Holiday flowers inevitably make their way into many of the bridal bouquets we preserve at Keepsake Floral. For couples tying the knot during the holiday season, incorporating festive blooms like poinsettias, roses, berries, and Christmas greenery into their bouquets adds seasonal charm. We often see a myriad of red flowers within these bouquets as well. But when it comes to preserving these flowers for keepsakes, not all blooms are created equal.
Poinsettias, with their iconic red and green bracts, are a quintessential holiday flower. We do see a good number of these fragile beauties tucked into their water tubes in bridal bouquets. Although they can present significant challenges for preservation, as their petals are delicate and prone to wilting, the preservationists at Keepsake Floral have worked through some of the issues in maintaining the flowers’ shape and color. The bracts (often mistaken for petals) are delicate and prone to wilting, while the actual flowers—the small yellow buds in the center—quickly fade.
While poinsettias are known for their vibrant hues, their bracts tend to lose color and curl during most preservation processes like pressing or air-drying. Keepsake Floral’s preservation team must take extra care when preserving poinsettias and when working with them post-dehydration. These blooms necessitate a shorter dehydration timeframe due to the paper-thin bracts. Color-enhancing is a painstaking part of the dehydration process for these blooms as well, requiring multiple light coats of paint in order to prevent oversaturation and curling of the bracts. As designers work with poinsettias during the keepsake design process, they must be very careful with handling, again due to the flowers’ delicateness. Keepsake Floral’s design team actually treats the flower with a special elastin coating prior to painting, providing the blooms with an additional layer of protection from breakage. Because the color of the blooms darkens significantly during dehydration, our designers need to utilize unconventional pain choices in order to achieve the desired red shade, relative to the shade of the flower prior to preservation. For the official “petals,” our colorists must use a fine brush and steady hand to re-color these tiny poinsettia components. And of course, a final sweep in the airbrushing booth provides the flower with the dimension necessary to add reality and a natural hue to the flowers.
Red flowers, no matter what the variety, are a staple in both holiday and wedding bouquets, prized for their beauty and durability. Their robust petals and well-defined structure make them excellent candidates for preservation, as long as they are carefully hand-shaped well through the initial dehydration phase.
Other red flowers used within holiday bouquet work, like tulips or holiday berries require a bit more care on different ends of the dehydration and preservation process. Tulips, like poinsettias, have delicate petals that require careful shaping and handling prior to preservation or even afterwards, as they are prone to easily tear or break. Berries, like hypericum or winterberries, do change shape with preservation and both berry varieties require significantly detailed hand painting post-dehydration. Often the use of two of three different colors is required for these particular ornamentals in order to keep their coloring as close as possible to the coloring of the berries during their most beautiful fresh days.
Paperwhites (Narcissus) are a fragrant holiday favorite, often included in seasonal bouquets. Unfortunately, their delicate petals and high moisture content make them challenging to preserve. The Keepsake preservationists must treat these little sweeties with the same care as a poinsettia .. very careful handling, a layered approach to color enhancing and special treatments to help prevent breakage during design work. And the tiny-ness of these blooms means very tiny paintbrushes and sometimes a magnifying lens to ensure the coloring in the center of each bloom is true to fresh.
Greenery such as pine, cedar, and fir is highly durable and preserves well, making it a reliable addition to preserved bridal keepsakes. Its sturdy structure and minimal moisture content allow it to retain its shape and texture over time. And although some preservationists may actually air-dry their cedar or pine, the preservation team at Keepsake still uses professional dehydration methods to ensure the color and shape of these greens remains as close to “fresh” as possible as well. Don’t we wish the beautiful and heady scent of these holiday boughs remained after the dehydration is complete? Sadly, the scent is gone, but the beauty and “feel” of the holidays remains after color enhancing and the use of some highlight-enhancing fixatives and coatings.
Other holiday flowers, which provide us with preservation versatility include amaryllis, carnations, baby’s breath and bells of Ireland. Sometimes we see the use of cinnamon, fruit, fruit slices and other unique bouquet ingredients during the holidays. Never a dull moment with the creativity of the florists whose bouquets we admire!
Holiday bridal bouquets hold a unique charm, blending the romance of a wedding day with the festive spirit of the season. While not all flowers preserve equally well, thoughtful selection by the florists and skilled preservation techniques utilized at Keepsake can transform these blooms into stunning works of art. From robust red roses to textured greenery and berries, holiday flowers offer endless possibilities for preserving cherished memories.
Keepsake Floral, Inc.
311 Circle Drive
Maitland, FL 32751
800-616-KEEP (5337)
Local: 407-898-5992
Fax: 407-898-8656
Our administrative office is open Monday-Thursday: 9am-3pm EST and Friday: 9am-Noon EST. The office is closed most major holidays.
Please call prior to dropping off or picking up floral arrangements.