The difference between Dried Flowers and Preserved Flowers

Dried flowers and preserved flowers are one of the top trends right now and well…I can see why! There are so many benefits to working with them. I still love using fresh flowers but when you incorporate dried or preserved flowers into a design, it brings in a whole new realm of possibilities within that design.

Although they may seem the same, there is some difference between dried flowers and preserved flowers. This has to do with the preservation process. The most common way to achieve that dried flower look is through hanging them in a moist free and well-ventilated area. When the flowers are completely dry, they may lose a bit of their colour but overall they will have a beautiful vintage feel for your bouquet. Dried flowers will last approximately 1 year. Eventually, their petals will end up falling off.

Then we have preserved flowers! Preservation is sort of a form of drying but it uses a chemical to keep the flowers in a more fresh looking manner. They place the flowers in a glycerine mixture when they are in the exact state that they want the flower to look. That perfect blooming rose if you will. By using glycerin, the flower will not dry out and it keeps its look and feel wonderful. Basically, the glycerin replaces the water in the flower which means the flower will never dry out. The one downside is that the flower is not super cost-effective as it takes a long time for this process to be completely finished which results in a very high costing flower. But…you do get to keep it for years with no work.

Dried flowers mix so beautifully with the preserved flowers and the fresh flowers that you can really achieve a look and feel that years from now you can look back on and think…. “YES! I still love my bouquet!”

But WAIT! There is one more trend that I would be remiss if I did not mention. The Bleached Flower look. Bleached flowers are…well…just that… bleached. They turn a gorgeous green into a wonderous white. They last forever and I believe that add that “je ne sais quoi” to any design.