Preserve Wedding Bouquet Sandals Resort Jamaica! help

Be careful with this. You need a receipt proving the country of origin where the flowers were purchased. You may be able to get on the plane but may be asked to trash them when you arrive in the US. The US customs agent can deny entry of the plants/flowers as it may contain diseases or they can do it because they have the authority to do so. I’ve had it done to me. But I was prepared to have them denied. So I ripped them up and trashed them so no one else could take them out of the trash and keep it for a bouquet in their own home.

View Quoted Comment Exactly! I am worried about this. I reached out to soil & soul and they wont take shipping from the resort because of customs either. Now I'm thinking about pressed, or an easy method i can do while there, or if there is someone local (doubtful) or if im just going to have to throw them out.

View Quoted Comment I can ask my stepdad if he knows of any places. He’s a manager at one of the JR resorts in Negril Beach. I’m worried about the timing for you. I believe it takes up to 3 weeks for flowers to be fully dried and persevered. I’ll see what he comes up with.

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much Renee!

Importing flowers or organic material can be tricky. I'm not sure if there is a way to do it without a permit or a certificate that ensures the flowers pose no hazard (no pests, no seeds or reproductive parts).

Drying and preserving flowers via traditional methods (pressing or hanging upside down to dry) typically takes about 3 weeks, however you can use silica sand to do it in less time (typically 3-5 days, or just minutes if done in the microwave). However none of those methods would be suitable for clearing flowers through customs.

I'd call US customs and ask what options you have before you invest time and money in something you'll just need to throw away or that could result in a hefty fine.

I agree, I don’t think it will get through customs even if it’s partially dried. I would recommend having a silk bouquet made, or make it yourself based on photos of your wedding flowers. That way it lasts forever!

View Quoted Comment I was going to suggest the silica beads as well! Maybe see if someone local can epoxy them into something for you?

You may be able to have the resort mail it back home somewhere for you? I'm not sure how that would work as everyone else has said with claiming the flowers... I personally live in PA and I sent my bouquet to a place in FL to have it preserved. I had to overnight my bouquet with an ice pack to keep it fresh. I'm not sure how your flowers would last after 2 weeks then trying to fly home with them.

View Quoted Comment Everyone says to be prepared for customs to confiscate them from the plane. So ive seen that alot. I contacted a company to see if I could send them and they said they wont take mail orders from out of US because of customs. I think your right about contacting the resort.. unfortunately I don't think they have any options for me.

View Quoted Comment

Well that's a total bummer. Maybe you can carry fake?! Or, you can look into a florist near you recreating a bouquet that you can then have preserved.

I'm getting married in JA as well and have looked into this and decided to go with faux bouquet because with customs they wont allow you to bring back flowers. Not worth the hassle for me.

i contacted a local florist and showed her what my JA centerpiece flower options were to see if maybe she can recreate one for me back home to save.