How To Create A DIY Floral Garden Boxwood Backdrop

This How To Create A DIY Floral Garden Boxwood Backdrop post is a guest post.

When we went to Hilton Head Island a couple years ago, there was a beautiful floral garden boxwood backdrop in the hotel's lobby. That was when the Kardashians started having floral walls for pretty much every occasion.

They're still so popular.

But chances are, you don't have a Kardashian budget for your wedding. That's why DIY can be your BFF. But to be honest, I have no experience putting together a greenery panel photo backdrop. Luckily, our friends at 3rd Street Inn, an artificial plant supplier, were kind enough to put one a floral garden boxwood backdrop tutorial together for us.

Take it away ...

How To Create A DIY Floral Garden Boxwood Backdrop

Sometimes you just gotta fake it till you make it.

Adding a natural appeal into any event brings a fresh, earthy vibe with it. 3rd Street Inn's Boxwood Panels are the farthest thing from looking fake. They mimic an actual boxwood plant texture and hold true to the deep, dark green hue. Sounds like it's time to incorporate faux greenery panels into your wedding decor.

Not only do you steer clear from the steep florist prices, but you also don't have to worry about wilted, crippling foliage. Plus, you get to relish in the pride of crafting your spotlight piece while also enjoying the fun of DIY. And just to top it off, you get to hold onto it and continue using your boxwood wedding backdrop for the long run!

The specific backdrop we’ll be talking about in this blog is perfect for accessorizing any space in your wedding venue. Prop it up as a photo backdrop, display it behind the cake and dessert table, or even place it front and center, where the vows are exchanged.

What You'll Need:

With this specific design, you will need to purchase 16 3rd Street Inn Artificial Boxwood Greenery Panels. You can purchase through 3rd Street Inn's website or on Amazon.

Materials

• 16 3rd Street Inn Boxwood Greenery panels (8 per board)
• 2 40- x 80-inch pieces of 1/4-inch plywood
• Staple gun*
• Real or faux decor flowers
• Balloons or woodcut lettering (optional)

*If you don’t own a staple gun and don’t want to buy one, there are alternatives: Your old fashioned hammer and nails will work or even a hot glue gun with lots of glue! If you decide to take the glue gun route, make sure you purchase the most durable glue possible; we don’t want the panels slipping out onto the beautiful cake during the event.

Lisa's note: Wood glue or E6000 glue are great options to glue wood. Just be sure to test out glue's durability before putting the entire project together.

What You'll Do:

Step 1:
Cut the plywood into two halves, each measuring 40 inches wide and 80 inches long (This creates the two pieces we included in the supplies list). If you purchase your wood at a home improvement store, someone at the store should be able to cut it for you before you bring the wood to the register.

Step 2:
Connect eight of your boxwood greenery panels together by using the simple snap method to ensure they are all attached. Once you're done with the first eight, snap the other eight together. Now, lay them over the plywood boards and use your staple gun to secure them onto the boards.

Step 3: 
This is the fun part!

Now that the hard work is done, it's time to add your personal touch to the project. Using real or faux flowers, accessorize the boxwood foliage however you desire. You can accessorize your flowers in whichever way suits your theme and wedding colors. Maybe try a flowery border or an ombre effect from top to bottom; play around with different designs and colors.

The back of each 3rd Street Inn panel looks and acts as a net. Sliding flower stems and other greenery into the net is very simple. You also don't have to worry about your flowers budging with the extra backing of the wood behind the panel securing them. If you want an extra sturdy flower arrangement, simply affix the flowers to the board with the staple gun.

We recommend cutting the stems to about 4 to 5 inches in length.

Finding cheap, affordable faux flowers to accessorize to your greenery panels should not be an issue. The dollar store, other discount stores, or any cheap online flower outlet are the best ways to go. Decorating with real flowers is also an option also, but keep in mind that you won't really be able to make this too far in advance of your wedding if you use fresh flowers.

Step 4: 
This step is optional.

Another great way to accessorize the boxwood backing is using balloons or woodcut lettering. The netting on the back of the boxwood panels is perfect for typing up lettering of all sorts with thread or wire. Whether it be initials, quotes, or sayings, any kind of crafted lettering looks perfect on the boxwood foliage.

