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Out of this world: making the iconic rocket ice lolly into a charm
by Stefanie Lechthaler
Until death do us part: this is how I rescued my bridal bouquet
8.8.2023
Translation: Elicia Payne
Pictures: Darina Schweizer
Are you supposed to just chuck the bridal bouquet in the green bin after the wedding? I can’t bring myself to do that. So I’m testing two ways to preserve the flowers.
«Your wedding is the best day of your life.» How I always hated that ancient phrase. And then I found myself standing on the shore of Lake Constance with my newlywed husband. Before us sat 30 guests with watery eyes. Next to us, a little family of ducks paddled by and I thought, «Crap, the sentence really is true!»
In the meantime, the wedding high has (almost) faded away. But every time I pass the dining table, my heart leaps. There, bundled in my bridal bouquet, are the memories of our big day, created by my dear friend, a talented florist who I was maid of honour for.
The bouquet is made of:
- Eucalyptus
- Poppy pods
- Fountain grass (Pennisetum)
- Masterwort (Astrantia)
- Prairie gentians (Lisianthus)
- Roses
- Baby’s breath (Gypsophila)
- Pincushion flowers (Scabiosa)
Every day I stick my nose in and replay our wedding in my mind’s eye. That was until today, when I was shocked to see the roses and the eucalyptus have started to droop.
Is today the day where I have to carry my bridal bouquet to the green bin grave? I refuse! There must be a way to save the flowers. After some research, I’m relieved to learn that bridal bouquets can be preserved. You can do the following:
- Turn them in dry salt or powder.
- Place them in washing powder, sand, silica gel or glycerine.
- Dip them in dipping wax.
Okay... I don’t have any of that at home. Isn’t there a simpler solution? Yes, there is! I test the following preservation options:
Option 1: dry the bridal bouquet
Dried flowers have always been my kind of thing. Originally, I wanted them in my bridal bouquet. Will this wish now come true? Even though I read that the flowers should be as fresh as possible, I’m going to give it a go.
Option 2: press the bridal bouquet
I don’t completely trust the option with the bridal bouquet in the cellar. What if the flowers weren’t fresh enough? So I decide to test the pressing option too.
- Before I put the bridal bouquet in the oven (see above), I set aside a few particularly beautiful, intact flowers and stems (maximum A4 size).
- To get rid of the moisture, I decide to use an iron. To do this, I put the flowers on the ironing board and cover them with a newspaper. Then I hold the iron over them for about 15 seconds at the lowest setting.
- After just five seconds, it begins to fizzle. Perfect. The liquid is escaping.
- After the flowers and stems are dry, I grab a big old book. I open it in the last third, put in two pieces of newspaper (blotting paper also works) and carefully place a few flowers in between them. A few pages ahead, I do the same with the next bunch. And so on. When all the little flowers are stowed away, I close the book.
- The last thing I need is a heavy weight. A table, a flower pot, or heavy books? Any of them would work. But my eyes go to my boyfriend’s (er, husband’s!) guitar amp. I remember how much we suffered while hauling this colossus thing into our place. Its perfect!
Now I just have to wait. In a month’s time, I can pull out the pressed flowers from under the guitar amp – and in two months, the bouquet from the cellar. Will that be the second-best day of my life? Or am I giving the mould the best time of its life? I’ll keep you updated.
Have you dried or pressed flowers before? Share your stories and tips in the comments!
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI love anything with four legs or roots - especially my shelter cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. My favourite things to do are stalking around with police dogs and cat coiffeurs on reportages or letting sensitive stories flourish in garden brockis and Japanese gardens.
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