-way houses, and pregnancy centers are great places to find a home for your beautiful flowers. Call ahead to be sure they’ll receive your flowers, and to set up a delivery time.
Make the most of your floral investment, even after your wedding is over, when you reuse, repurpose or recycle your beautiful blooms in meaningful ways.. Give your flowers a lasting place in your new home together, or give them to someone you know will appreciate them. Let the floral professionals at Marco Island Weddings help you make the most of your wedding flowers before, during and after your wedding day.