**Poll - What will you do with your bouquet?**

We are placing mine on the grave of my OH's mother who is burried at the church we will get married in.

A bit of a mixture really, I want to use some of the original flowers to put on my mums grave, and then the rest I would like to dry & press myself.

I really wanted to put mine on my grandmas grave but I'm not sure I will get there before the flowers die. She was buried where she lived in St Albans and I'm in Cheshire, with family being here I don't feel I can leave for a day to take them down. I'm so torn, do I spend time with family from abroad who I see once every 4/5 years or do I take my flowers?

I had a brooch bouquet, purely as I am not a massive flower fan.

My friend made it for me, and I gave it her back, to reuse, as it had no sentimental value.

I'm giving mine to my MIL who will put it on the grave of her triplet daughters who she lost when they were born. My bouquet will have a picture of my late Mum attached to it to so will be a nice way to bring the two families together. My Mum's ashes were scattered in Norfolk and I'm in Kent so unfortunately its not an option to take them there.

I'm keeping mine as it is artificial!

My first bouquet was put on my Dads grave, he died in January and I got married in September. This time the bouquet was a mixture of foam roses and brooches, the brooches were removed and shared amongst myself and the bridesmaids...and the rest of the bouquet went in the bin!

There isn't an option for 'put it down and forget all about it'

I left mine in our hotel room. In hindsight maybe l should have got a flower out of it and tried to dry it. But a bit too hard as we were already abroad and didn't get home until a few weeks later.

No idea what happened to mine, I don't recall even seeing it after about 4pm.

My plan is to lay mine on my maternal Gran's grave the day after the wedding.

I have 3 bridesmaids so my plan is to toss one of theirs (if we have time/I remember) and the other 2 bouquets will be laid on my paternal Grandads and Great Grandads graves. All my family are from one town and it's where we are getting married so I can lay all the bouquets at the same cemetery which is on the way back to my parents house from the venue.

I voted to dry it out and keep it, and then I read everyone's comments. I have now decided that H2B and I will go the next day to my Nan's grave and put it there. We often put flowers on my Nan's grave for her and in remembrance of his Mum.

x

My hubby's Grandma couldn't make it to our wedding in the end for health reasons, so I gave mine to his Grandpa to take back with him for her and she was over the moon with it!

I'm planning to have a bouquet made of paper roses (from a book, or maybe sheet music), so mine will keep forever

I'll be putting mine on my husband-to-be's Granny and Grandad's shared grave. I never knew them but we live in what was their house and I always feel they've had an influence on our lives from above. The grave is very near the house and we look after it, so it seems the most natural thing in the world to put my wedding bouqet there x

(My first wedding, I gave my flowers to my Grandma during the speeches as she'd made all of our invitations, orders of service, place settings etc. I have a gorgeous photo of her stunned, emotional face as I handed it over x)

Thinking about this some more, I could dry out my bouquet and take it to Norfolk where my Mum's ashes were scattered after I return from honeymoon.

How do I do this??

I have been trying to decide whether to throw it (very expensive, and there will only be one single girl at my wedding, my bridesmaid!) give it to my Nanna, or give my Nanna the table flowers and give Mum the bouquet. I'm currently thinking give Nanna my bouquet, I think she'll love that

Hi emabee,

To dry flowers out you need to put them somewhere warm & dry, an airing cupboard is ideal. Spread the flowers out individually on top of some newspaper, or for smaller flowers like lavender or gypsophila you can tie them in small bunches with string & hang them upside down.

It will take about 6 to 8 weeks or so if I remember rightly (It's a while since I've done it!) if I'm drying herbs or flowers (normally Chammomile flowers to use for tea) I put them in the oven on the lowest setting & keep checking them til they've dried to how I would like them, but I don't want to chance this with my wedding flowers! Knowing me I'd get distracted & they'd disintegrate!

Are you thinking of using it like confetti to spread over the same area as your Mum's ashes? If you are, cut the flower heads off the stem before you spread them on the newspaper & just leave them in the warm dry area til they've dried to a point where you can separate the petals and basically resembles confetti! If you would like to press them, once they've started to shrivel a bit put them inbetween the pages of a heavy book, separating them with tissue paper between the pages of the book. You need to make sure there is adequate pressure there to press them, essentially you're just squashing them down. The idea after that is normally to put them in a frame. You can get flower pressing kits, I think you can get them from hobbycraft but to be honest a heavy book works just as well & doesn't cost anything!

I hope you've found this helpful & I hope I haven't confused you! My way of explaining things isn't brilliant lol. If it has confused you I don't mind taking some pictures & doing a step-by-step guide if that's easier.

First time round I gave my bouquet to the hospice nurses who had looked after my dad and got him ready for the wedding.

This time I'll be putting it on Dad's grave.

I am going to keep it but unsure how yet, I think I will dry it out and use a box frame.

I won the paper weights the other month so I'm having them. I hadn't even heard of it before. But when I emailed the lady at the company she was so lovely their putting my close friends ring in it too who we lost last year. I honestly think once they come back they will be one of the most important things from our wedding. (Apart from the husband of course).

All our flowers were silk and I have my bouquet and D's buttonhole on the bookcase in our study. Our bridesmaids and everyone else who had a corsage etc have all kept them. My Mum and PiL all have them on display permanently too.

All of the flowers, bouquets included, from my wedding day were delivered to a local hospice the next morning.

How about drying it out and taking it down at a later date?

I'm torn on what to do with mine. Not sure whether to put it on my nans grave, my grandads grave or send it to H2Bs mum in NZ for her to either keep or put on his dads grave. Too many decisions!!!

Mine is safe in a box at home. Mine will last forever as it's a button bouquet. I couldn't have tossed it, someone would've died.

I plan on putting my bouquet on my Gompy & Nan's joint grave, and then the bridesmaids are going to give theirs to my Grandma & the OH's Grandma
I toyed with the idea of throwing it but I'm so clumsy I'll probably hurt someone (or myself!)

I love the idea of pressing a couple of flowers for a keepsake but putting some on grandparents' graves- a nice combination of recognising important people that weren't there but also a few just to remember the day by!

I will toss it, because all cousins have done this on their wedding. I love to do this and what's the point in keeping them.

I think the idea of putting a real flower bouquet on a grave of a loved one is a wonderful idea - a great way to share the day with them.

I'm hoping to get a wool bouquet - so I'm going to keep mine and put it in a vase on the mantlepiece. At least - that's the aim. The OH might have a different opinion!