Your First Christmas Married: Bouquet Ornaments and Holiday Gifts

Summary

A bouquet ornament made from your actual wedding flowers takes about 5 months from the day your flowers reach our studio, so if you married this fall, it won't be on this year's tree. For this Christmas, a gift card or a ready-to-ship piece is the honest way to give it.

• Three ornament styles: the 4" round, the 5" diamond edge and the 8-point star, all starting under $100.
• Timing: about 5 months from arrival, so plan the ornament for next year's tree if your wedding was this fall.
• Gift it now: a digital gift card can be scheduled to land on Christmas morning, from $60.
• Ready to ship: premade pieces made with our own studio flowers ship after 3 to 5 business days of final finishing.
• Order it up front: we only save enough flowers for your order, so add the ornament when you order everything else.

Here's how to plan it, what to give this year, and how to keep an ornament looking good between Decembers.

Why the First Christmas Ornament Matters So Much

Your first Christmas married is the one you'll talk about for years. The first tree you picked out together. The first time both families had to share a holiday.

An ornament made from your actual wedding flowers fits right into that.  It's one of the smallest pieces we make. It's also one of our most-ordered.

Our Bouquet Ornaments and What They Cost

All three are pressed flower pieces, cast in our UV-resistant epoxy resin and finished by hand in our Pompano Beach studio. Prices below are where each piece starts today.

• 4" Round Pressed Flower Ornament: from $95, lightweight, with names and dates in white or black text. A metallic accent brings it to $106.
• Diamond Edge Pressed Flower Ornament: 5 inches across with a faceted edge that catches the tree lights. From $85 without text, $100 with personalization, and $115 with a gold or silver stand so it can sit on a shelf the rest of the year.
• Pressed Flower Star Ornament: an 8-point star, 5.5 inches wide, on a wire-lined ribbon. From $95, or $105 with gold, silver or rose gold flake.

You can see them side by side in our ornament collection.

If you're ordering several pieces, the ornament is already part of two of our preservation packages. The Necessities pairs it with a 12x8 serving tray, a set of four round coasters and a small ring holder. The Story adds it to a 7x7 bouquet block, a 10x10 floating frame, the tray and coasters. Personalization on the ornament is included in both.

Can a New Order Arrive by Christmas?

We want to be straight with you about this, because it's a question we hear a lot this time of year.

No. Not this year.

Most orders take about 5 months from the day your flowers arrive at our studio to a finished keepsake. Silica-gel drying alone takes 8 to 12 weeks. Then you approve your design, with up to 2 complimentary revisions, and nothing is cast in resin until you say yes. After casting, every piece goes through a 9-step sanding sequence to a 2000-grit mirror finish.

Flowers need time to dry. Resin needs time to cure. We don't rush either step.

So here's how we'd plan it:

• Married this fall? Your ornament will be ready for next Christmas instead of this one, right around your first anniversary season.
• Engaged now? Count about 5 months forward from the day your flowers reach us, and leave some cushion. The fastest way to keep your order on track is to review and approve your design quickly.
• Already ordered and forgot the ornament? Ask us at your design stage. If there are leftover flowers, we may be able to offer one as an add-on.

What to Give This Christmas Instead

If you're shopping for a couple who just got married, or for each other, there are two good ways to give a preserved flower gift this season.

A Gift Card Timed for Christmas Morning

Our flower preservation gift card comes in amounts from $60 to $1,500. It's digital, so you can pick a send date at checkout and have it land in their inbox on Christmas morning with your personal note.

It works best for engaged couples, since they can put it toward the ornament (or a whole package) once the wedding flowers exist. If several people give gift cards, we can combine them into one code. Some couples add the gift card to their gift registry for exactly this reason.

A Ready-to-Ship Piece

Our ready-to-ship collection is the one way to have a Wild Coast piece under the tree this year. These are pieces we made with our own studio flowers, not a customer's bouquet, so there's nothing to send in.

After you order, we do the final sanding and buffing, then ship it within 3 to 5 business days. Right now that includes diamond edge ornaments at $100, ring holders and ring dishes, tealight holders, a heart jewelry box and larger serving pieces.

Most of these are one of a kind. When one sells, it's gone. You can read more about how we make them in our post on our premade resin collection.

Order the Ornament With Everything Else

This is the detail we wish every couple knew before they ship.

When your bouquet arrives, we photograph it and preserve enough blooms for the pieces you ordered, plus a few extras. Ornaments are pressed pieces, so the flowers for them are pressed flat from day one. Whole flower pieces like bouquet blocks are dried differently. The method is chosen up front and can't change later.

That means if you want an ornament, the time to say so is when you place your order. Leftover flowers aren't returned by mail, and once they're gone, they're gone.

An ornament is also a lovely way to share the bouquet. You can order extras for your moms, so every family's tree gets a piece of the wedding.

Keeping Your Ornament Looking Good Between Decembers

Ornaments spend eleven months of the year in storage, so where they're stored matters.

• Skip the attic and the garage. Heat and big temperature swings can speed up yellowing. A closet inside the house is better.
• Wrap it on its own. Keep the round ornament in the pouch it comes in, or wrap each piece individually so nothing scratches it.
• Mind the window. On the tree, try to keep it out of hours of direct sun.
• Dust gently. A soft, dry cloth is all it needs. Never soak it.

Our full care guide for preserved flower art has more, and our post on bouquet preservation gifts has ideas for the rest of your list.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a bouquet ornament before Christmas this year?

Not one made from your own flowers. Custom ornaments take about 5 months from the day your flowers arrive. Our ready-to-ship ornaments, made with our studio flowers, ship within 3 to 5 business days.

Can you put our names and wedding date on the ornament?

Yes. The 4" round ornament includes names and dates, and the diamond edge ornament includes personalization in its $100 price.

Can I order just an ornament from my bouquet?

Yes. A single ornament is a great small order, and a little bouquet goes a long way. Just order everything you want at the same time.

Are bouquet ornaments pressed or whole flower?

Our ornaments are pressed flower pieces. Pressing needs fresh flowers, so fresh bouquets should reach our studio within about 5 days of the wedding.

Will my flowers look exactly the same?

Flowers change as they dry. Reds can deepen toward burgundy and whites can go off-white, and some petals turn slightly translucent in resin. That's normal, and our team will walk you through it.

Ready to Plan Your First Christmas Ornament?

If the wedding is still ahead of you, now is the time to lock in your preservation so the ornament is on your tree next year. If you're shopping for someone else, a gift card or a ready-to-ship piece gets something real under the tree this year.

Start My Preservation

Call us at (954) 296-5937, email info@wildcoastflowerpreservation.com, or visit wildcoastflowerpreservation.com. Our Pompano Beach showroom is open Monday through Saturday.

A little bouquet goes a long way.