Another great route to take is to hang up rustic picture frames of the bride and groom throughout wedding planning. Adding sentimental value to your decor is always a great idea. Whatever suits your occasion and your venue, go for it!

BRIDAL BABBLE: How would you embellish your DIY Floral Garden Boxwood Backdrop?

DIY Wedding Flowers Shadowbox

The day after my brother and his wife got married, they were heading off on a Mediterranean cruise. As we were saying our goodbyes in the hotel, my brother's wife handed her bouquet to my mom in case we were able to do something with the flowers. And, if not, no worries, she said. I immediately thought about a DIY Wedding Flowers Shadowbox.

See, when we got married, I preserved my flowers using silica gel. Well, not exactly my flowers.

We stayed the night at the hotel where our reception was, and when we got home, I realized that I left my bouquet in the room. We called immediately upon noticing, but they were gone. It broke my heart because I wanted to save them. So Pete actually called our florist and had them recreate and then deliver my wedding bouquet. And I was able to preserve those and use them in the projects I had intended.

I didn't want to make my brother's wife the same exact thing I made for myself, so I decided to use a few of their wedding items to create a full wedding shadowbox. It came out even better than I could have imagined.

DIY Wedding Flowers Shadowbox

What You'll Need:

• Shadowbox
• Wedding flowers
• Silica gel
• Large airtight container
• Triple thick clear glaze spray
• Scissors
• Straight pins
• Double-sided tape
• Wedding photos
• Wedding invitation 

What You'll Do:

As soon as possible, put the entire bouquet in a large plastic bag and tie it shut. I would recommend a small garbage bag with a knot tied at the top. You want to keep out as much air as possible so the flowers don't start oxidizing and discolor I got.

Then, keep the bag in the fridge until you've purchased your silica gel and container. That will also delay the discoloration of the petals. You can, honestly, keep it that way for a month, but the sooner you make it, the better.

This is a two part process. The first involves preserving the flowers in silica gel, which takes two weeks. The second is the assembly of the wedding flowers shadowbox. So, keep in mind that if you do want to make this for yourself or offer to make this for someone, it's not a project that will be completed quickly.

To Preserve The Flowers:

Take the bouquet from the fridge and remove it from the bag.

Carefully, unwrap any ribbon or burlap from the handle. It may be attached by pins, so look out for those. Don't throw these away. You'll use these to decorate the shadowbox later.

Very gently separate the flowers and any baby's breath or greenery. The petals are so delicate and may start falling off if you're too rough.

Fill the bottom of an airtight container with a layer of silica gel.

Place in a layer of flowers, baby's breath, and greenery on the silica gel. Cover that completely with another layer of silica gel. Add another layer of flowers and greenery, then another layer of silica gel.

If you're preserving flowers like roses, you'll want to pour some the silica gel directly into the top of the flower before (gently) placing it in the box. This will help it hold its shape better and will preserve the inner petals as well.

Leave the box in a dry spot for two weeks.

After they've sat, carefully remove the flowers from the silica gel being sure to discard any silica gel that is between the petals. You can pour the silica gel from the box into a large airtight, zip-top plastic bag and reuse it. I've used mine a few times in the last five years.

Individually spray each flower and piece of greenery with a layer of triple thick clear glaze. One layer is enough, but be sure to get both sides (and the inside of the flowers). Store them upright until they've dried. Overnight is best.

To Make The Wedding Shadowbox:

In the two weeks you're waiting for your flowers, print a couple of wedding photos from the couple and accumulate any wedding accessories you can: the invitation, the save the date, wine corks, escort card holders, etc. Of course, some of that takes pre-planning.

Take out the backside of the shadowbox and arrange your photos, accessories (including the burlap and ribbon), flowers, and greenery.

Once you have everything arranged, you'll be able to decide if you need to trim the stems off the flowers and greenery or the burlap/ribbon.

Try to keep things like the invitation or save the date as is.

Once you have everything as you want it, use the double-sided tape to hold down the burlap or ribbon. Then, if you have something like an invitation wrap, affix that to the front of the box.

