Drying Your Bouqet

Whether it's your bridal bouquet, an anniversary or memorial arrangement, or a particularly gorgeous vase of flowers gathered from your own garden, drying your flowers first is an easy way to prepare them for professional pressing. Overnighting fresh flowers is expensive and risky - but I can press flowers from their dried state just as easily. 

Bridal Bouquets

1. Designate a flower keeper - someone you can trust to take the bouquet at the right time and follow the below steps. They will need 2 to 4 rubber bands or hair ties and a hanger (or two). {Don't forget about the boutonniere if you'd like that pressed too!}

2. Immediately after final use (i.e. after ceremony pictures and before you enter the reception), hand the bouquet off to the flower keeper (not in water). 

3. Remove the ribbon from the base of the bouquet, carefully pulling away all the pins and tape that may be holding the flowers together. Hang the ribbon from the hanger you're going to use if the bride would like to keep the ribbon.

4. If the bouquet is large enough, I recommend gently separating the bouquet into 2 to 4 bundles. Wrap each bundle separately with a rubber band or hair tie, and attach to a hanger (by looping the end of a rubber band around the hook). This step is helpful to further prevent molding, but not a deal breaker if it's too complicated. {If you can separate the flowers, make sure the stems are as dry as possible by squeezing them with a paper towel and pulling out any leaves that look damaged or brown.}

5. Hang up in dark, dry place (like a closet, armoire or corner but not a bathroom that's going to be used - avoid steam).

6. Make sure the bouquet ends up back with the bride or with whoever is going to be responsible for them before mailing or dropping them off. They need to remain in a dark, dry location for at least two weeks before being disturbed again for final transportation.

7. Contact me to arrange sending them off to get pressed!

Memorial or Other Bouquets

1. Remove the flowers from the vase or stands and dry off each stem with a paper towel. 

2. Bundle eight to 10 flowers together, securing them with a rubber band or hair tie, and attach to a hanger (by looping the end of a rubber band around the hook). 

3. Hang up in dark, dry place (like a closet, armoire or corner but not a bathroom - avoid steam). They need to remain in a dark, dry location for at least two weeks before being disturbed again for final transportation.

7. Contact me to arrange mailing them or dropping them off to get pressed!