Ok, you ordered your sola wood flowers (maybe some greenery too!) and they have just been delivered to your front door. Now what?!
First things first, open all the bags
While sola wood flowers may feel a little like foam, they are made from a lightweight wood called shola/sola. The first step when they arrive is to open all the bags and allow some air circulation. Feel free to keep them in the box we shipped them in to you or you can store your flowers in a different container for when you are ready to create. A few suggestions we have for a container: a box/tube/basket without a top on, a box with holes in it, or add holes to a box if you need a top on it (again, to ensure proper airflow!).
How early can you dye the flowers?
This is one of the most common questions we get asked and the simplest answer is: as soon as they arrive! If your event or arrangement will be taking place months or even years from their arrival date, here are some suggestions to keep them in tip-top shape.
Once you have dyed the flowers and they have fully dried (we suggest waiting 24-48 hours if air drying), you can store them just as you did the raw flowers when you received them. Keep them out of direct sunlight to avoid color fading and out of extreme weather/temperatures - a dry, mild temperature environment is best.
How early can I make the bouquet, corsages, boutonnieres, centerpieces, etc?
As early as you want and as many spaces as you have to store your pieces before the big day! One thing to note, however, is if you are using preserved greenery, you’ll need to follow some additional rules. Preserved greenery is known to weep in "atmospheric changes to moisture" - ie. if it is humid (cold or warm weather doesn't matter) it may start to weep. This is when the dye that is placed into the preserved greenery to make it a vibrate color starts to drip and bead up on the leaves of the greenery. It can cause staining. If you want to use preserved greenery on your big day, we suggest you wait closer to your event to make your flower arrangement so you have a smaller chance of weeping. But know that no matter how many precautions you take, weeping can happen.
How do I prep the greenery?
To prep the artificial greenery I will be using, I like to clip stems individually from the greenery bunch or bush. Sometimes I will strip the lower leaves on a stem to create a clean surface for my handle. Those lower leaves, I will glue onto wire stems so they can be brought up into a more prominent place in the bouquet.
Want to see me prep a wedding from start (dyeing) to finish (greenery) click on the image below!
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