Your wedding florals can easily be one of the most expensive parts of your special day. Bridesmaid bouquets, corsages, table centerpieces, ceremony flowers, and other greenery can really add up! Instead of tossing all those fresh florals (gasp!) at the end of the night, here are 5 alternatives to increase the longevity of your wedding florals – whether you intend to preserve them or pass them along!

No. 1 – Create a “Pressed Frame”

 

 

I decided to create a pressed frame with my own wedding florals. After our big day, I pressed all of our salvageable flowers (it took me a few days, I was tired after all that hoopla!) in between two pieces of cardboard and left them under a pile of heavy books for a few months (I was really tired, ok!).

If this is the route you decide to take, make sure you select a frame with two panes of glass instead of a backing so you can see through it. After the flowers have completely flattened and dried out, arrange them on the front pane of glass in your frame and veryyy gently and carefully press the second pane of glass on top of them before sealing your frame tight so your masterpiece doesn’t shift!

This is a great way to save wedding greenery as well!

Pro Tip: Some flowers do not dry out properly, and instead will decide to mold through the paper and onto the cover of your new husband’s books (ehem), so be sure to press more flowers than you will think you need!

No. 2 – Hand them out to Guests after the Reception

 

 

I once went to a wedding where the mother of the groom had brought a bunch of cheap vases, and after the wedding was over, everyone got to “Build a Bouquet” to take home! Not only was it a great way to stretch the longevity of their florals, it doubled as a fantastic wedding favor too! Unlike my husband and I, who carted around an entire wedding’s worth of flowers up and down the coast on our honeymoon…didn’t think that one through!

My husband was a groomsman at this wedding so we got to take more than one bouquet home (perks of being the last ones to leave!), and I let them dry out in the vase on my dining room table to display for months! Getting to create my own bouquet at their wedding was super fun and really made me feel valued as a guest. Their gorgeous wedding flowers continued to brighten the lives of their friends and family, even after their special day was over!

No. 3 – Gift them to Senior Centers and Nursing Homes

Thank goodness for thoughtful organizations that turn leftover floral arrangements from weddings and other events into beautiful bouquets for seniors! One such organization in the Philadelphia / South Jersey area is Forget Me Knot, a non-profit that recycles flowers into bedside bouquets (complete with a love note!) to residents or patients at care facilities. They will even schedule a pick-up at the end of your wedding reception!

You can also personally call ahead to local nursing homes, children’s hospitals, women’s shelters, or other long-term care facilities to see if they will accept flower arrangements as donations. You never know what something as simple as flowers can do to brighten someone’s day! And what an awesome way to start off your marriage by giving back to your community.

No. 4 – Send them to a Professional

 

 

When in doubt, let someone else preserve your wedding flowers! A company I wish I had knew about before my wedding is The Heirloom Bouquet. They take your wedding florals and create a gorgeous flat-lay photograph with hand-drawn lettering! They’ll even mat and frame your print for you.

Make sure you ship them your florals asap after your big day – they don’t take flowers older than a couple days.

No. 5 – Compost Them

This one might seem simple, but if you do decide to toss your florals after your wedding, make you compost them instead of throwing them away! Composting reduces excess waste created by landfills (where it will take forever to decompose!) and ensures that your leftover flowers or greenery will be giving back to the soil – to help create new plants!

If you aren’t set up for home-composting, research drop-off sites in your area that compost. Some florists may even do this for you, so be sure to ask yours if they handle any post-wedding composting.

Conclusion

Whether you’re focused on having a more sustainable wedding or simply don’t want to part with your gorgeous flowers after your special day (who wouldn’t!), I hope you found these tips helpful. If you try any of them out at your own wedding, I’d love to see the final result! Send me a pic or tag me on Instagram. Happy wedding planning!