DIY: Reuse Your Wedding Flowers

Transform Your Wedding Flowers into Stunning Works of Art

Your wedding flowers are the highlight of your décor, from the florae that create a picturesque ceremony setting to the arrangements that adorn your reception tables, to your gorgeous bouquet.

Most unfortunately, however, these beautiful blooms have a fleeting lifetime: They’ll only keep for just a few precious days post-wedding.

But! By pressing your flowers post-nuptials you can create colorful renditions of your blooms that you can then frame and display in your home. (Tip: If you leave for your honeymoon right after your celebration, delegate the first part of this project to a trusted friend, mom, or mother-in-law, as you’ll want to press your flowers ASAP for best results.)

Using an arrangement from Fleur De Rye, event planners Jennifer Arreguin and Natasha Burton, of Swoon California, and photographer/designer Stacey Millett Shay, of Willhouse Photography, show you how to turn your wedding flowers into artwork that you can cherish forever.

What you’ll need:

• Wedding flowers (single layer flowers like hydrangeas, anemones, poppies, and feverfew work best)
• Plastic wrap, parchment or wax paper
• Heavy books (ones that aren’t keepsakes—consider picking up some at Goodwill or use phonebooks)
• A frame
• A backdrop for your flowers (like heavy white art paper, pretty wrapping paper, or old book pages)
• Spray adhesive
• Cotton swabs
• Calligraphy pen or Sharpie (if desired)

Directions

1. Make sure your flowers are dry, then remove any leaves and blemished or wilting petals.

2. Open one of the books you plan to use for drying, then cut a piece of wax/parchment paper or plastic wrap inside.

3. Place flowers face down on one side of the open book, making sure all petals are fanned out and no stems, petals or leaves are overlapping.

4. Close the book and weigh down with other heavy books.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with as many flowers as you’d like to press.

6. Leave flowers undisturbed for two weeks. (Thicker flowers like peonies could take an additional week to fully press.)

7. Gently open books and remove pressed flowers from pages.

8. Decide which flowers you’d like to use for your art piece and lay them out on your backdrop.

9. Spray a cotton swab with adhesive, then carefully dab the backside of each flower with glue and gently stick it where you want it.

10. Add any words, dates, or other details with your pen or Sharpie.

11. Wait five minutes for glue and ink to set.

12. Place backdrop into the frame and admire your work!

Photography: Willhouse Photography | Flowers: Fleur De Rye | Design + Styling: Swoon California