Wedding Hacks Category


wedding bouquet

5 Ideas On How To Preserve Your Wedding Bouquet

How To Preserve Your Wedding Bouquet

Your wedding day is one of the memorable moments that you would like to remember forever. If you could only keep it and relive it over and over, I bet you would have already done that. Make sure to hire a photographer and videographer to document your wedding and capture every moment. This is one way to preserve your wedding day memories. You’ll be surprised by the emotions that will rush through your body when you finally watch the videos from your wedding.

Another thing from your wedding that you can preserve is your wedding bouquet. Yes, you’ve read it right. You’ll definitely fall in love with your gorgeous bouquet. But appreciating its beauty doesn’t need to last for a few days only. With its sentimental value, it deserves to be preserved for a long time. 

1. Dry your whole bouquet.

This is probably the easiest and simplest way to preserve flowers. Hang your bouquet upside down in a cool, dry place for a few weeks. Hanging it upside down is important so you can ensure that they dry in the proper position. If you dry them in an upright position, the stems will bend as it dries and will result in an awkward look for your flowers. It will seem like the flowers are looking down. You can simply use a rubber band tied on a clothes hanger to hang the bouquet.

Once the bouquet has already dried, you can put them in a vase as a decor or you can have it framed and displayed at your home.

2. Press your flowers.

Another simple way to preserve your bouquet, which you might have already done in the past, is by pressing. You will need a heavy book, like an atlas or phonebook, and wax paper. First, choose the flowers that you would like to dry from your bouquet. Spread them out on the wax paper and arrange them based on how you want them to look when they have dried. Make sure that you’ve decided on their final look before pressing them as it would be difficult to manipulate the flowers once they have dried and flattened. 

Insert the wax paper with the flowers between the pages of the book and cover the flowers with another wax paper before closing the book. This will ensure that the flowers will be free from ink and will also keep the flowers from staining the pages of the book. Weight it down with something heavy or put them below a pile of other books. Leave them for seven to ten days. Once dried, you can have it framed for better appreciation.

3. Preserve them in an epoxy resin.

Not a fan of framed decors or dried flowers in a vase? Doing an epoxy resin art is a unique way to preserve your flowers. It can become a sculptural piece of art or a simple paperweight. What’s great about preserving flowers in an epoxy resin is that you can unleash your creativity. You can customize its shape depending on the mold that you will be using. 

Fill the mold halfway with the epoxy resin and arrange the flowers however you want. After putting the flowers, fill it with resin until the top and let it dry. Once dried, remove the mold and voila – you already have a piece of art that showcases the beauty of your wedding bouquet. Just make sure to make this epoxy resin art while the flowers are still looking vibrant and fresh. This is for your wedding flowers to look blooming forever.

4. Dip your bouquet in wax. 

Another way to preserve your wedding bouquet is by dipping it in wax. Melt the paraffin wax in a saucepan with boiling water until it becomes smooth. Lower the heat so the wax mixture slightly cools down. Then, gently dip the flowers into the wax solution and immediately pull them out. Hand them upside down until dry. 

This method makes your flowers look almost the same as fresh flowers, keeping its original color intact. However, dipping in wax will not permanently preserve them. It will just extend the life of your wedding bouquet for up to six months. So if you just want to appreciate the beauty of your wedding bouquet for a few more months, this method can be your option.

5. Have them painted.

Having it painted is one way to cherish your wedding bouquet forever. Although the actual flowers won’t be preserved, it is still a lovely way to preserve their original look and remind you of all the beautiful memories you had with that wedding bouquet. Make sure you set arrangements with your preferred artist even before your wedding day. This is for you to be able to hand over your bouquet to the artist immediately after your wedding day to ensure that it is still fresh and beautiful in time for painting it.

 

Your wedding day is one of your memories in life that you want to cherish forever. If you are getting married soon, take time to think about the things from your wedding that you would like to preserve. Those sentimental pieces can serve as a reminder of your and your partner’s love for each other forever.

