All Things Bouquet Preservation

with Amelia Paradysz, Pressed Bouquet Shop and Kali Miller, Wildflower Preservation

Wedding bouquets are as important as the gown, and for many it is a chance to include sentiment, perhaps a rosary, charm, photo, or piece of lace wrapped around the stems bunch. They are the one element where your color palette and texture goals merge with influences of the season and sometimes the venue. Arguably, a wedding bouquet is one of the most important details in the wedding planning process, so it would be no surprise if you couldn’t just let them go when throwing it to the single ladies, or disposing of them like leftover and unused napkins, which is where bouquet preservation comes in.

Two Ways to Preserve Your Bouquet

Pressing your bouquet into frames or resin or incorporating them into 3D resin artwork. As explained by Amelia Paradysz, CEO & Founder of the Pressed Bouquet Shop, “wedding bouquet preservation is a popular option for couples because it is a tangible, yet sentimental investment, as a way to relive their special day for years to come.”

1. Pressed

Pressed florals go nicely in frames and resign designs, and at the Pressed Bouquet Shop, custom frame options offer “a sentimental keepsake that captures the memories from the wedding day!”

2. 3D Resin Artwork

Resin artwork can take many shapes and styles as it offers you a three dimensional designed piece. “Resin art allows the flowers to mostly hold their original shape and color, giving the products a close resemblance to their original bouquet,” as noted by Kali Miller, Owner of Wildflower Preservation.

Finding Room in Your Wedding Budget

Wedding budgets can be tight, we get it, but for under $700 you can create a keepsake that you’ll cherish. Of course, you need more accurate figures when budgeting, so Miller with Wildflower Preservation told us that to preserve a bouquet with a 3D resign design, the average price is anywhere between $500 and $700, depending on what 3D design you want. As for pressing your florals, that runs under $500, and at the Pressed Bouquet Shop that could get you a 16x20 frame, displayed in either a single or double glass pane. Although, a simple serving tray can run as little as under $300, with the pressed flower and petal confetti design, according to Paradysz with the Pressed Bouquet Shop.

Timeline & Care

Depending on the product requested, vendor, and demand, turnaround times for orders can be about two to five months. So when invited to place your order as much as six months in advance of the wedding, as is the case with the Pressed Bouquet Shop, couples should definitely get a jump on it. Although, orders can even be placed following the wedding, especially if you decide on your wedding day how important their blooms are to you — the only important thing that both Paradysz and Miller stress is that the flowers must be shipped or delivered as soon as possible to preserve the quality of the original bouquet.

Once the final product, whichever you select, is created, the shelf-life can depend on several factors like care, exposure to light, and the flowers themselves. While resin art, is made to last a lifetime, as noted by Miller, there is the possibility of aging and variations in appearance over time. Likewise when pressed, Paradysz explains, “even with proper care, natural color changes may occur with the aging of your blooms, but the design and arrangement of the flowers within the pieces will stay pressed in place for many years to come.”

Incorporating Other Mementos

Whichever product is selected, both Miller with Wildflower Preservation and the Paradysz with Pressed Bouquet Shop agree that because the nature of these items are entirely customizable, special touches may be added, such as a wedding invitation, photographs, ribbon, lace, or fabric, and even family heirlooms.

And remember, you can preserve a lot more than just bouquets! Got boutonnières, centerpieces, flower crowns, table flowers, or even individual stems and cake flowers? They can all be preserved, too! So as Paradysz put it: “It is important to invest in memories that can be preserved such as photo and video, and bouquet preservation should now be added to the list.”

Hero photo courtesy of Wildflower Preservation

Photo within courtesy of Pressed Bouquet Shop