Whilst the idea of flower preservation is so exciting and timeless, there are some limitations. If booking flower preservation in advance is good to know there are some flowers that can't be preserved. Some may surprise you, and some are super popular!
Hypericum Berries:
These come in lots of beautiful colours, from reds to whites and even a gorgeous peach colour. But unfortunately as you can imagine they hold so much moisture drying them out can be tricky. Once dried the previously beautifully plump berries go all shriveled and turn a deep black. Some brides are ok with this if they are an integral part of your bouquet, if not they can be replaced with artificial to keep the colour scheme. Winter brides take note as they are seasonally very popular in winter bouquets! The leaves however are beautifully green and can add depth to any preservation piece.
Dusty Miller:
Whilst these actually do dry beautifully, once in resin it is a whole different story! Popular in silvery bouquets, these leaves also have a gorgeous velvety texture, which unfortunately does not hold up well in resin. I learnt the hard way as soon as the resin is cured the leaves turn a muddy brown colour. This is however only when they are put in resin, so if you are having a shadowbox then fear not, they still can be part of your preservation. Ask your florist and give me a heads up if this is part of your arrangement and I can advise your best options.
Vanda Orchids:
This one honestly hurts me as much as it hurts you! These gorgeous orchids are so bright when fresh but unfortunately so far I haven't had any luck with drying these. Their porous nature means they hold a lot of moisture, and when dried they turn an awful brown colour. If orchids are part of your arrangement I'm always happy to try drying any type of orchid, in hope I'll find a way to nail it. But if I'm not successful I have a wonderful supplier that can supply beautifully coloured and very realistic orchids. See below where I have used them in the past and they've turned out beautifully!
Cymbidium Orchids:
As above unfortunately these are another type of orchid that do not hold their colour very well once dried and it is again down to its porous nature. As mentioned, I will always try to dry them, and if you are going for a more sentimental feel to your preservation piece, then even a little brown these cast in resin well and can be dried and preserved.
Anthurium Lilies:
The theme of exotic flowers being incredibly hard to preserve continues! It hurts me that such gorgeous flowers can't be frozen in time forever. These lilies again have a different texture to most flowers, with their waxy feel and delicate body again these unfortunately dry a bright orange tinted brown colour. White ones and also pink ones all dry with some drastic colour changes. Again if you want these preserving I can either replace with artificial, or they do still look beautiful after being dried in the right arrangement. See below where I have placed one in a gorgeous black frame for one of my brides!
** Side note, not all is lost with Orchids! As you can see in this frame large white ones dry exceptionally well, although a little translucent which shows more set in resin. The smaller ones have a more antique feel to them but have dried beautifully also.
Succulents:
Super popular at the moment, with the up and coming boho themed weddings are gorgeous succulent bouquets and button holes! As gorgeous as the subtle desert colours are, they are the most moisture hording plants currently being used as a florists pick! With the amount of moisture they hold, they again unfortunately like the berries shrivel up and look like a flat pancake. If they are an integral part of your bouquet then they can be replaced with artificial.
If you are unsure about any colour changes or your bouquet and if they dry differently to how they look fresh, please feel free to pop me a message to chat about your particular flower choices.
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