Add a few petals on the bottom of the box to add a little depth.

Use the pins to affix everything else down. For the flowers, try to put two pins per (short) stem, then another two in the flower itself. You can glue everything down if you prefer, but I prefer the airy feeling the pins provide.

Put the back on the shadowbox and double check to make sure nothing moved before you close it.

Hang it on the wall.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What would you add to this DIY Wedding Flowers Shadowbox?

Want other ideas for your wedding flowers?

DIY Wedding Flowers Ornament

Real Life Wedding: Sarah's DIY Homemade Wedding Bouquets

I was just going through the blog, looking for DIY homemade wedding bouquets for someone. I completely forgot about this post from when Sarah was planning her wedding. So, of course, it's getting a little update ... almost five years later.

Five. Years.

Man, I've been at this wedding blog thing for a long time.

I was on Twitter five (!!!) years ago, talking to Sarah (@cpss_girl) and she let me know she was in the process of making the bouquets for her August 2013 wedding.

It was over a month away at that point. There was no way she could be using real flowers, so I had to figure out what she was up to.

@abrideabudget paper and silk flowers and feathers, pearls, antique buttons and broaches from my grandmothers :)

— sarah cavanagh (@cpss_girl) July 9, 2013

This I had to see.

I asked Sarah if she could tweet me a photo after the wedding. I didn't want her to give up any surprises, but she shared with me right away. And oh my gosh.

Her bouquets were gorgeous. They look straight out of a bridal magazine. There is something so absolutely breathtaking and incredibly romantic about them. There is no way I would have been able to envision these on my own, let alone sit down and figure out a way to create them.

When you've got a talent, you sure do have a talent.

I'll be honest. When I read her description, I was a little skeptical. I had no idea how she was going to get so many elements into her creations. I've heard of a brooch bouquet before, but those are pretty much just pins. They don't contain multiple elements. I was worried her bouquet was going to look cluttered.

My mind was absolutely blown when I saw the photos.

If you have a talent like Sarah's, absolutely use it. This is exactly how you make your wedding your own. There is no way you can go to the florist and buy this. You buy the florist's vision and her creation. By doing it yourself, your creation is coming to life. And the fact that she incorporated brooches from her grandmothers, oh, what a sweet tribute to the women in her life.

I just really am, still, years later, in absolute awe of what she has created.

She spent under $5,000 for her 250 to 275 guest wedding. It can be done. And doing things yourself, that makes it happen.

But, keep in mind: This is not a simple wedding bouquets DIY. This is a lot of work, time, and effort. DIY doesn't mean it's easy, and it doesn't mean it saves you any time.

So. if you don't have skills in some department, don't do it. If you can't visualize a brooch bouquet (or a similar one) and bring it to life like Sarah, don't do it. You will come out with a mess. Spend your money there. But, if you can design your own save the date cards, go right ahead and do that. Make what you can, buy what you can't, and you will have a gorgeous wedding (at a price you can afford).

BRIDAL BABBLE: What do you think of Sarah's DIY homemade wedding bouquets?

Wondering how to make wedding bouquets with fresh flowers?

Check out our DIY wedding bouquets post.

DIY Rope-Wrapped Floral Mason Jar Centerpiece

I'm a big fan of DIY wedding centerpieces. If you can decide what you want ahead of time, you can start working on them ahead of time and not have to stress and rush during wedding week. I'm giving you this advice now because I'm trying to find enough hours in the day to finish a DIY crocheted headband that I need to finish in 72 hours. It has to happen, but it's not going to happen without me crocheting way past my bedtime. So if you don't want to stay up past your bedtime during wedding week, you'll want to do as much as you can before wedding week.

So decide on your wedding centerpieces early and get to work on them. Or decide on simple ones that are easy to make like this  DIY Rope-Wrapped Floral Mason Jar Centerpiece.

DIY Rope-Wrapped Floral Mason Jar Centerpiece

What You'll Need:

• Twisted cotton rope
• Glue gun
• Glue gun sticks
• 16oz. mason jars
• Flowers

What You'll Do:

Dab a bit of glue on the mason jar, right on the indentation, under the lid.

