Floral Preservation
Everything you need to know before choosing this service
Written by Robin Perio
Published on January 4, 2025
Floral preservation is a wonderful way to capture the beauty and sentiment of a special bouquet—whether from a wedding, memorial, or any significant event. But before diving into the process, there are a few essential factors to consider to ensure the best possible outcome. From selecting the right flowers to choosing between resin or shadowbox preservation, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know before preserving your cherished florals.
Floral Selection: Choosing the Right Flowers for Preservation
The type of flowers in your bouquet plays a critical role in the preservation process. Some flowers preserve better than others, so it’s important to consider both their appearance and durability.
- Colour: Bright, bold colors tend to maintain their vibrancy better during preservation. Deep reds, purples, oranges, and pinks often stand out well in both resin and shadowbox displays. Lighter hues, such as pale pinks and whites, are more prone to bruising or discoloration over time, particularly in resin.
- Diversity and Texture: A bouquet composed of diverse flowers, with a variety of textures and shapes, will create more visual interest in the final preserved piece. Adding flowers with different petal shapes, leaves, or even small blooms like baby’s breath or eucalyptus, can make the design more dynamic. This variety is especially important for shadowbox designs, which can appear flat if composed entirely of similar-looking blooms.
- Single-Flower Bouquets: While a monochromatic, single-flower bouquet can be stunning, it presents challenges in the preservation process. Bouquets made up of one flower type, especially all-white flowers, may be difficult to arrange into certain frames or molds, limiting your options. White flowers, in particular, are notorious for bruising easily and can turn yellow or brown over time. If you’ve set your heart on preserving such a bouquet, discussing this with your preservation artist is key to managing expectations.
Robin Pero - Preservation Specialist
Discover the differences between floral preservation services so you can make the right selection for your eternal keepsakes. With over 9 years of experience preserving florals, I am always happy to answer questions or guide you in shape and style selection.
Choosing Your Preservation Option: Resin vs. Shadowbox
Resin Preservation: Resin is a popular choice because it encases the flowers in a clear, glass-like material, preserving them for years. This method creates a sleek, modern look and protects the flowers from environmental factors like dust or moisture. However, it’s important to note that resin can develop a yellowish "ambering" effect over time, especially if exposed to sunlight. If you love the idea of having your flowers completely encapsulated, resin is an excellent option, but be prepared for the natural aging process that comes with it.
Shadowbox Preservation: A shadowbox allows flowers to be dried and arranged in a frame, offering a more traditional, artistic display. This method provides depth and texture, creating a three-dimensional piece. However, dried flowers are susceptible to fading over time, particularly if exposed to direct sunlight. This can be managed with proper care—displaying your shadowbox in a location with low light and avoiding humid environments will help preserve its vibrancy for as long as possible.
Selecting the Right Artist for Your Commission
Choosing the right artist to preserve your flowers is crucial to ensuring the best results. Floral preservation is both an art and a science, so you’ll want to find someone who has a proven track record of beautiful, long-lasting work.
Portfolio Review: Take the time to review portfolios of different preservation artists. Look for examples that showcase a variety of flower types, colors, and styles. If you see a design similar to what you envision for your flowers, that’s a good sign that the artist can deliver what you’re looking for.
Communication: Clear communication is essential when commissioning a preservation piece. Make sure the artist understands your vision and can explain the process to you, including what you can realistically expect from the finished product. This includes discussing the limitations of certain flowers, potential color changes, and the lifespan of the preservation method you choose.
Timing is Critical
Timing is everything when it comes to floral preservation. Flowers should ideally be sent to your preservation artist as soon as possible after the event. The longer they sit, the more likely they are to wilt, discolor, or lose their original shape. Here are some tips to help keep flowers in optimal condition
- Keep your flowers in water as much as possible
- Do not crush or squish or throw your blooms
- Keep your flowers out of the sun and away from heat sources
- After your event, re-cut stems and place in cool clean water
Managing Expectations
Floral preservation, while beautiful, is not an exact replica of the original bouquet. There are natural processes that affect the final appearance of the preserved flowers, and understanding these changes will help you set realistic expectations. It is important to remember that these are hand made items and will never be machine made perfection. You may find a bubble or damaged petal, this is part of the character and charm of these items. No piece will ever be identical! Things to consider....
Ambering of Resin: Over time, resin naturally yellows or "ambers," especially if exposed to light. While some people enjoy the vintage, sepia-toned look this creates, it’s important to know that resin won’t stay crystal clear forever. Despite the claims of resin brands, there is NO resin that will remain clear forever.
Fading of Dried Florals in Shadowboxes: Dried flowers, particularly light-colored ones, will fade over time when displayed in a shadowbox. This is a natural part of the drying process. To minimize fading, place your shadowbox in a cool, shaded area of your home, away from direct sunlight.
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Our Process
Step 1
Florals are received, reviewed, re-processed and re-hydrated. Once re-hydrated, we seperate greenery from florals and remove any florals or greenery that is no longer in optimal condition. Any vases, ribbons, special trinkets will be returned.
Step 4
Once we are ready to begin your project, your florals are carefully removed from preservation and assessed. It is important to note that not all flowers/greenery dry nicely. Flowers that were crushed, bruised, or not in good condition when they were received may not be usable.
Step 2
We carefully sort through botanicals and choose the best blooms for the project size and outcome. We do not preserve all botanicals that we receive. Selection is chosen based on each individual commission to suit the project.
Step 5
Depending on your chosen project, the next step is to rebuild or reconstruct your florals and greenery and choose which botanicals will be used in the design. We then seal each flower and will apply colour correction where necessary if previously discussed.
Step 3
Florals and greenery is carefully deconstructed and put away in our preservation chambers for a minimum 4-6 weeks to dry. This time-line will vary during certain times of the year due to peak season, large order queue or unfavorable weather.
Step 6
Your design is created! Depending on the nature and size of your project, this process may take several weeks. Resin is applied in layers and requires a full 30 days to come to it's fully cured state. There are many variables that affect how a resin piece turns out and sometimes a piece requires extra sanding and refinishing. Our projects do not come with an expected return date as we are unable to guarantee any time line due to these variables. Once your order is ready for pickup, you will be notified.
Happy Client Testimonials
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Final Thoughts
Floral preservation is a wonderful way to turn a fleeting moment into a long-lasting keepsake. By carefully selecting your flowers, understanding the preservation options, and working with an experienced artist, you can create a meaningful piece that preserves the beauty and sentiment of your special day. Whether you opt for resin or shadowbox preservation, remember to keep in mind the natural aging process of the materials and enjoy the uniqueness of your preserved florals for years to come.
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Your florals, forever...
Interested in having your special florals preserved in London, Ontario? We can work with both fresh and previously dried blooms as well as items to embed and add on plaques and writing.
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