When to Send Your Flowers for Preservation After the Wedding

Before the wedding is over, someone needs to know where the box is, how to pack the bouquet dry, and which FedEx counter to walk into the next morning. That someone is probably not the bride.

Getting the flowers to us safely is a logistics problem, and it has a logistics solution. Here is what the timeline looks like, who should handle the handoff, and how to make the whole thing simple.  

How long do you actually have?

Your flowers need to reach our studio within 5 days of your wedding. That is the outside edge. Fresh flowers give us the best result, and the first 24 to 48 hours are the most important window for quality.

A bouquet that arrives on day two looks very different from one that arrives on day five. Both are workable, but earlier is always better.

Once flowers are cut from water, they begin to dehydrate and break down. Our process stops that. The goal is to hand them off before too much of that happens.

What to do with the bouquet right after the ceremony

Assign someone to be the bouquet's keeper before the day even starts. This person is your designated bouquet life saver, and their job is to know what to do so you do not have to think about it.

Here is what they should do:

1. Get the bouquet off the dance floor. Set it somewhere cool, away from direct sun or heat. A hotel room away from a sunny window works well.
2. Put it in water. Cut the stems at an angle and put the entire bouquet in fresh water
3. When ready to pack, wrap each flower loosely in dry paper towels. This is the paper-towel method: cut off the stems, wrap the head of each flower in a few dry paper towels, and let the flowers breathe. No plastic bags. No ice. No cooler packs.
4. Ship as soon as possible. Avoid the weekends. Plan to ship on the Monday or Tuesday after the wedding via overnight mail.

Shipping: the prepaid label versus the walk-in counter

We offer a prepaid FedEx Priority Overnight label for $140. It is the option we recommend to almost everyone, and the reason is straightforward: walking up to a shipping counter and paying on the spot for overnight service costs far more. We have seen people quoted close to $300 for the same delivery.

This is where the bouquet life saver earns the title. One mom called us frantic, decided to skip the prepaid label and handle it herself, got quoted around $300 at the counter, and called us back to buy the label. We have had that conversation more than once.

With the prepaid label, you print it and hand it to the hotel concierge or take it to any FedEx drop-off location. It ships overnight directly to our studio.

For South Florida brides, our how to transport your wedding flowers guide covers additional options, including our Flower Car pickup service for Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

What if you are leaving for your honeymoon?

This is the scenario we hear constantly. The answer: hand off the job before you go.

Your mom, your maid of honor, a sibling, a close friend: pick one person, send them your order confirmation email give them the box and the label, tell them the deadline. They do not need to be flower experts. They need to know where to drop it off and when. That is the whole job.

A few things that make the handoff easier:

• Buy the prepaid label before the wedding day so it is already in hand.
• Forward the order confirmation to the person so that they can follow the packing and shipping instructions.
• Tell them that the shipping video is imperative to watch before sending the bouquet.
• Leave a box with them if possible, sized for a bouquet.

Your bouquet lifesaver does not need shipping experience. If they have any questions, they can call us and we will walk them through it. We do this all the time, and are happy to be of assistance.
 

Quick answers to the questions we hear most

It is already day 4. Is it too late?

No. Ship them today. Day 4 is not ideal, but it is not a reason to give up. If day 4 is a Friday, you will want to be sure to send the package via UPS guaranteed Saturday delivery service. We sell a Friday shipping label to help with the cost.  We have worked with flowers that arrived later than we would have liked and still produced beautiful keepsakes. Get them moving.

My flowers look wilted. Does that mean they are ruined?

Wilted does not mean lost. Most of our items only need a portion of the bouquet to create.  We recommend sending your best flowers, nothing too wilted. Wilted flowers can contaminate your other good flowers while in transit if mold growth starts on the wilted flowers.  You are welcome to reach out before hand to see how many flowers we need for your products.  This will help you choose a smaller box size and save on shipping costs. 

Can someone else send the bouquet on my behalf?

Yes, but they need to put the order name or order number on the package. We receive flowers this way all the time. Moms, siblings, maids of honor, planners: as long as the flowers are packed correctly and moving within the 5-day window, who drops them at FedEx does not matter. The bride does not need to be in the same state.

Do I need to let you know the flowers are coming?

It is helpful. When you purchase your shipping label or place your order, we know to expect your bouquet. Check out our preservation FAQs for more on what to include with your shipment.

Ship within 5 days. Pack dry with paper towels, no water, no plastic, no ice. Use the prepaid FedEx Priority Overnight label. Name a bouquet hero before the wedding if you will be on your honeymoon. And if you hit day 4 with nothing sent: get them moving today.

If you are in a pinch, call us. Seriously. We will walk you through it step-by-step.

A note on what comes next

Once your flowers are safely here, the studio takes over. If you want to plan ahead, read about the best time to book your preservation and how to reserve your date ahead of time so your spot on our calendar is waiting when the wedding ends.

Ready to get started?

We serve brides in all 50 states and have helped more than 20,000 couples preserve their bouquets since 2020. Call us at (954) 296-5937, email info@wildcoastflowerpreservation.com, or visit wildcoastflowerpreservation.com. Our Pompano Beach showroom is open Monday through Saturday.