Stick the end of the twister cotton rope there and hold it until it is dried. Wrap the rope around the mason jar tightly.

Every few rows, you can stick another dollop of glue to make sure the rope is secure.

When you get to the bottom, put a dollop of glue, cut the rope, and glue the end of it down. Leave these to dry completely.

On your wedding day, fill these with flowers that match your bouquet.

When you're ordering your wedding flowers, be sure to let your florist know that you will be creating these centerpieces. The florist will help you decide what flowers to fill these with and how many flowers you'll need.

If you're doing your flowers wholesale, I would suggest hydrangeas as your large flower. They're a cheap flower and take up a lot of room, so you will only need one in each centerpiece to make it feel full. Then, fill the rest with smaller flowers or baby's breath.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Would you make these DIY Rope-Wrapped Floral Mason Jar Centerpieces?

The Ultimate Wedding Flowers Guide

I was emailing with one of my friends once (a friend who I should keep better touch with, you'll agree after this story) and she mentioned she had gotten married. I was so excited for her and wanted to see pictures. She looked like a princess. Her photos were gorgeous ... and so was her cascading bouquet. I decided at that moment that it was the style I wanted.

So I went on Pinterest and started pinning cascade bouquets. I also decided early on that Pete would have a calla lily boutineer, in memory of his mom, since that was her favorite flower.

Other than that, though, I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted as far as flowers. I went with my mom to a florist, armed with the little information from the paragraph above. The florist was great. She sat down with us for a really long time to help us make decisions. We went to a second florist (because you need to shop around and compare) and he was fantastic. It helped that we had a much better idea of what would work. The better you can articulate what you want, the smoother your appointments will go.

Both the florists we saw were so unbelievably friendly and helpful. But what if yours aren't? Or what if you are DIY'ing your flowers? To help you, I put together the ultimate wedding flowers guide. This is exactly what I wish I had before I went wedding flower shopping.

The Ultimate Wedding Flowers Guide

A quick list of who and what (may) need flowers
Traditionally, you will have a bouquet as will all your bridesmaids. Your flower girls may have petals to drop (although ask your church or venue if that is allowed before you place an order because many places won't allow this anymore). You also usually order a corsage for your mothers and grandmothers.

On the guy's side, your groom will have a boutineer, as will his groomsmen. You also want to get one for any ring bearers and your fathers and grandfathers.

If you are getting married at a church, you might want to order alter flowers and pew bows. If you want floral centerpieces for the reception, you're going to want to order them with the rest of your flower package.

Some brides are ordering a toss bouquet now too. I actually ordered one because I didn't want to throw my beautiful cascade bouquet -- and it got left behind at the church so I never got to throw it. I just tossed one of my bridesmaid's bouquets instead. That's why a toss bouquet is on my list of five things you can absolutely skip and no one will notice or care.

How to choose your wedding flowers
When you go to a florist, he or she will have a bunch of flower books for you to peruse. See, those books came out way before Pinterest put options a click away. So these books were a great reference for you to choose your flowers. They are generally sorted by color, so it's easier for you to pick flowers that will match the rest of your wedding. Under each color, you will see example bouquets. Generally, brides will just pick one but if you have a different vision, you can explain it to the florist (or show a pin) and it can be made for you.

Along with these bouquet books, your florist may also have a book of just flowers. It's more of a botanist book than a florist one. But it's so helpful. Your florist may suggest a boutineer flower that you have never heard of. Instead of just nodding in agreement and hoping for the best, the florist can open to a page with the image of that flower on it so you can actually see what he or she is suggesting. Plus, when you flip through that book, you may spot a flower that you have never seen but fall in love with and need in your bouquet.

Does season matter?
To a degree, yes, but not as much as you think. I'm sure you've heard to order in season because it will save you some money. But many flowers, and probably the ones you want, are year round. You'll want to avoid roses in February since Valentine's Day drives the price up, and you should stay away from anything that's really difficult to order (your florist will give you a heads up on this).

Honestly, though, if you're worried about your budget, there's a good chance you won't be eyeing any extravagant or foreign flowers. Your florist will steer you in a good direction and you'll follow.

