How do I save my Bouquet after the Wedding?
Let Forever Florals help you!
We serve all of Indianapolis, Greenfield, McCordsville, Greenwood, Shelbyville and beyond!
If you do not live close enough to drop your flowers off check out our shipping instructions here.
1. Reserving your date
Once you have made the decision to preserve your beautiful flowers, I suggest contacting us (HERE) so we can reserve a spot especially for you! We can only accommodate a certain number of events per week, don’t miss out!
2. Choose your favorite items
Browse our store and choose what items you would like us to create using your flowers. Once your decision has been made continue to checkout. You can choose to pay in full or a custom payment plan for an accessible, stress-free option.
3. Drop off or Shipping Flowers
If you are local and want to drop off your flowers please contact us to schedule a time to drop off your flowers. When shipping your flowers please follow the Shipping Instructions to ensure your flowers arrive to us in their best condition. It is important we receive your flowers within 24-48 hours for best results! All flowers will be photographed once we receive them to document the condition upon arrival.
4. The Drying Process
Once your flowers have been received, the drying process begins immediately ensuring your flowers will look as fresh as possible. We allow our flowers to dry for 4 weeks to ensure your flowers are completely dry. Once your flowers are dried the design process will begin. We will be in contact with you during this process.
5. The Design Process
Please note we only do design approvals on the main pieces you have ordered. Add-ons are all smaller items such as ring holders, coasters, and ornaments, there is no design approvals for these options. However you may request certain colors or flowers to be used if applicable (some flowers are to large for smaller items).
6. The Approval Process
Once your design has been completed, we will email you a photo for approval. If there are any small changes you would like us to make this is the time to do so. Keep in mind the dried flowers are now fragile so multiple design options are not offered.
7. The Casting/Pouring Process
After your design is approved, the casting process will begin. This process takes time, we can only pour in ¼” layers every 24hrs. This process can take up to 16 days depending on how deep your design is. When the pouring process is completed, if needed, your piece will be sanded, top coated or flood coated. Once fully cured it will be polished. Once all this is completed your beautiful piece will be ready to be returned to you. This process can take up to 3-5 months from the time we receive your flowers.
8. Delivery/ Pick up
Once your pieces are fully cured, they will all be photographed and packaged. We will reach out to you via email to confirm your address for shipping or we will contact you to schedule a pick up time if you are local!! You will have 60 days to pick up all items or they will be shipped to you at your expense.
Once we receive your flowers the drying process begins immediately ensuring your flowers will look as fresh as possible. We carefully disassemble your wedding bouquet or memorial flowers and prepare them to be placed in silica gel. This process can take 30-40 min. depending the size of bouquet or memorial flowers being preserved.
After we have all the flowers and greenery separated we place them into silica gel can take another 30-40 min. again depending on how many flowers are being preserved. The will be in silica for the next 4 weeks to assure all flowers are completely dry.
After 4 weeks it is time to remove flowers from silica. As we remove the flowers we gently shake them trying to remove as much silica gel as we can, this can be time consuming. Some flowers like roses hold so much silica it can be difficult to get it all out. This part of the process can take 30-40 min. depending on amount of flowers. Please remember some flowers dry better than others, while some do not survive the drying process at all. Keep this in mind and it is always better to send extra flowers if possible.
Once your flowers are ready, we will put together a design in your chosen mold shape. We will send you a picture for approval. At this time you will either approve the design or let us know small changes you would like to see made. This would include featuring a certain flower more or removing a flower you are not happy with. Since the flowers are very delicate at this stage we will not do multiple design options to assure the flowers do not get handled to much. This process can take 1-3 hrs over several days while having back and forth communication.
Once the design has been approved it will move into the resin room and the resin process will begin. This process can take up to 16 days depending on how deep your piece is. We pour in 1/4” layers every 24 hours, it is a slow process and it’s imperative to assure a quality product. After a layer is poured we allow it to sit for 10-15 min. and then we check for any trapped bubbles and try our best to remove as many as we can.
This video shows clips over 12 days, pouring 1/4” daily. Majority of our molds are 3” deep. Some are 4” deep and them we do have some 1-2” deep.
We spend between 30-40 min. every day from preparing the resin by making sure the temperature is correct before mixing, placing in vacuum chamber, pouring, and then watching for and caring for bubbles that occur in the resin after pouring. This video represents at least 10-12hrs of work.
After removing your custom piece from their molds we sand to assure a nice smooth edge and fix any imperfections or bubbles that found their way on the edge of the mold. Once it is sanded and cleaned we will do a final flood coat or top coat. Both of these steps together will take to 1-2 hours depending what each piece needs.
After the final flood coat or top coat is complete we allow it to sit for 7 days to fully cure. Then it is ready to be polished and packed up for shipping or pick up!
I hope this gives some insight as to why floral preservation seems expensive. Over the course of several months your custom keepsakes are created and cn be cared for 15-20+ hours. I have not even mentioned the cost of supplies like high quality UV resistant resin, high quality molds, silica gel, ect.
We invest time and care into each sentimental piece. Thank you for trusting Forever Florals with your special flowers; we hope you cherish it for years to come.
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