4 Different Ways I Tried to Dry My Wedding Flowers
After our wedding, I came home holding far more flowers than I expected. Some were arranged neatly from the centerpieces, and some were tucked into bouquets guests handed back to me when the evening ended.
The petals still looked fresh, the stems were strong, and the colors felt so full of emotion that I couldn’t imagine throwing them away the next morning.
When I laid all the arrangements on the dining table, I realized how much of the day was wrapped into those bouquets – the colors I chose months earlier, the scent that followed me as I walked down the aisle, the little imperfections that made everything feel natural and warm.
I had never preserved such a large number of flowers before, so everything I tried that week became a small experiment.
Some techniques were easy, some required patience, and a few surprised me in the best way. What mattered most was that I found gentle methods that allowed me to hold on to something beautiful from the wedding.
Method 1: Hanging the Flowers Upside Down
The method I tried first was also the simplest. I trimmed the stems, removed any wet or damaged leaves, grouped the flowers into smaller bunches, and tied them loosely with twine. The bundles looked sweet even before they dried.
I chose a dark corner of our closet because direct light can discolor petals. I hung each bundle upside down, leaving space between them so the air could circulate.
After the first few days, the roses started tightening into soft curls. The eucalyptus held its shape easily and kept its scent.
Some delicate blooms like ranunculus didn’t dry as neatly and turned a bit brown at the edges, but that taught me something important, not every flower behaves the same, and not every method works for every bloom.
I checked them gently once a week, feeling the petals with the back of my fingers. When they finally dried completely, I placed the bundles in a vase with no water. The dried bouquets have a quiet, antique beauty that I love.
Method 2: Using Silica Gel (For the flowers I wanted to keep full and bright)
Some of the flowers in my wedding bouquet were too special to risk with air drying. I wanted to keep their shape and volume, especially the large roses and hydrangeas. Using silica gel felt like a careful, almost delicate way of preserving them.
I poured a thin layer of silica gel into a container, placed each flower on top, and slowly covered it with more gel.
Pouring gradually keeps the petals from bending or breaking. It’s a small detail, but it makes a big difference. Once the flowers were fully supported, I closed the lid tightly.
Every few days, I peeked into the container to check on the color, even though I knew I should be patient.
After about a week, I lifted one rose gently and felt relieved when it came out almost exactly as it looked on the wedding day. The petals held their shape, the form stayed open, and the colors turned slightly deeper.
Tip: If a flower is fragile or has many layers, place a little silica gel between the petals by hand so the shape dries evenly.
Method 3: Pressing Flowers in a Heavy Book
When I chose which book to use, I reached for the recipe book my mother gave me when I moved into my first apartment. It felt right to press wedding-day petals between pages that already held memories of our early married meals.
I placed flat flowers such as pansies, daisies, smaller roses between two pieces of parchment paper and slipped them inside the book. Then, to give them proper weight, I set another stack of books on top. Pressing takes time, usually two to four weeks, but it creates something delicate and long-lasting.
When I checked them later, the colors had softened into shades that looked like watercolor paintings. Pressed flowers feel almost like a preserved moment rather than a preserved object.
I now plan to frame some of them or turn them into bookmarks with handwritten dates from the wedding week.
Method 4: Air-Drying Petals for Potpourri to Save Damaged Flowers
Not every flower dries beautifully when kept whole as some were bruised or started wilting during the wedding reception.
Instead of throwing them away, I removed the petals gently and arranged them on a tray lined with paper. I placed the tray near a window with indirect sunlight.
Over several days, the petals became crisp and light. Some kept their color, while others faded softly. When they were completely dry, I mixed them with a drop of lavender oil and stored them in a small glass jar.
Now, every time I open that jar, I smell a mix of lavender and faint rose, a small reminder of the wedding that sits quietly on my dresser.
How I Decided Where to Keep Everything
After all the flowers finished drying, I spent a morning deciding how to display and store them.
The preserved roses went into a shadow box frame with a photo from the wedding. The pressed flowers stayed tucked inside my recipe book until I decide how to use them. The dried bundles decorate a shelf in the living room, giving it a vintage feel. The potpourri jar stays in the bedroom beside my jewelry tray.
Each method gave me a different version of the same memory, which I really love. Instead of one keepsake, I now have several small pieces of the wedding tucked around the home, all created from the same flowers I carried on that day.