Now, there are the purists who will say that season really matters, some flowers can't be ordered in certain seasons (without a crazy fee), blah blah blah. But if you're flexible, you can choose beautiful, budget-friendly flowers in any season.

Can you change your order?
If you're fickle, you're in luck. Your wedding order will not be placed the minute you sign your contract (at least, it shouldn't be). Talk to your florist about when, exactly, your flowers will be ordered and when you can change your order, if need be. Maybe you will change your mind, maybe a bridesmaid will drop out and you will have to cancel her bouquet. Things happen and your florist should work with you.

Your florist doesn't have everything in stock all the time. In fact, there will be an order placed specifically for your wedding flowers. But once the order is placed, though, that's that. No changes (unless you want to pay additionally plus an expedited fee).

How to save money on your wedding flowers
Wedding flowers can end up being really expensive. Ours were the third most expensive item we paid for (and only a $50 difference from our six-piece band). But, even still, the price we paid was incredible. We ordered from the second florist we saw because one) we got more and two) it was half the price of the first florist. So, like I said, shop around.

But even with only one shop to choose from, your choices can help keep your cost down. First of all, the type of flowers your choose make a difference. If you want an entire bouquet of orchids, it will cost you a lot more that a bouquet of daisies. But that doesn't mean you can't have orchids. It just means your have to add some cheaper flowers as filler.

Take my bridesmaids bouquets for example. I wanted a pretty bouquet of wildflowers so the florist ran down wildflower options with me. Tiger lilies? Yes. Roses? Sure. Hydrangeas? No thanks. And then he stopped me. Stem to stem, a hydrangea may be more expensive than an anemone but it also takes up a lot more real estate in a bouquet. So if you add one, your bouquets will look fuller without costing you more.

You can save on boutineers too. I originally wanted all the groomsmen to have calla lilies, but that would have been pretty pricey. And, just like my bouquet was different than my bridesmaids, the florist suggested Pete's boutineer should be different than his groomsmen. So he got a calla lily and they got roses. So did my dad. And as for the ring bearers, well, they're little. So a full boutineer would be too big for them. Instead of a rose, we went with a rolled rose petal. It was so cute -- and saved me a couple bucks.

For the church, you can order pew bows without flowers from the florist as well, but I vote for adding a flower to them. It really does make a big difference. I didn't think so until I actually saw our wedding photos. Good thing my mom talked me into that one.

Do you need flowers?
The truth is, you don't need anything. You can always replace flowers with something else. Don't want floral bouquets? Make a brooch one. Don't want floral boutineers? Go with a starfish. Don't want your flower girl to drop petals? Have her blow bubbles.

You can skip flowers altogether, if you want. It's your wedding, so it's up to you.

How can you preserve your wedding flowers?
Silica gel. Definitely silica gel. It's so much more amazing than drying them. I have a full post about that here.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What type of wedding flowers are you ordering?

What are you doing with your flowers after your wedding?
Check out our Five Things To Do With You Wedding Flowers After The Wedding post.

Five Things To Do With Your Wedding Flowers After Your Wedding

Wedding flowers can get really expensive. There's your bouquet, your bridesmaids' bouquets, petals for your flower girls, corsages for your moms and grandmas, boutineers for your groom, his groomsmen, any ring bearers, and the fathers, alter flowers, pew markers, and anything you decide to have for the reception.

Most couples allocate 6-percent to 8-percent of their budget for flowers (you can find a full wedding budget broken down by percentages here). We were really lucky that our venue had centerpieces we could borrow so we didn't have to spend for floral centerpieces. Plus, the flower shop we used was so reasonable (it was nearly half of what another shop quoted us for nearly identical packages). We ended up spending 4% of our budget on flowers, which is half of what I had estimated so I was happy.

But what about when the wedding is over? What should you do with your wedding flowers then?

Five Things To Do With You Wedding Flowers After The Wedding

1. Donate them

We had two large arrangements for the church's alter, plus four pew markers (so that people knew to leave those pews open for immediate family and the wedding party). When we had a meeting with the priest before our wedding, I asked what we were supposed to do with the flowers after. "Most people donate them to the church," he said, before adding, "But you can take them if you want." So we left them. We actually also donated my toss bouquet because no one thought to grab it before we left the church (which is exactly why a toss bouquet is on my list of things you can skip at your wedding).

