|
The Most Often Asked Questions
1. What is “freeze dried floral preservation” all
about?
The bouquet is taken apart after a digital photograph is taken, each flower
dehydrated, treated with a special solution, and then frozen and stored until
the freeze dry equipment is ready for the next cycle. Once the flowers are
loaded they will remain in the chamber for 12 to 14 days. The total process
will take 8 to 12 weeks. Very simply, freeze-drying is a preservation process
that takes flowers, fruits, and vegetables into a very deep freeze, 20 plus
degrees below zero. Once solidly frozen a vacuum is applied which removes
all of the water, in the form of a vapor from the main chamber into a separate
chamber. This process is repeated until 99% of the moisture is removed
2.
Does this method retain the shape and color of the original flower?
Yes, this is the only method that retains the nature
shape and color of the flower. Recently Goodhousekeeping
and NBC Dateline rated freeze-drying the best preservation
method available today.
3. Is the bridal market a big part of the floral
preservation business?
It sure is. A wedding
is a very special time in a women’s life and
we understand how important it is that everything
be perfect. We help them capture
that special time and re-capture the memories every
time they look at their freeze-dried floral arrangement.
4. Do people preserve flowers for other reasons
and events?
Man has been involved in some form of floral preservation
since the beginning of time. Today we use computerized
equipment to obtain the very best preservation results,
but the reasons people want to preserve flowers has
not changed at all. Saving “keepsakes” from
special events is something we have done for ages
and often-special events are marked by the presence
of flowers; weddings, anniversary’s, births,
even death is remembered with flowers. Its just natural
that people would want to preserve their special
memories with preserved flowers. We give them that
ability with our product. Freeze dried flowers are
also a wonderful alternative to artificial flowers
so we will also offer a home décor and gift
line later this fall.
5. How do you decided on the size or type of container
that will look right with the size and style of bouquet?
The rule of thumb is the type of bouquet style. A
hand tied round or teardrop bouquet looks best in
the square shadow box shape. For a small bouquet
the 12x12 will work, for medium to large the 16x16
and for large to extra large the 20x20. If budget
is a major consideration we can pull a few flowers
out of the bouquet and create a wonderful 9x9 shadow
box. For cascading bouquets the rectangular shapes
work best, 17x 20 for small and 22x26 for large bouquets.
We can also down size a bouquet to retain the shape
but to allow us to put it into a smaller display.
Most styles work in a dome display. We recommend
that a reservation be made at least three weeks before
the wedding date and held with a $100 deposit. No
decision needs to be made on the container at this
time.
A few weeks after the wedding we can consult with
the bride by phone and provide her with recommendations
on the best container for her flowers. Our customer
service people are always available to help answer
questions and provide advice (call toll free 1-800-742-9570).
Kathy Reid
Heller & Reid
www.hellerandreid.com
Go back to Articles |
