Creating pressed flowers for a wedding is a beautiful and personalized touch. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to DIY press flowers for your wedding:
Materials you will need:
- Fresh flowers: Choose flowers with flat petals, such as daisies, pansies, or rose petals. Avoid flowers with thick or fleshy petals.
- Absorbent paper: You can use blotting paper, coffee filters, or even plain newsprint.
- Heavy books or a flower press: If using books, choose thick ones with a hardcover.
- Parchment paper or wax paper: To protect the pages of the books or flower press from moisture and flower pigments.
- Scissors or garden shears.
- Tweezers or small tongs (optional).
- Optional: Decorative paper or cardstock, adhesive, and frames for displaying the pressed flowers.
Now, let’s move on to the steps:
- Start by gathering fresh flowers. It’s best to pick them on a dry day when they are at their peak and free from any dew or moisture.
- Prepare your flowers by removing any excess leaves or stems. Trim the stems close to the base of the flower using scissors or garden shears.
- Take a piece of absorbent paper (blotting paper, coffee filter, or newsprint) and fold it in half. Open it back up and place the flowers on one side of the paper. Make sure they are spread out and not overlapping.
- Fold the other half of the paper over the flowers, sandwiching them between the layers of absorbent paper.
- If using a flower press, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for layering the flowers between sheets of absorbent paper and tightening the press.
- If using books, open a book to the middle, and place a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on top of one of the pages. Arrange the flowers on the paper, making sure they are flat and not touching each other. Place another sheet of parchment paper or wax paper on top of the flowers. Close the book gently.
- Repeat steps 3-6 for each flower you want to press. You can press multiple flowers at once, but make sure they are not overlapping.
- Now, it’s time to let the flowers dry and press. If using a flower press, follow the manufacturer’s instructions regarding drying time. If using books, stack more heavy books on top of the one containing the flowers to apply pressure.
- Let the flowers dry and press for a minimum of two weeks. The drying time may vary depending on the thickness and moisture content of the flowers.
- Once the flowers are completely dry and pressed, carefully remove them from the absorbent paper. You can use tweezers or small tongs to handle delicate flowers.
- Optionally, you can arrange the pressed flowers on decorative paper or cardstock using adhesive and then frame them for display.
- Use the pressed flowers to enhance various wedding elements, such as invitations, place cards, table decorations, or even pressed flower petals for the bride’s bouquet.
Remember to store the pressed flowers in a dry and protected place until you’re ready to use them for your wedding.
Pressing flowers allows you to preserve their beauty and add a personal touch to your wedding decorations. Enjoy the process of creating your pressed flowers, and may your wedding be a memorable and beautiful celebration!
Cassie