If you are the type of person who loves to preserve memories for as long as you can hold on to them, you have come to the right place! Whether you are about to attend prom, a wedding, or any other special occasion, preserving your corsage is a great idea to be able to have an item attached to that special day forever. There are a few ways you can go about preservation, depending on what type of flowers were used and how the corsage was styled.
Keep reading if you would be interested in learning how to preserve the memory for years to come!
Option 1: Dry it
This one is the easiest methods! Simply wrap a rubber band or tight cord around the stems of the flowers, just under the blossoms, and hang the whole thing upside down in a dark space in your home. Leave the flowers to dry for a few days.
They will slowly become fragile so make sure to carefully store your arrangement in a pretty box or exhibit it in a place where people will not be able to easily touch it! You don’t want to ruin them.
Option 2: Spray It
This method is also quite simple. Try spraying your corsage with lots of hairspray! Make sure to hold it arms length away from yourself and spray with aerosol hairspray outdoors. The results might not be perfect, but it will help prevent the flowers from wilting. Don’t forget to store the flowers properly once sprayed.
Option 3: Gel It
This method requires a little more preparation and time, but we can assure you that your flowers will remain intact for a very long time!
Buy silica gel at a crafts center or flower store and fill a plastic container (big enough to fit the corsage) about half-way with the gel. Remove any damaged leaves and petals from your corsage before placing it inside the container and cover it completely with the gel. Close the container and place it in a dark, dry spot for around three weeks.
Once you remove them from the container, shake out the excess gel and spray with some hair spray to ensure they remain dry.
Option 4: Press It
Place a piece of cardboard on a flat surface and cover it with four newspaper sheets and one sheet of tissue paper on top of the newspaper. Put your corsage on top of the tissue paper, carefully spreading the flowers apart so no flower is on top of another one. Once you’re done, put another sheet of tissue paper on top of the corsage, with another four sheets of newspaper on top of the tissue paper. Cover all of it with another piece of cardboard.
To finalize, stack some heavy books on top of the cardboard, right where the corsage is. The flowers should be completely dry by the end of three weeks. If there are some that are still damp, cover the flowers with a fresh piece of cardboard and wait a week more.
Don’t forget to exhibit them!
Once your flowers are preserved, you can show them off so everyone can see how beautiful they are and you can relive your favorite moments every time you see them around your home.
We suggest placing the finished piece in a shadow box in your favorite color (or you can customize it and paint it yourself to match the color of your flowers) that is around 11×14 or 16×20 (depending on the size of your corsage). If the shadow box idea doesn’t work, go for something more simple like a square glass box! Also try adding other small mementos as well, like the event invitation, a photo from the day, a small poem, a piece of fabric or ribbon from your dress– the list goes on! Personalize it to your preferences then hang it on your wall to enjoy for the years to come.
Do you know any other ways to preserve your corsage? Which one’s your favorite? Let us know by tagging us on Instagram @Faviana and on Twitter @FavianaNY. Also, follow us on Snapchat @Faviana_NY and subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch up on our latest vlogs. We’d love to see what looks you come up with!
xx,
Sam
Written by Sam Bruno
Edited by Diego Ledezma
