Bridal Bouquet Preservation – 16" x 20" Shadow Box

Every year at Harvest Hill Flower Farm, I grow, harvest and naturally air-dry hundreds of flowers for my dried wedding work. In addition to creating dried wedding bouquets, I also preserve fresh wedding bouquets for couples who want to keep their flowers long after their wedding day.

My preservation method is simple and natural. I air-dry your flowers rather than pressing them flat, and I don't use dyes or chemical preservatives. Once they're fully dried, I'll arrange the best-preserved flowers into a three-dimensional shadow box display inspired by the natural, airy style of my dried flower arrangements. Uses a 16" x 20" Shadow Box.

1. Drop off your bouquet at the farm

After your wedding, bring your bouquet to Harvest Hill Flower Farm in Blackstock, Ontario as soon as possible, ideally within a day or two. The fresher your flowers are when I receive them, the better chance I have of preserving them successfully.

This is an in-person preservation service, so bouquets cannot be shipped to me. Your finished shadow box will also need to be picked up from the farm.

2. I'll prepare and air-dry your flowers

Once your bouquet arrives, I'll carefully take it apart and prepare the individual flowers and stems for drying. Different flowers dry differently, so I'll assess your bouquet and prepare the flowers according to what will give them the best chance of preserving well.

Your flowers will then be naturally air-dried here on the farm. Most flowers take approximately 2–3 weeks to dry, but please allow around 6 weeks total from drop-off to finished pickup. This gives me time for the drying process as well as designing and arranging your finished piece.

3. Your flowers become a shadow box

Once the flowers are completely dry, I'll select the pieces that have preserved best and arrange them into your shadow box. Rather than pressing everything flat or creating a tightly packed arrangement, I'll work with different heights, textures and negative space to create a natural, three-dimensional bouquet.

The finished piece is designed to let you see and appreciate the natural shape of your flowers, stems and textures. Your original bouquet will remain the focus, creating a dried version of your wedding flowers that you can enjoy for years to come.

A note about natural flower preservation

Not every flower dries equally well. Some flowers hold their colour and shape beautifully, while others may become delicate, change colour, lose their shape or not be suitable for the finished arrangement. Because of this, I can't guarantee that every flower from your original bouquet will make it into the final shadow box.

My goal is to preserve as much of your bouquet as possible while creating a beautiful and balanced finished piece. In rare cases, if additional material is needed, I may incorporate a small amount of my own naturally dried filler flowers from Harvest Hill Flower Farm. Your original wedding flowers will remain the focus.

This is natural air-dried preservation, not pressed-flower preservation. I don't use dyes or chemical preservatives to change or artificially maintain the flowers. Some natural changes in colour, shape and texture are expected as your flowers dry, and these changes are part of the character of naturally preserved flowers.

Please note: Bridal bouquet preservation is available for farm drop-off and in-person pickup only in Blackstock, Ontario. Bouquets cannot be shipped to Harvest Hill, and finished preservation pieces cannot be shipped.