From lilies to roses, chrysanthemums to orchids, the bouquet and the flowers you choose for it are as important as your wedding dress. Only problem is it can be a headache keeping your bouquet looking fresh throughout the day. Well, Gosfield Hall venue is here to help, offering a range of tips, lifted from those fine folk who really know their stuff – florists!
Hairspray
Yes, you read that right – hairspray is the a great little secret to keeping your bouquet looking its freshest. From Reader’s Digest: “Just as it preserves your hairstyle, a spritz of hairspray can help your cut flowers look fresh longer. Stand a foot away from the bouquet and give them a quick spray, just on the undersides of the leaves and petals.” We asked a florist friend about this and it is indeed true. It’s not so much about keeping them fresh in the traditional sense, it’s more about the illusion of freshness. As it’s just for the day though, it’s a perfect solution.
Find a cool spot
One of the best tips we’ve seen and one which many florists out there have recommended to us, is to keep your bouquet in a cool spot when not in use. Before you walk down the aisle, have your bouquet either kept in a fridge or cool room. The same goes for before your wedding photos take place. Flowers need cooler temperatures to stave off wilting.
Cut stems with a knife
Roses have long been the most popular flowers for wedding bouquets, and as Easy Weddings articulates “this is hardly surprising as the rose signifies love, joy and beauty. Different coloured roses have different meanings with white roses indicating innocence, ivory roses showing fidelity etc”.
As we recently spoke about in ‘Beautiful Botanicals: Inspired Ideas for Floral Displays’, a growing trend among brides is to create their own bouquets.
When creating your own bouquet, to keep it looking fresh first cut the stems using a knife or pruning shears on a sharp angle. Avoid using scissors, since it close the stems too much. You need to make a cut that exposes the capillaries and allows water to flow up the stem.
Spray your bouquet with spring water
Spring water is highly recommended by florists, as it’s more natural and possesses less chemicals than tap water.
You can keep fresh spring water in an atomiser and spray it on the bouquet at regular intervals. This too will help prevent wilting, and make your bouquet stand out in wedding photos.
Use lukewarm water
If you’re worried about keeping your bouquet fresh the night before the wedding, then having them placed in lukewarm water is highly beneficial, as extreme temperatures are harmful to the flowers. Ideally, the temperature should be between 100 F to 110 F (37 C to 43 C).
If you’ve got any other bouquet tips that we’ve missed, we’d love to hear them! Or if you need some further top tips, we recommend The Willows Flowers and Megan would love to hear from you!