As far as wedding bouquets, you can donate those too. You'll be taking them with you to the reception, so you won't donate to the church. But, pre-wedding, call a local nursing home or hospital. Ask them if they accept floral donations. Many of them do, so just put a bridesmaid in charge of collecting flowers (bouquets, centerpieces, decor) and driving them to donate the next day. Just be sure to keep the flowers hydrated overnight so you're not donating wilted and half-dead flowers.

2. Preserve them

I am a big supporter of using silica gel to preserve your wedding flowers. It's a time-consuming process (and most of that time is waiting) but you can do it at home. And the flowers come out absolutely amazing, especially compared to drying them. The colors are so bright and vibrant. I have an entire post on how to preserve your flowers at home, so definitely take a look at that.

If you don't care about colors, you can always just dry them. Instructions for that are in the link above also.

I actually did what I could with silica gel (you need a container for that and mine had limited space) and left the rest of the bouquet to dry on its own. I actually have the dried bouquet sitting on my work desk. 

3. Create a shadow box from them

After you've preserved them, you'll want something to do with them. You can be like me and leave them sitting on your desk or you can create a display. You best bet is a shadow box. You can purchase them in a variety of sizes. If you've never seen one, they're basically plump frames. Instead of having room only for a thin, flat paper like a frame, these are wide so you can fit a bunch of stuff between the glass and the backing. You can pin your flowers to look like your arrangement or just add a few petals along with other wedding mementos.

4. DIY a Christmas ornament

If you're even a little bit crafty, you can put together a Christmas ornament with your flowers. Just purchase some glass ornaments and put pieces of your wedding bouquet inside. These is really great if you have any sort of jeweled embellishments on your bouquet. Plus, you can use the tulle from your handle as the ribbon for the top. You can check out my DIY Christmas ornament tutorial, but this is pretty self explanatory. 

This is a great thing for people who aren't too sentimental and don't want to see wedding flowers displayed 24/7. This goes on your tree during the holiday season and then it goes back in a box for another year. You're sentimental, but not year round (plus, if you need a constant reminder that you got married, just turn around and look at your groom).

5. Throw them out

Oh my heart hurts at that suggestion, but that's because I am the most sentimental pack rat you will ever meet. I can throw magazines away so easily because I don't need reminders of if Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber are on again or off again. But childhood toys or handwritten notes, I can't throw them away because I can't get them back. And that's how I feel with anything wedding related. The day comes and goes and you don't get a do over. But, honestly, you probably have tons of photos of your bouquet. If you want a reminder of how they looked, you can just go back to your wedding album. And that's a lot less clutter than the actual flowers.

But even with that photo above (and a ton of others that I took when my second bouquet came), I still couldn't bring myself to throw out my bridal bouquet.

BRIDAL BABBLE: What do you plan to do with your wedding flowers after your wedding?

Deciding on your wedding flowers?
Check out our Ultimate Wedding Flowers Guide post.

DIY Wedding Bouquet Ornament

I knew I wanted to save my wedding bouquet, but I wasn't sure how I wanted to save it. I eventually decided that I would use silica gel to preserve my wedding flowers at home (you can check that post out here).

After thinking for a while, I decided that I would turn part of my wedding bouquet into a wedding bouquet ornament.

It was really easy and made me decide that I actually want to put together a series of wedding ornaments. I have a second made (and you can check out my wedding invitation ornament here). But for now, we'll focus just on this cute wedding bouquet ornament.

DIY Wedding Bouquet Ornament

What You'll Need:

• Glass ornaments (I used these 60mm Darice ornaments)
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• Silica gel preserved flowers 

What You'll Do:

Take the top off the ornament. Roll up a petal and stuff it in the ornament.

I had calla lilies in my bouquet and they wouldn't fit whole. so I had to break them to make them fit. It broke my heart, if I'm being honest. Here was a very limited amount of my wedding bouquet because I wasn't able to preserve it all in silica gel (although I did save the rest of it by drying it). I had a trio of calla lilies, which I had selected for my bouquet because it was Pete's mom's favorite. I almost nixed the entire project because it was too hard on my heart for me to pull it apart.