LDS Bride

New York Times: LDS Bride Masterfully Plans Wedding in 5 Days

LDS Bride Plans Wedding in 5 Days

By The New York Times

Planning an entire wedding in 5 days, some say she might be crazy, others might say she is in love. Either way sending out wedding invitations via text message was pretty creative! Congratulations Emily and Rob!

It was the day before my wedding, and I still didn’t have a dress. In less than 24 hours, family and friends would be gathering to celebrate the occasion, and at this point my “something borrowed” was going to be an entire church outfit. Was I concerned? Not really, and not for long. I decided to throw a Hail Mary at my mom by asking if she would make a skirt to match the $10 top I found. She did. And it was lovely.

My wedding dress was just one of many things I wasn’t concerned about.

For example, five days earlier (on a Thursday, which also happened to be New Year’s Eve), I was on the phone with the woman who would become my banquet coordinator. The conversation took place about an hour after I was officially engaged (with an $8.88 Walmart wedding ring purchased that morning) while hiking in the Sedona Verde Valley in Arizona.

It went like this:

HER (choking cough) “Excuse me? You’re getting married in five days, and you’re just calling me now?”

ME “Well, I actually think I’m being quite generous. I just got engaged, and you’re my first call. I figured I should work out some logistics before texting everyone. And no, I’m not pregnant.”

HER “Well this is unusual. How many people are you expecting?”

ME “Probably 100.”

HER (cough) “One hundred people with five days’ notice?”

Featured image from The New York Times

Read the rest of this story at NYTIMES.com

15 Wedding Hacks to Make Your Big Day Stress-Free

No matter what type of wedding you’re planning, big or small, everyone has worries about their big day. You want to enjoy your wedding day, not spend it stressing about the little things. To save you the hassle and the stress, we have gathered a few wedding hacks to make your day easier.

  1. Wearing a veil? Use veil weights to keep your veil in place in case of wind.
  2. Break in your shoes before the wedding day. You can do this easily with just a blow dryer and socks.
  3. Keep the kids entertained. Provide wedding-themed coloring or activity books.
  4. Come up with a wedding hashtag to create a real-time wedding photo album on social media.
  5. Planning for an outdoor venue? Attach Solemates to your heels so your shoes don’t get stuck in the grass.
  6. Create snack packs for you, the groom, and the bridal party to tide you over between the ceremony and reception. Keeping everyone fed will make sure everyone stays happy!
  7. Assign each bridal party or family member to a different vendor. Have them exchange contact information so they can solve any problems the day of and you don’t have to be worried.
  8. Have a spare pair of shoes. The shoes you are wearing for your ceremony and photos may not be comfortable anymore once you get to the reception, especially if there’s dancing. Have a pair of flats or sandals just in case.
  9. Remove static from your dress with a wire hanger. Run the long side of the hanger over your dress and between your tights, slip, etc. and you’ll be static free!
  10. Create a wedding timeline and hand it out to your families and bridal party. This way, everyone will be where they are supposed to be when they’re supposed to be there.
  11. Have a kit of emergency essentials with you at all times. This could include gum, deodorant, bobby pins, lip gloss, safety pins, etc. Have your maid of honor or bridesmaid carry it with them throughout the day so you always have access to it.
  12. Get rid of any morning-of pimples. The last thing you want to see when you wake up on the morning of your wedding is a big zit. Put Listerine or ice on it for a few minutes to reduce swelling and redness.
  13. Give your DJ a “do not play” list to avoid awkward dancing.
  14. Wear a cute outfit while you’re getting ready. If you are having a photographer there during hair and make up, make sure you love those photos by wearing something cute, like a button down shirt, robe, etc. Also make sure whatever you wear doesn’t have to be pulled over your head to take off to avoid messing your hair up.
  15. Find a time to spend time alone with your groom. The whole day really is about the two of you so make sure you have time together away from all the craziness.

Use these tips to make sure your wedding day is stress-free! In the end, even if things go wrong, all that matters at the end of the day is that you are married to the person you love. So enjoy the day and have fun!