It's probably an ancient desire to preserve what is precious and beautiful --yet fleeting -- that led to the practice of drying and preserving flowers. When we press a flower in a book, or hang roses upside down to dry, we're using techniques going back to ancient Egypt and Greece.

Later, artisans discovered that using desiccants (drying agents like borax, silica gel or even sand) could stop the flowers petals from shrinking while they dried, resulting in a much more natural look. Both of these techniques are still widely used today. Unfortunately, these techniques have a serious shortcoming -- they create a fragile end result. The flowers become quite delicate, shattering or breaking easily. Nevertheless, these techniques are still useful for certain special preservation situations when the right technology is applied.

As in most things, the latest technology has come to the rescue with a marvelous technique known as freeze drying and treatments applied to the flowers prior to freezing (water-based, non-hazardous, and biodegradable!) that produces an end product that is amazingly like the fresh flower. The pretreatment helps retain color, shatterproof and soften the freeze-dried flower. The result is a beautiful, natural looking product that lasts many years with proper care.  The process requires a machine as pictured at  left, containing two refrigeration units and one vacuum system. Ancillary freezers supplement the system.

Freeze-drying is a process that retains the color and texture of products. Unlike air drying, the product's shape is maintained by virtue of it being frozen. While frozen, the moisture is removed by way of vacuum, with all other substances in the flower, such as pigment (color) and structural parts (cells) immobilized.

The design team at  Heavenly Petals of Maui has undergone extensive training in both the operation of the Hi-tech freeze drying machine as well as the proper  use of the pre and post treatments.  A process used only by the top professionals in this industry.

 At Heavenly Petals of Maui your wedding flowers are preserved using the latest freeze-drying techniques. As soon as we receive your bouquet, we photograph the flowers from several angles, the bouquet is disassembled and the individual flowers are set out on a grid, and each individual flower is dipped or sprayed with a water-based pre-treatment that contains a large amount of cross-linked polymers. After drying, this allows the flower to resist water re-absorption. The water-based polymers also help eliminate petal-shedding and increase softness of the dried petals. Antioxidants are added to reduce browning, as are color-setting agents to reduce fading. Different flowers and different colors require different pre-treatments -- this is why the bouquet must be taken apart instead of just being dipped or sprayed as a whole.  then apply a pre-treatment. When it is dry we place it in the freeze dry machine where it is deep frozen. After twelve hours the drying process starts, which takes up to fourteen days of carefully regulating the freeze-dry machine.   When that is completed, a post-treatment must be applied and each flower is wired, color enhanced (if needed) and post-treated to seal the flowers. All the extras (pins, ribbons, pearls, etc.) are placed in storage for use in creating your keepsake.

Heavenly Petals of Maui's  design team further preserves your freeze-dried wedding flowers by mounting and then framing them in a display of your choice. Quite often, this means putting the bouquet back together as it was when received (we took pictures for this, remember?) Almost as often, brides decide on a different presentation. They will be behind an acrylic dome, in a glass globe, shadow box, or jewelry box. We are able to customize your display with your cherished memorabilia, such as photos, invitation, toasting glasses, garter belt, and more. 

Wherever in the world you live, you can always have Hawaii’s spectacular flora as a remembrance of your island happiness. This priceless keepsake will adorn your home for many years to come!

Under normal conditions, your bouquet will retain its beauty and natural splendor for many years, providing that it is not exposed to direct sunlight.

Perfect Flower Preservation is the Rule with our Freeze Dryers. Freeze drying creates preserved flowers virtually without change in shape or color.

At Heavenly Petals Of Maui , we take special care in the processing and designing of your floral masterpiece so that you can enjoy your special memories for years to come.