Preserving Flowers From A Funeral
Many people choose to preserve their wedding flowers, but increasingly we are being asked how to preserve funeral flowers. So much time, effort, and money is often spent on funeral flowers, so it makes sense that you would want to preserve a memory of them rather than leave them at the crematorium where they will eventually be disposed of. So in this article we will explore ways you can preserve funeral flowers for years afterwards:
1: Pressing Flowers
There are some wonderful companies like Blue Brontide that make traditional wooden flower presses in the UK if you want to do it yourself, or you can send flowers to The Wild Flower Press and they can do it for you. Be aware though that with all flower preservation the quicker you act the better result you will have.
“I preserved the flowers from my mum’s funeral - they were brilliant blue and purple orchids, and I just didn’t want to watch them wither and then bin them. So I bought a flower press and preserved them the traditional way. I don’t know what I’ll do with them yet, but the act of saving and keeping them gave me a lot of comfort at the time.
Sam, Funeral Director at Exit Here
If you don’t have a flower press you can just press them between the pages of a heavy book - although be careful as it might stain the pages a little. It should take a few weeks for the flowers to be sufficiently flattened. Spraying the flowers lightly with hairspray can make the colour last a little longer.
After you have your pressed flowers you can put them into a memory box with other items from the funeral like the order of service and condolence or flower cards. Alternatively you can turn them into a piece artwork if you are more creatively inclined.
2: Air Dry Flowers
By far the easiest way to preserve your funeral flowers is to tie them in a bunch and hang upside down. Make sure you separate all the stems and carefully hang them together so they have some space between them to dry. For the best results, hang somewhere warm and dry like an airing cupboard. It may take a week or two, but when you have finished you can tie them with a ribbon and place in a vase, create a wreath, frame them, or to preserve them even longer you could place them in an airtight glass dome.
3: Preserve Funeral Flowers In Resin
Resin preserves flowers exactly as they are in a solid transparent material, which can then be turned into anything - a paperweight, bottle stopper, candle holder or just a decorative item. Dried and artificial flowers can be preserved as well as fresh ones, so if you miss the chance to send off your fresh flowers then you can still use dried ones. Companies like Sals Forever Flowers also suggest including jewellery, ribbons, or any other small keepsake with the flowers.
Many companies advise booking in advance if you can, so they can make production space to preserve your flowers. If you want to make your own resin blocks here are some companies that provide resin moulds to preserve funeral flowers:
4: Wax Dipping your Funeral Flowers
All you need to wax dip funeral flowers is melted paraffin wax, pots or tins, and some twine. If you are doing this with children be very careful as you’ll need hot water and a sharp knife.
You’ll need to melt the wax in a pot within a saucepan of hot water. Make sure the wax doesn’t come into contact with the water, and to speed up the melting cut or shave the wax into smaller pieces with your sharp knife.
Tie some string to the end of the flower’s stem, and simply dip it into the fully melted wax, until everything aside from the end of the stem is submerged and evenly coated. Then tie the string to a rack or somewhere it can hang safely, and don’t forget to put something underneath to catch any drips.
Once the main part of the flower has dried, you can dip the unwaxed stem into the paraffin, and leave to dry on a sheet of wax/baking paper.
5: Make a Herbarium / suspend in oil
This is a really simple and effective way to preserve funeral flowers and display in your home. You just need some glass bottles with cork stoppers or similar, a skewer to arrange the flowers, and some oil. You can use paraffin oil, mineral/carrier oil, or baby oil, just make sure it’s completely clear and with no hint of colour.
All you need to do is arrange the flowers in the bottle, pour in the oil, and then securely seal the bottle with your cork or lid. The flowers should last around a year without fading, but longer if you keep them out of direct sunlight.
Some other unusual and creative ideas for preserving funeral flowers:
If you have tried any of these ideas we would love to see them - tag us on Instagram @exitherefunerals or email info@exithere.com.