faqs on flower preservation
We know that trusting someone with your cherished flowers is a big decision. It's likely that you have a few questions about the flower preservation process, how it all works and how you go about sending your flowers in the post.
You may also be wondering what makes Smart Floral Art the place to trust with your wedding flowers. Let us reassure you that your flowers are in the best hands when they come to us.
This FAQ section is designed to provide you with all the answers you need to feel confident and excited about preserving your special memories with Smart Floral Art. If you don't find what you're looking for, don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to guide you every step of the way.
Your wedding flowers will be a key memory and item from your special day. Your flowers have meant so much to receive and can be kept to admire as a unique piece of art for many years when you choose to preserve them with us.
Each selection of flowers sent are pressed by hand using traditional methods from our home in Lancashire. For us and for many recently married couples, this is the perfect way to remember and capture a special moment in time in such a beautiful, modern way.
We like to make the process of booking your flower preservation as easy as possible.
First up, get in touch to tell me you have some special flowers that you would like preserving. Email is best and is generally our fastest form of communication but you can also contact us directly through the website if you prefer. We do not take orders through Instagram.
On booking there will be a link sent to you for a £100 non-refundable deposit, which will go towards the final cost of your chosen frame.
Your flowers are best preserved when they are at their freshest, so please get them to us as soon as possible following your wedding. The earlier the better.
Please note, if your flowers don’t get to us in time for us to be able to preserve them due to the date they were posted and a deterioration in their quality, sadly the deposit will not be refunded.
We will hold your date for one week after first enquiring. Unfortunately we can't hold dates for longer than a week as we are an extremely busy studio and often have waiting lists for each week. This is only fair for everyone.
Once your flowers get to us, we'll then work our preservation magic.
We’ll need a good selection of everything from your bouquet. At the very least, we'll need three good quality stems of each flower type. Please don’t overlook your foliage and smaller flowers as they add gorgeous textures and shapes for your final frame.
Here's a handy page on the most suitable flower types to send to us to be preserved.
For our larger (60x40cm) frames especially, we will need more flowers to make this gorgeous and full - if in doubt, know we would always prefer to have more to work with than less! Read more about flower quantities here.
You may have buttonholes or flower crowns that you would like us to preserve within your frame too. We love to receive but please note, these smaller pieces don’t always last as long as they’ve been out of water for long and no doubt bashed on the dance floor! Read more information on sending flower extras and buttonholes here.
There are packing guides on our website which will also be sent out to you before your wedding which are super helpful!
Your flowers will be pressed with the greatest of care and attention. For this reason it can take up to twelve weeks to perfectly preserve them.
It’s a slow process, but we promise it’s worth the wait!
Once the flowers are almost ready the exciting part starts! We'll be in touch to discuss all the options available to you, show you the fonts we have available if you choose to have any etching and let you choose all the finer details of your frame. You can take a look at some of our preserved wedding flower examples here.
Your frame will then be ordered and a design will be sent over for your pre-approval. It's at this point on ordering the frame when your final balance will be due.
Once this is confirmed we can then begin creating layouts using your flowers and get your frame and flowers safely back to you!
Here are our lead times for 2024:
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January - March 2024: 12 weeks
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April - May 2024: 14 weeks
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June - August 2024: 16 weeks
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September - October 2024: 14 weeks
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November - December 2024: 12 weeks
The lead times indicate how long the flower preservation process takes. We don't rush as we want to ensure that you get the very best quality pressed flowers that last for decades.
During the height of peak wedding season (April - October), we may need to extend our lead times to accommodate for the large volume of fresh flowers we receive each week. We always prioritise dealing with fresh flowers arriving as they are time sensitive in order to keep them in the best possible condition - the sooner we start the preservation process, the better.
We will always strive for perfection with your finished piece and thank you for your understanding during our busy times, that this may mean waiting a little longer. It's a true honour to be trusted with so many beautiful flowers and memories.
Here's the great part - a well cared for frame should last for decades. What a fantastic memory to keep in your family.
Please remember though, flowers and foliage are organic products and colours may fade or brown naturally over time. As a sustainable business, your flowers are pressed without the use of chemicals and glues, which mean they will change slightly over time. Loose fragments of flowers may occur too. This is all normal for organic products.
To help your dried flowers stay at their best, keep your frame away from direct sunlight, heat sources and moisture.