When you’re preserving flowers, the first decision is also the most important: pressed flowers or dried flowers? Both options can create a beautiful keepsake, but they look and feel totally different once they’re finished.
If you’re here for pressed flower preservation, you’re likely picturing an airy, flat arrangement behind glass, something that looks like art on your wall. If you’re leaning dried, you might want a fuller, more dimensional look that keeps the shape and texture of the bouquet.
We do both, and we love both, so this guide is here to help you choose the style you’ll truly love living with in your home.
Pressed is flat art, dried is dimensional display
Pressed flowers
Pressed flowers are carefully flattened during the preservation process and then arranged into a design that lives between panes of glass in a frame. The finished look is light, airy, and graphic, like a floral illustration made from your real blooms.
Pressed styles are perfect if you love:
- clean lines and negative space
- a “floating” look behind glass
- a wall-art feel
Dried flowers in a shadow box
Dried flower keepsakes keep more of the bouquet’s original shape and depth. Our shadow boxes are made for bouquets that are already air-dried, even if they’ve been dried for years, and we can also work with artificial blooms like sola wood and silk. ]
Dried styles are perfect if you love:
- the 3D look of petals and stems
- a fuller, more sculptural result
- preserving the bouquet’s original volume
If you already know you want a pressed piece, start here: pressed flower preservation.
If you already know you want a shadow box, start here: dried flower shadow boxes.
Choose pressed flowers if you want a lighter, framed-art look
Pressed pieces are a great fit when you want your flowers to feel like art first, bouquet second. A few signs you’ll love pressed:
You want it to feel like a gallery piece
Pressed designs hang beautifully with photos, prints, and clean decor. If your style leans minimal, pressed is often the easiest match.
Your bouquet has a good mix of blooms and greenery
We can press most types of flowers, but pressed designs work best when we have a variety of textures to play with.
If your bouquet is all white, we can absolutely work with it, with a few guidelines. White flowers are fragile and can brown more easily, so we require a variety of white flowers and greenery, and we do not accept fresh pressed bouquets that have white flowers and no greenery.
If that sounds like your bouquet, a shadow box can be a better fit for keeping the look you’re hoping for.
You’re okay with natural color changes over time
We keep our process all natural, meaning we do not use preservatives or chemicals. Colors will fade over time, and we see that as part of what makes the piece feel real.
If “perfect color forever” is the goal, pressed or dried, it’s important to know that natural botanicals will age. If you love the idea of your keepsake aging gently with you, pressed is a beautiful choice.
Choose dried flowers if you want depth, texture, or you already have a dried bouquet
Dried flower keepsakes are often the answer when the bouquet you have in your hands is already dry, thicker, or includes elements that do not press well.
You already air-dried your bouquet
If your bouquet has been drying for months or years, you do not need to panic or feel like you missed your chance. Our shadow boxes are designed specifically for bouquets that have already been air-dried, even if they’ve been dried for years.
That’s why so many people choose the shadow box route after the wedding when the bouquet is sitting in a closet and they finally want to do something meaningful with it.
Your bouquet has thick elements that won’t press thin enough
Pressed designs have physical limits. Some flowers and greens are too thick to lay flat the way pressed work requires. In our FAQ, we list several elements that either cannot be included in final pressed arrangements or can only be included in a limited way due to thickness, and we often recommend a shadow box in those cases.
A few examples we call out:
- banksia and wheat, which cannot press thin enough for a pressed arrangement, so a shadow box is suggested
- thick branches, which do not press thin enough, so we suggest shadow box arrangements
You have artificial blooms
Shadow boxes are also a great option for sola wood and silk flowers.
Pressed designs are best for fresh florals that can flatten and dry evenly.
A simple decision guide you can use in 2 minutes
If you want a fast way to decide, walk through these four questions:
1) What do you want it to look like on the wall?
- Pressed: flat, airy, frame-as-art
- Dried: dimensional, bouquet-in-a-box
If your home decor is clean and you want something that reads like a print or photo, pressed often feels more natural.
2) What condition are your flowers in right now?
- Fresh (and within the proper timeline): pressed is on the table
- Already dry: shadow box is usually the easiest and best-looking choice
3) Does your bouquet include thick elements?
If yes, dried might save you disappointment. Thick pieces can be hard to press into a flat, glass-friendly form.
4) Where will you display it?
If the frame will live in a bright room, consider adding art glass, which offers exceptional clarity, anti-reflective properties, and 99% UV protection to help your flowers retain vibrancy longer than standard glass.
Timing matters: pressed has a tighter window than dried
Pressed flower work starts best when flowers arrive fresh and on time. On our site, we note that fresh flowers must arrive at our studio no more than 5 business days after your event.
Our shipping page also states you must ship with next-day or two-day delivery, and we share carrier guidance there.
Dried bouquets are more flexible, because the bouquet is already stable and not racing a freshness clock.
If you’re unsure what timeline you’re in, reach out here: contact us.
What to expect during design, pressed or dried
One thing we care about deeply is making sure you love the final layout.
Once your order is being designed, you’ll receive a mock design to approve before we finalize it, and you can request up to three tweaks before it moves to shipping.
That design step is where your keepsake becomes yours, whether it’s pressed behind glass or arranged in a shadow box.
A quick note on DIY drying vs professional results
If you’re thinking about drying at home first and then deciding, here’s the general idea:
- Air-drying is one of the most common ways to preserve flowers, and it’s straightforward, especially for sturdy blooms and grasses.
- Pressing is a different method that intentionally flattens the blooms, and results look best when the flowers dry evenly under pressure.
If you’ve already dried your bouquet at home, we’re happy to turn it into a piece you’ll actually display with a shadow box. If you haven’t dried it
Order Now
If you’re ready to choose your style, you can order online:
- Pressed (fresh blooms): Order Now, pressed flower preservation
- Dried (shadow box): Order Now, dried flower shadow boxes
Need help deciding size? Our guide is here: ordering guide.
