How To Handle Church Wedding Flowers After The Wedding

The question of what to do with the church wedding flowers after the ceremony is many times a quick last minute decision Many brides feel that they have served their purpose and should be disposed of, but there is much life still left in those expensive arrangements.

With a little planning before the wedding, the bride has an awesome opportunity to share with others. One of the easiest options is to simply leave the arrangement in the church for the Sunday service. The church may have a flower guild that should be contacted beforehand.

Some church guilds will take the large arrangements apart and make smaller individual arrangements to be delivered to nursing homes, hospitals, shelters, hospice or anyone who could use the gift of flowers to brighten their day.

Kate chose to follow the Royal tradition and leave her bridal bouquet on the grave of a fallen soldier.

Everyone has someone in their lives that would appreciate the gift of flowers. It could be someone who needs to be thanked or is going through a difficult time. It is amazing what a difference in someone's life such a small gesture can make.

Some flowers from the bridal bouquet can be air dried by hanging the flowers upside down and placed in a warm room for a few days. Just open the end of a paper clip, insert the end into the flower stem and hang from a coat hanger. By hanging the flowers upside down, the leaves will be right side up when dried.

Not all flowers will dry well, but roses dry beautifully. They will shrink to about a third of their original size and the color will change dramatically. For example a white rose will dry to a cream, light pink will change to dark pink or almost red. Dried red roses change to black.

Dried flowers can be rearranged into another arrangement, a wreath, glued to a basket, placed around a candle or made into potpourri.

One of my favorite ways to preserve roses is to make rose bead jewelry. There are several different recipes, but here is a quick and easy method.

Mix:
4 tablespoons of salt
1 3/4 cups of flour
(add enough water to make a smooth dough. Finely chop three cups of rose petals and press them into the dough. Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a floured surface.)

Rose oil can be added to the mixture to keep the beads fragrant. There are two ways to form the beads. One is to use a pen cap, thimble, or other small object to cut circles from the dough and then form them into beads. Use a needle or wire to punch a hole in each bead before it dries.

The other method is to roll the dough into a rope and use a ruler to measure each cut so the beads are the same size. They will shrink about 50 % so cut them twice the size that you want the finished ones.

String the beads on florist wire and hang to dry. It will take about two weeks depending on the humidity. Rotate them every few days to prevent them from sticking. When they are completely dry, remove them from the wire and restring on bead wire or dental floss.

Crystal, silver, or gold beads can be added to the rose beads to enhance the jewelry.

Rose beads can also be made from other special occasion flowers including funerals, proms, birthdays, and anniversaries. Book marks, key chains, and tassel cords can also be made from rose beads.

What a lovely way to recycle and preserve the memories!

By: Janet Weirich

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Janet Weirich has written numerous articles on all aspects of wedding flower design. For more tips on church wedding flowers click here and you can also visit the author's website here.