And then I decided that I would cut it down so it still looked beautiful, not jagged like tearing made it look. And I knew I had photos of my flowers that would endure forever. So it was okay.

Really, the further I get from our wedding, the more these little things become important. So it's important to preserve them as best you can.

Even though I didn't snap these in the original photo, I made sure to add greenery too. It was important to me to have a textured wedding bouquet, and the greenery is what made that happen. So of course, it was important for me to capture that in my wedding bouquet ornament.

When you're done filling it, just pop the top back on.

Cut a piece of ribbon. If this ribbon pack looks familiar to you, it's the same ribbon we used on our wedding favors. It was the perfect touch.

Tie the ribbon in a bow. This is what you'll use to hang it on the tree instead of an ugly hook.

I originally hung ours on the doorknob but I moved it to hang off the end of our CD rack. Because yes, I still have a CD rack. 

This is actually a really cute idea to make for your parents for Christmas. I think my mom would love one of these.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Would you make this wedding bouquet ornament for your Christmas tree?

Wedding DIY: Preserving Your Flowers At Home

I wasn't bridezilla until after the wedding. The night after, I sobbed inconsolably because my wedding flowers were gone. I had plans to turn them into decorations, into a Christmas ornament, and to display them. I wanted to save them forever, but they were stolen out of our hotel room after the wedding.

I was heartbroken. I was so upset that Pete actually "found" them and had them delivered to the apartment two weeks later (if that story sounds familiar, it's because I posted it here). It made me so happy knowing how much he cared -- and to know that I was able to do what I wanted with them.

Everyone I know who has saved flowers has either put them in the freezer (and then forgot about them, like my prom corsage) or dried them. But I decided to try silica gel. I had never used it before and wasn't sure my wedding bouquet was the place to try it on but I decided if it didn't work, I could always get a second replacement bouquet. Thank goodness I didn't have to. This worked amazingly.

Preserving Your Flowers At Home

What You'll Need:

• Silica Gel (I bought two 5 pound boxes of Activa Silica Gel for Flower Drying)
• Medium to large sized air tight box
• Flowers

What You'll Do:

Cut the stems off the flowers.

Pour a layer of silica gel in the bottom of the box.

Fill your flower with silica gel (filling it will help it hold its shape, overfilling it will help it fall apart).

Place the flower in the box.

You can fill any type of flower.

Just rest it in the box with the other.

Fill an entire layer with flowers and greenery.

Top it with a layer of silica gel.

Add another layer of flowers and greenery.

Repeat with silica gel and flowers.

And then again until the box is filled. Don't put the flowers right on top of each other or too close to each other, but layers of flowers and gel is okay.

Fill to the top with silica gel.

Close the lid and wait at least two weeks.

After I had the flowers in the box, I strung a few together and hung them from the guest closet. I figured if silica gel didn't actually work, at least I would have these. I then left the rest of the bouquet whole on my desk and that dried pretty nicely, actually. I figured that would work for a memory if silica gel flopped.

But it didn't.

It was amazing.

I opened the box, gently removed the flowers, and was shocked. They are as bright, beautiful, and clean as the day I put them in the silica gel. The whites were white, the greenery was green, and my flowers held up their shapes too.

My only regret was not buying a bigger box so I could preserve more of my flowers this way.

You can tell the rose I overstuffed fell apart, but I actually wanted petals for another craft. I'm going to purchase glass ornament balls and fill them with petals, then use the ribbon we used for our wedding favors to embellish and tie them.

But of course, I had to run in the other room to compare them to the dried flowers, just to make sure this process and the money invested was worth it.

The top photo is dried flowers from the ones hanging on the closet. The bottom photo is the same flowers (Picasso calla lily, white rose, orchid, respectively). The picture speaks for itself.

From now on, any time I'm thinking about preserving flowers at home, this is the method I'm using.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Have you ever used silica gel for preserving your flowers at home? 

Deciding on your wedding flowers?
Check out our Ultimate Wedding Flowers Guide post.