We all want our flowers to live as long as possible and look phenomenal on the big day, but I believe the most important arrangement is the Bridal Bouquet.

It’s pictured in EVERYTHING, it’s the first snapshot of the blooms she’ll see for the day, and it’s the bride’s flowers! (After all she is one of the most important people on this day) So how do we maximize the life of this vital arrangement?

First, it’s important to note that the bridal bouquet, and bridesmaid bouquets, are living objects. If not kept in water up to the photography session, and after the session, they will begin to die much quicker than one might want, resulting in semi-wilted bouquets before the ceremony if the photos are taken before (which most are now). In order to maximize the life of these precious, important arrangements here are two tips:

1. Keep them in the vase of water provided for as long as possible, and place them back in the vase when not in use.
2. Keep them in a cool, dry place up ’til they need to be utilized.

For Tip numero uńo, it’s important that the bouquets are left in the vase of water provided by the florist up until they need to be utilized. Majority of photographers set up the photo sessions of the bridal party before the ceremony, so that the couple can maximize their time celebrating their marriage with their loved ones. In this case that means the bouquets begin to be out of water up to 2 hours before the start of the ceremony, which in turn, means they are dying much sooner than if you just plucked them out of their vases right before walking down. So you’ll want to keep these precious arrangements in their vase of water up to the photography session and then place them BACK in their vessel post session. This ensures they continue to hydrate and drink until they are in use again. Additionally, we like to put flower food in the vessels of water provided so that they are constantly being conditioned, and we give fresh cuts to all bouquets before delivery. This helps them drink up the water better.

For tip numero dos, keeping the bouquets in a cool, dry place until they need to be utilized maximizes their life as well. We keep the bouquets in our floral cooler up until we deliver. When we bring them to the bridal party, we like to look around and ensure they are being kept away from a window, and any heater that may be on. This just helps them last so much longer because the sun isn’t beating down on them, and the heater isn’t drying them out.

So in conclusion, maximizing the life of the bouquets on the wedding just takes a little extra care and attention. We know that this is the last thing on a brides mind, so when we work with planners, photographers and venue coordinators, we like to share these tips with them so that they can help keep them looking their best. It truly takes a team on the day of the wedding (heck months before the wedding too) and it’s important you are finding the right squad for your day who will do the little things.