How to Preserve Wedding Flowers: A Complete Guide to Pressed Flower Preservation

Weddings are a celebration of love, beautifully shared with family and friends. The symbolic elements, like the wedding bouquet, play a significant role in the ceremony. After the vows are said and the celebration winds down, many couples look for ways to hold onto mementos from their special day. One of the most cherished keepsakes is the bridal bouquet or flowers from the wedding. Preserving these flowers through pressing not only offers a way to keep a tangible piece of the ceremony but also provides an opportunity to create beautiful, lasting memories infused with personal significance.

Preserving your wedding flowers is not just about remembering your special day; it’s an art form that has been cherished for generations. Through the process of pressed flower preservation, you can transform your wedding flowers into exquisite keepsakes — framed art, decorative pieces, or even personalized gifts. This method is easy, cost-effective, and serves as a creative project that allows you to relive the joy of your wedding day while creating something unique and beautiful.

Understanding Pressed Flower Preservation

Pressed flower preservation involves flattening and drying flowers to capture their natural beauty and intricate details. This method has been used for centuries to create botanical illustrations, decor, and keepsakes. Pressing flowers removes moisture, which helps preserve the colors and integrity of the petals. The result is a flat, dried flower that retains its original shape and hue, albeit sometimes with more muted tones.

One of the great benefits of pressing flowers is the minimal requirement for equipment. You don’t need special tools or materials to start; common household items can often suffice. The simplicity of the process, along with the beauty of the end product, makes pressed flower preservation a popular choice for preserving wedding flowers.

What You’ll Need for Pressing Flowers

Before we dive into the pressing process, let’s gather the necessary materials:

1. Bridal Bouquet or Individual Flowers: Choose flowers from your wedding day, be it the entire bouquet or a selection of blooms.

2. Heavy Books or Flower Press: A heavy book can serve as a makeshift flower press, or you can purchase a specific flower press for the task.

3. Absorbent Paper: Blotting paper, parchment paper, or non-glossy paper towels can be used to absorb moisture from the flowers.

4. Scissors or Pruning Shears: Essential for cutting stems and trimming flowers to the desired shape and size.

5. Tweezers: Useful for handling delicate flowers or petals without damaging them.

6. Flat Workspace: Ensure you have a stable, flat surface to lay out your flowers and press materials.

Selecting and Preparing Your Flowers

Different flowers press more successfully based on their structure and moisture content. Here’s how you can select and prepare your wedding flowers for pressing:

1. Choose the Right Flowers: Opt for flowers with flat blooms or those that can be spread easily. Roses, daisies, violets, and pansies are popular choices. Avoid flowers with bulky centers, like lilies or succulents, as these may not press well.

2. Timing Matters: Start the pressing process soon after the wedding while the flowers are still fresh and vibrant. The sooner you start, the better the end result will be.

3. Prepare Your Flowers: Trim any unwanted leaves or stems and select petals that are free of blemishes. When removing excess foliage, consider the composition you might want for your final piece.

The Flower Pressing Process

With your materials gathered and flowers prepared, follow these step-by-step instructions to press and preserve your wedding flowers:

Step 1: Arrange the Flowers

Begin by placing a sheet of blotting paper or parchment paper onto your flat workspace or between the pages of a large book. Carefully arrange your flowers on this sheet in the desired layout, leaving enough space to spread them out completely. Consider how the arrangement will look once pressed; leave space for each bloom to avoid overlapping, which can lead to inconsistent pressing.

Step 2: Cover and Protect the Flowers

Once the flowers are arranged, place another sheet of blotting or parchment paper on top. These two sheets will act as a moisture barrier, absorbing the water content as the flowers dry.

Step 3: Apply Pressure

If you’re using a heavy book, close it over the protected flowers, making sure the arrangement stays in place. Apply additional weight by stacking more books or weights on top. If you’re using a flower press, simply tighten the screws or straps to create consistent pressure.

Step 4: Allow Time for Drying

Patience is key in the flower pressing process. It can take anywhere from one to three weeks for the flowers to dry completely, depending on their moisture content and environmental humidity. Check on the progress periodically, but avoid disturbing the arrangement too often to prevent reshaping or damaging the flowers.

Step 5: Check the Results

After a few weeks, carefully check a hidden part of the arrangement for dryness. If the flowers and leaves feel papery and are no longer cool to the touch, they are likely dry and ready for display.

Creative Ways to Use Preserved Flowers

Once the pressing process is complete, you now have beautiful, pressed wedding flowers ready to be transformed into keepsakes. Here are some creative ideas to cherish your preserved blooms:

Frame Them

Create a piece of lasting art by arranging your pressed flowers within a glass frame. This not only serves as a beautiful memento but also complements any home decor. Consider adding a photo or including your wedding invitation as a sentimental backdrop.

Design Greeting Cards

Incorporate your pressed flowers into handmade greeting cards. Personalize cards for anniversaries or special occasions, using flowers from your wedding day for added meaning.

Scrapbook Your Memories

Enhance your wedding scrapbook with pressed flowers. They add texture, color, and a tangible memory to photo albums, making the pages come alive with your wedding story.

Create Jewelry

Pressed flower pendants or earrings serve as unique keepsakes. Encapsulate your dried flowers in resin to craft personalized jewelry that you can wear as a cherished reminder of your special day.

Decorate Your Home

Use pressed flower art to decorate your home elegantly. Create coasters, bookmarks, or wall art. Embellishing an ordinary object with pressed flowers elevates it into a unique conversation piece.

Essential Tips and Tricks

• Experiment with Different Blooms: Feel free to experiment with different types of flowers and foliage; texture and contrast can enhance your design.

• Preserve Colors with Care: Some flowers naturally fade during the drying process. Minimize exposure to light during pressing, and consider using a pressed flower sealant to protect your final piece from UV damage.

• Be Organized: Keep flowers labeled and dated to easily recall which flowers came from which occasion, especially if you’re pressing flowers from different events.

• Handle with Care: Dried flowers are delicate. Use tweezers to handle them gently during the arrangement to avoid tearing or crumbling.

• Explore Different Layouts: Try creating your designs on paper first to visualize before you commit to pressing. This will save time and help plan the final composition.

Conclusion

Pressed wedding flower preservation is a fulfilling way to hold onto those precious memories from your special day. Not only does it keep the romance alive, but it also allows for a personal connection as you involve yourself creatively in preserving a tangible slice of your wedding. Whether you decide to frame them, craft jewelry, or adorn your home with these beautiful mementos, pressed flowers offer timeless reminders of love, commitment, and celebration.

As you embark on this preservation journey, remember that each flower — with its unique shape, color, and form — tells a story. By integrating it into your life through artistic mediums, you keep not just the memory but the emotion of your wedding day evergreen.