Bouquet Preservation Art
The day is over, the people have gone, but the memory can last forever.
My signature process involves pressing flowers to create a one-of-a-kind art piece that complements your style and stands out as a décor piece in your home. These heirloom pieces of art are mounted on glass and framed in a wood of your choice.
Alternatively, most bouquets can be worked into a beautiful dried wreath or wall mount.
I am proud to be one of the few studios to offer this unique service and can preserve bouquets from weddings anywhere in the US.
How it Works
- Step 1: Reserve your spot on my botanical calendar.
As a boutique studio, I’m only able to take 3 preservation clients per week and popular dates fill up quickly! 50% of your project total is required to guarantee your spot on my botanical art calendar. - Step 2: Keep your bouquet hydrated!
A vase of clean, cold water is vital during your reception and after your wedding. - Step 3: Drop your bouquet off
Deliver your flowers to my Fort Collins studio within 48 hours of your wedding (or plan ahead and I can arrange a shipping kit for you!) - Step 4: Your bouquet is deconstructed and the flowers are pressed or dried
This process takes about 6-8 weeks. - Step 5: Design Process
I design your art piece using the flowers that pressed the best. I allow 2- 4 weeks for the design process during off-season and 4-8 weeks during peak wedding season June-October. - Step 6: Sneak Peek
You receive a photo of your art design along with your final invoice. Once payment is received, your art is dropped off at the frame shop. Framing takes about 2-3 weeks. - Step 7: Art arrives
When your art is framed and ready, I will ship it directly to your home!
Each project takes a minimum of 4-5 months from start to finish to allow time for the flowers to cure and to work through the creative design process. I create each art piece using the flowers from your bouquet that look the best, have retained their color, and have interesting textures and shapes. In a sense, I let the flowers tell me what to do. I find that my most sought-after preservation designs are from the fresh bouquets that I create myself for your wedding. All of my artwork is mounted to glass or worked into dried wreaths depending on the blooms.
Let’s Talk Logistics
If your event will take place outside of Northern Colorado, I will send you a shipping kit ahead of time with everything you need to get your flowers safely to me within 24-48 hours after your wedding. I’ve also created a video with complete Shipping Instructions to talk you through each step. I can receive shipped bouquets from anywhere in the continental United States!
If you’re within range of Denver or Northern Colorado, the best option is to schedule a time to drop off your bouquet yourself at my North Fort Collins studio.
Caring for Your Flowers
These are some important steps you should take during and after your wedding so your flowers are as fresh as possible when they reach my studio!
- Make sure flowers are in fresh clean water.
- Keep flowers out of direct sun.
- Store in a cool, dry area.
- Do not store them in refrigerators – they will freeze!
- Flowers should be kept away from ripening fruits that release ethylene gas.
More Details
- When flowers are fresh they are very lush and large, but when they are pressed or dried, flowers shrink and often change colors. If you can provide additional flowers from the bridesmaids bouquets or centerpieces, great! I also have an extensive collection of pressed flowers I may pull from (in matching colors) to complete a full design.
- I would be more than happy to speak with your florist so we can plan your flowers from a preservation standpoint. I find that coordination ahead of time leads to the most stunning and sought-after designs!
- Since the pressed flowers are mounted on glass, they will appear to float on the wall within the wood frame. This means that your art really sparkles when placed on an accent wall in a complementary color!
“We’re SO glad we opted into floral preservation with Elycia early on –
THIS IS WHAT MAKES ELYCIA STAND OUT!
The way she handles flowers the day of a wedding AND after the wedding is priceless.
Our pressed floral wall art and dried floral wreath showcase Elycia’s artistry even further, which really brought our entire experience full circle. Working with her is invaluable!”
-Sarah Stephens (Quaintance)
Before & Afters
Check out some before and after images of wedding florals crafted into pressed preservation art!
Bouquet by Wild Blossoms Studio - 16x20 Pressed Art featuring roses, dahlias and lisianthus
ann raiho art collage4Bouquet by Blooming Betties - 16x20 Pressed Art featuring anemones, dahlias and lisianthus
sadera mangino collage 2 Wildbliss photographyBouquet by Bliss Florist - 16x20 Pressed Art and dried wreath set featuring roses, dahlias and lisianthus
Carly Crist 4Bouquet by Wild Blossoms Studio - 16x20 Pressed Art and dried wreath set featuring roses, dahlias and lisianthus
derek + spencer collageCeremony Arch by Wild Blossoms Studio transformed into dried wreath set
Preservation Collections
Pressed Flowers in Wood Framed Art
Each piece is created to archival standards with non-reflective museum quality glass with a solid wood frame of your choice:
- 16×20 – $1200
- 20×30 – $1600
- Set of (2) 12x16s – $1600
Wood Choices: Ebonized Walnut, Bone White, Pecan, Natural Maple, Nickel, Soft Gold, Gunmetal or Champagne.
*Companion pieces and full gallery walls can be designed upon request so, please reach out with any custom ideas!
Pressed Flowers in Wrought Iron Frames
- Four 6×6 wrought iron botanical frames: $600
Dried Flower Wreaths
- Dried Floral & Greenery Wreaths 6”- 12”(one large or two smalls) with a natural grapevine wreath base: $500
*You can add on wreaths as companion pieces to any framed project. You will need additional flowers from the event.
Art Sets
We love creating large, unique gallery walls and sets of art!
We can often mix pressed and dried work to create a textured, versatile art collection for your home! These will require more than just the bridal bouquet so be sure to plan ahead and bring bridesmaid bouquets and centerpieces.
“Elycia really comes full circle in her sustainable approach – she offers preservation services so that you can continue to enjoy the memories long after the day of. She created several beautiful pieces for us from our event flowers, and they are on prominent display in our home!
WE CANNOT RECOMMEND ELYCIA ENOUGH.
She is one of the sweetest souls we met during our whole wedding planning process and truly one of a kind!”
-Kimbra Turner
Which Flowers are Best for Preservation?
- Vibrant colors
As a general rule, the more colorful the flower, the better it looks after the pressing process. Whites and pale blush tones often turn brown or yellow during pressing so, the more vibrant your colors, the better! The exception are white ranunculus and spray roses which press very well. If you’re planning to have a bouquet filled with predominantly white flowers and want to have it transformed into pressed art, consider a pop of color (blue or soft pink) to balance out the antique white of pressed flowers – greenery is also very helpful. That said, is absolutely possible to create a gorgeous piece of art with a bouquet that is mostly white! - White Bouquets
If you’re planning to have a bouquet filled with mostly white flowers, consider a pop of color (blue or soft pink) to balance out the antique white of pressed flowers. Greenery is also very helpful. That said, is absolutely possible to create a gorgeous piece of art with a bouquet that is mostly white! - Variety + Texture
A variety of blooms in your bouquet offers lots of textures. Small, dainty flowers also press very well. The more creative elements you have, the more fascinating your art will be! - High End Blooms
Excellent quality flowers make all the difference when pressing and creating art! Fresh, high-quality flowers are simply heartier and more intricate. They will have a better chance of surviving your wedding day and reaching my studio in good condition and will add so much interest to your art!
A Note on Sunflowers
Sunflowers unfortunately cannot be pressed. We can only press the petals and then painstakingly recreate the flower without the center. For this reason, there is a $250 surcharge for the inclusion of any sunflowers. Be aware that the yellow will fade to cream over time. If you want to retain the classic sunflower shape and color, a company that offers acrylic preservation is a better option for you.
