The First Bouquet & My DIY Resin Fail (It Had to Start Somewhere!)

So, where were we? Ah yes – bouquet number one. Let's talk about that little adventure.

Before the first wedding, I picked the perfect blooms to preserve. I had my flowers done by the amazing Lorna from A Room In Bloom in Athlone – she was such a dream to work with and totally nailed the look I was going for. Think: lots of gorgeous foliage, soft pink roses, lisianthus, and a pop of thistle – such a romantic, natural vibe. I was completely in love with them.

Now, like many brides, I was determined to keep a piece of my bouquet forever. I scoured the internet for a flower preservation artist. And I mean scoured. There's not a huge market for flower preservation in Ireland, and at the time I couldn't find anyone with availability — or anyone who worked in the particular style I had in mind.

So, I did what many brides probably shouldn't do… I decided to try it myself. How hard could it be, right? Spoiler alert: it's very hard.

I bought some resin (the wrong kind, of course), picked up a mould, dried a few bits from my bouquet and gave it a go. I poured everything into a little hexagon shape and was buzzing to see the results.

Well. Let's just say things escalated quickly.

I ended up with a full-on flash cure – basically, the resin hardened way too fast and got so hot that it warped the piece. It created these weird wave patterns and bubbles, and I panicked. In an attempt to "fix" it, I threw in some gold flakes (which, if you know me, is not really my style).

The result? A strange-but-somehow-still-charming resin blob with flowers and glittery bits floating around. Honestly, it's not terrible — I still have it tucked away. It's my first resin piece and I'm a bit sentimental about it. It's a little wonky and a bit wild, but it's where this whole journey started.

Since then? I've come such a long way.

Resin is incredibly tricky to work with, but I put in the time: I did ten different courses, spoke directly with manufacturers, tested materials, ruined more moulds than I'd like to admit — and eventually got it right. Now I can laugh at that first attempt (kind of), but at the time it was a pricey and emotional experiment!

Bouquet Number Two – A White Peony Heartbreaker

The second bouquet… yeah, also not a great success.

I had this vision of an all-white, super classic bouquet. I spent an absolute fortune getting it just right — full white peonies, white avalanche roses, and baby's breath. It was lush and elegant and exactly what I wanted to preserve perfectly.

The plan? Transport it from Romania to Ireland. I had 8kg of silica gel ready over there, processed the flowers after the wedding, and planned to post them back. Sounds solid, right?

Well, it turned into a bit of a disaster. There was a miscommunication with the transport company, and they ended up collecting the flowers two days late. And bless my granny — she meant so well — she opened the boxes to "let the flowers breathe." Unfortunately, that meant the silica started absorbing the moisture from the air, not the flowers.

By the time the boxes made it to Ireland, everything was completely ruined. Wilted. Mouldy. Gone.

I was absolutely heartbroken. It honestly felt like I was cursed at that point — I couldn't catch a break when it came to preserving my own flowers.

The Third Bouquet – Small Wins and Sentimental Bits

The third time around, I had a bit more luck… but still never made the big dream piece I always imagined. I managed to make a small shadow box for Philip — but life got really busy after that. Between work and everything else going on, I just felt totally overwhelmed.

I had planned to create a resin table, but most of the flowers in my bouquet were dainty wildflowers — soft, romantic, but not quite full enough to carry a table-sized piece.

Still, I found little ways to make it special.

Each of my bridesmaids had a bouquet inspired by mine, but they were all slightly different. I used bits from theirs to make a few personal keepsakes:

• From one with sunflowers, I made a sweet little arch.
• For my sister's daffodils, I created a custom shadow box.
• For Sarah, I made a coaster set with her beautiful baby blue delphiniums.
• And for my sister-in-law, I used her daisies to make a round display bloom.

Of course, I'm still really sad I never got the dream preservation I had imagined for myself.

So, that's my story. If you've made it this far — thanks for reading. I hope it helps you trust me a bit more, knowing I've been through it all myself. I've seen every type of wedding flower, I know what works (and what definitely doesn't), and I truly care about getting it right for you.

Lots of love,

Roxy

Flower Preservations Ireland