Has Your Special Event Already Happened?

If your wedding or event has already happened, we are happy to work with you to preserve your wedding flowers. It's Not Too Late! You can get them to our Preservation Studio utilizing materials you have around your home.

Time is of the essence in getting your flowers to us if your wedding or event has already taken place. It is best for the flowers to be shipped within a few days after the event has taken place. To prolong the life of your flowers, see the "Caring for your flowers" section below. If you are unsure if it is too late to save the flowers, please call Keepsake Floral at 1-800-616-5337, and we will be happy to help you assess their condition before you send them.

If you are sending your flowers to us according to these instructions, please email us at keepsake@keepsakefloral.com or call us at 1-800-616-5337 to alert us that your bouquet will be arriving at our facility.

Visit the section "How does this work?" for a timeline of the process once we receive your flowers.

Please note: If you are over-nighting your flowers for delivery to us on a non-business day (a holiday, Saturday or Sunday), please call ahead as an alternate delivery address may be necessary.

EASY CARE AND PACKING INSTRUCTIONS
Thank you for choosing Keepsake Floral to preserve your special flowers! Packing the flowers to ship is a very easy process and is outlined here. Please call us at 1.800.616.KEEP if you have any questions.

What you will need checklist:

[ ] a box just a little larger than the actual bouquet

[ ] packing material -- either crumpled newspaper or styrofoam packing peanuts work well to protect the flowers

[ ] packing tape to seal the box

[ ] A FROZEN COOLANT BLOCK (please note that we are unable to return coolant blocks).

You may use a commercial coolant block (like the Blue Ice coolants used in a picnic cooler or lunch box to keep your food/drink cold).

or

You may easily "make" one using household items - simply fill a zip lock bag with a large hand-full of ice cubes (NOT dry ice) and a large handful of paper towels (the paper towels will soak up the ice-water when the cubes melt and prevent leaking inside the shipping box). Zip the bag shut. Then put the filled zip lock bag inside another zip lock bag to further prevent leaking.

[ ] deposit and contact information including: your maiden and married names, address, day and evening phone numbers and e-mail address (no design decisions are required with your deposit).

[ ] your invitation, program, favor or other special items in zip lock bags (to protect them from the coolant block and moisture from the flowers). These items may also be shipped to our Preservation Studio after speaking with your Design Consultant.

Most supplies should be available at your discount, drug or grocery store if you do not have them around your home.

Caring for the bouquet and other flowers:

1. Ensure that the coolant block(s) is (are) frozen. This refrigerant, when frozen and placed in the box, will keep your flowers fresh and cool in the shipping box during overnight shipment to us.

2. At the base of some bridal bouquets is a bouquet holder made of plastic and inside is a green spongy foam (called Oasis foam) in which the flowers are inserted and from which they receive water during the bouquet's shipment. Fill the Oasis Foam holder with cold water by holding the bouquet under a gently running faucet for just a few seconds. It shouldn't take much water to re-hydrate the foam. Shake off any excess water that may have dripped on the bouquet holder or the flowers during this step.

3. If your bouquet is hand-tied, as many are, you may soak paper towels and wrap them around the bottom of the stems in order to provide the flowers with some additional moisture. Hand-tied bouquets may also be placed in a vase of water while waiting to be shipped.

4. Place the bouquet in a standard refrigerator, preferably on a middle shelf (hand-tied bouquets should stay in a vase if they will fit). If a refrigerator is not available, keep the bouquet in a cool or air-conditioned room until you are ready to ship it. Refrigerating the bouquet prior to shipment "locks in" coolness and moisture during shipment.

5. DO NOT PUT THE FLOWERS IN THE FREEZER! Freezing the flowers will damage the blooms, possibly making them unable to complete the preservation process.

Packing your bouquet:

It will be necessary for you to overnight ship your bouquet to us. This priority shipping enhances our ability to preserve the natural beauty of the flowers in your finished keepsake. Since it is best for the flowers that we receive them quickly after the wedding, once you have collected your shipping supplies and the coolant block is frozen, you should plan to ship the bouquet.

You are welcome to ship your flowers to us using the shipping carrier of your choice. We've found that the Post Office is an easy and modestly-priced option, and FedEx, UPS and Airborne Express also offer such mailing services.

1. Remove the refrigerant from your freezer (or assemble your zip-lock bags of ice) and tape the coolant securely to the bottom of the empty shipping box with packing tape.

2. With the packing peanuts or crumpled newspaper, make a nest for the bouquet on the bottom of the box (on top of the coolant).

3. Now, remove the bouquet from the refrigerator and place it in that nest, with the front of the bouquet facing UP. Fill the box to the top with the remainder of packing peanuts or crumpled newspaper, making sure you fill the sides of the box with packing material as well. The key is to stabilize the bouquet as much as possible so it will not shift during shipment.

4. Make sure that you let us know whose bouquet is in this box! Simply write your name, address and phone number on a piece of paper and tape it to the inside panel of the shipping box. If you have not already given us a deposit required for the processing of your flowers, please enclose either a check, money order or written information for credit card (including account#, expiration date and billing address) for $190.00 made out to Keepsake Floral, Inc. in an envelope -- then tape that envelope to the inside of the shipping box as well.

5. Then, close the box and seal it with your packing tape.

You are now ready to OVERNIGHT SHIP your bouquet to us. Address the shipping label to:

Keepsake Floral, Inc.
724 Brookhaven Drive
Orlando, FL 32803
1-800-616-5337

When selecting priority overnight shipping be sure your shipping carrier guarantees delivery by 2:00 p.m. the next day.

Please call us at 1-800-616-KEEP if you have ANY questions about the bouquet packing and shipping process.

* A word about shipping for our international brides: Yes, you can ship your beautiful bouquet to us! We frequently receive bouquets from Canada and island destinations. We will provide you with your Floral Express Kit, but you will need to find a shipping service that can deliver your flowers either overnight or, at the latest, within two days of packaging your flowers. Please do note that shipping your flowers from these locations can be more expensive than in the states and some companies will require you to identify the package simply as "Wedding Goods" so that they are not responsible for the state of your flowers. FedEx, UPS, Canada Post, DHL and other select services deliver to our Preservation Center with great success. Please contact us for more information.