In this guest blog, Beth from Sprig & Press shares her top tips for choosing the perfect flowers for your bouquet so that you can keep an everlasting memory of your special day through bridal bouquet preservation.
Did you know that there’s a way to keep your bridal bouquet long after your wedding? Bridal bouquet preservation has seen a huge surge in popularity over the last few years and many modern brides are now side-stepping the traditional ‘bouquet toss’ in favour of having their flowers transformed into a framed forever keepsake. Much better than seeing them thrown away!
So, when it comes to preserving special flowers, what sets up a fresh bouquet to become a gorgeous piece of floral art? Most flowers can be pressed, but there are definitely kinds that press more readily than others, flower colours that keep longer than others, and foliage combinations that can really add something special to a pressed flower frame.
Here are my top tips for brides, and florists, when choosing wedding flowers for preserving:
A mix of sizes
This is one of the main things that adds variety and additional interest to a pressed floral design. When they’re pressed flat, flowers such as roses can be quite large. Combining these with other smaller flowers creates contrast and also means more beautiful blooms can be included in the frame.
Varied shapes and textures
This goes for both flowers and foliage and gives you and your artist more flexible options when it comes to the designing stage. Like mixed sizes, mixed shapes and textures also add extra layers of visual interest.
Colour
Colour is key and a well-chosen mix of colours and tones can elevate a pressed flower frame. Adding a mix of foliage tones to white or pale bouquets can help produce the colour contrast often needed for a well-balanced end result.
Being a botanical product, it’s natural for pressed flowers to change and fade with time. Pastels tend to fade more quickly; reds, greens and purples often deepen, and whites typically turn cream. A mix of tones can add an extra dimension to a flower frame as it fades.
Sprig and Press uses UV glass in all frames to help slow the natural fading process.
Include both buds and blooms
Treated in the right way when pressing, buds often dry well and can be beautiful little details when nestled in between the flowers in a frame.
Take care with bulky or unreliable varieties
Bulky or fleshy flowers are more unpredictable to press due to their higher moisture content. Things like sunflowers, lilies, orchids, or succulents, to name a few. There are also a handful of common wedding flowers to be mindful of, such as lisianthus and
chrysanthemums that can be unreliable to press. Especially if they are white varieties.
All of these above can be pressed using different methods, but are best added sparingly to a bouquet and combined with some reliable varieties.
Your Bridal Bouquet Preservation
If you would like to enquire about having your bouquet preserved, contact Beth via email hello@sprigandpress.co.uk, or visit www.sprigandpress.co.uk for more information.
Sprig & Press is a floral preservation specialist, founded and run by artist Beth Brennan. Beth specialises in preserving bridal bouquets and memorial flowers, framing them between protective UV glass using stained glass techniques. Sprig & Press also sells smaller pieces of pressed flower artwork made using blooms either foraged or grown by Beth.
Find Sprig & Press on our Shop Local directory, or visit their website.