There are basically four methods of floral preservation: pressing, air-drying, desiccants (silica gel), or freeze-drying. We researched and experimented with these different methods, and decided to use the desiccant, silica gel. Pressing completely changes the integrity of the flower, and air-drying produces less than desirable results.  The silica gel method just seems to lend itself to the bouquet preservation  business so much better than the freeze-drying method. The reason for this? We get an influx of wedding bouquets EVERY weekend. With the silica gel method  they are preserved immediately. A freeze-dryer cycle takes 12 days to complete and cannot be interrupted. This means your bouquet may have to be placed in a regular freezer for a while- waiting for a cycle to complete. We want your bouquet preserved IMMEDIATELY! This greatly reduces the time of the total process (silica gel preserves in 7 days) meaning you will get your finished keepsake much sooner. The results we get with silica gel are practically identical to freeze-drying. The cost to the consumer, however, is dramatically less expensive than freeze-drying. We were also VERY concerned with the fact that your bouquet is lost altogether if it is in a freeze-dryer during a power outage or mechanical failure. We would never take that chance with your cherished flowers!