If you try this project, I'd love to hear what flowers you used! Share in the comments below.
Without further ado, here's the second set of wedding bouquet preservation jewelry from 2018 nuptials. Check out the first set here. Thanks again to all of the couples who kindly shared their stories!
Michelle celebrated her wedding at the picturesque Superstition Mountain Country Club in early October 2018. She reached out to me two days after her wedding, and we were able to get her flowers pressed and in the mail back to me within a week. We preserved an autumn bouquet of cherry brandy roses, green ruscus and red leaves. Since then we created a beautiful jewelry set including earrings, necklaces, and cuff links.
Earrings, necklaces, and cuff links with cherry brandy roses, green ruscus and red leaves.
Florals by The Floral Theory | Bouquet Photo by Ashley Rae Photography
Carissa's wedding took place at the Carneros Resort & Spa in Napa in late October. Since it was local, Carissa dropped off her flowers to me the day after her wedding, and I took care of pressing them. You can see a video of pressing in action here. Her green and white bouquet included drumstick, eucalyptus, lisianthus, ranunculus, rose, fern, mint, rosemary, scabiosa and more.
A set of jewelry with eucalyptus, mint, drumstick, ranunculus, olive, and rose.
Florals by Julie Stevens Design | Bouquet photo by The de Jaureguis
Laleh's October wedding took place at the rustic Mt. Washington Mill Dye House. We preserved eucalyptus, astilbe, lisianthus, dahlias, ruscus, rose and more from her bouquet! We created a necklace and earrings with her colorful botanicals.
A jewelry set with ruscus, rose, and dahlia.
Florals by Stacy Bowen Floral Design | Bouquet Photo by Zachera Photo
Krissy's late-summer wedding took place at the rustic Buffalo Mountain Lodge in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. From her purple, green, and white bouquet, we preserved dahlias, bupleurum, strawflowers, roses, and some greens.
A set of dahlia, bupleurum, strawflower, and rose jewelry.
Florals by Banff Mountaintop Flowers | Bouquet Photo by Alpine Peak Photography
Melissa celebrated her wedding in early fall at the historic and elegant Billings Depot in Billings, Montana. Her brilliantly colored bouquet included blue anemones, green and purple decorative kale, pink rose, blue thistle, and eucalyptus. We create a set of necklaces and a tie clip with her botanicals.
A set of anemone, kale, and eucalyptus jewelry.
Florals by Gainan's Flowers | Bouquet Photo by Lymen Gillen
2018 was a busy year for weddings! I worked with nearly forty couples to preserve their wedding flowers and create custom jewelry pieces to commemorate their wedding day. Almost half of these weddings happened in the Fall (after all, 40% of weddings happen in August and November now), so you'll see some particularly rich palettes along with some late summer pastels and brighter colors. I'll be featuring a selection of weddings in this two-part blog series, so look out for Part Two soon. Special thanks to the couples who generously shared their weddings and photos.
Andrea celebrated her wedding at St. Teresa of Calcutta in Westmont, NJ and Tavistock Country Club in Haddonfield, NJ in August 2018. She reached out to me a week before her wedding, which was just enough time to get the flower pressing kit to her! We preserved hydrangeas, roses, and queen anne's lace flowers from her bouquet, and since then have created some beautiful jewelry sets using rose gold findings.
Earrings and a necklace with blue white hydrangeas in rose gold.
Florals by Penn Florist | Bouquet Photo by Martin Reardon Photography
Getting my wedding flowers made into jewelry from IMPRESSED by nature was one of the best decisions I made! The process was extremely easy and the jewelry is gorgeous!! — Andrea
Laura's wedding took place at the Piedmont Community Hall in Oakland during the late summer. Since she's local, Laura dropped off her flowers to me a couple days after her wedding, and I took care of pressing them. Her brilliant bouquet included some large tropical flowers and leaves, like monstera and bird-of-paradise. We pressed some of the smaller botanicals, including purple tulips, white orchids, purple lilies, and green palm leaves, and created a unique set of jewelry.
A set of jewelry with orchids, tulips, and palm leaves.
Florals by Brother and Sisters | Bouquet photo by Abby Wilcox
Chelsea went for an eclectic, classy vibe with creams, whites, sage, and greenery for her wedding at the outdoor Radonich Ranch venue. We preserved dahlias, sage, lisianthus, queen anne's lace, hydrangeas, roses, eucalyptus, and more from her bouquet! We created a set of necklaces, earrings, cuff links, and tie clips with her green and cream botanicals.
A set of earrings for Chelsea and her loved ones with queen anne's lace, rose, and sage.
Florals by Susi's Flowers | Bouquet Photo by This Love of Yours
I had previously bought some earrings from Impressed and loved them. When I visited their website to order more I saw that she does wedding flowers. I was overjoyed at the unique opportunity to preserve my flowers. I get compliments on the several pieces she made for me. — Chelsea
Katie's mid-summer wedding took place in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado. She shared: "Our wedding day was cloudless and warm, and filled with so much love and laughter. Loved ones traveled from all over to ascend a 9,300 ft to witness our vows and ring tiny bells on a mountainside. The best part was walking alone down the trail winding through aspen and evergreens with my new spouse knowing this was the beginning of an incredible journey! My mother-in-law Vonna helped sew a dress for me out of my mom's wedding gown and she even preserved flowers for me while we were on our honeymoon. I had a ranunculus necklace made for her and she loved it." In addition to ranunculus, we preserved anemone, solidago, waxflower, astilbe, larkspur, eucalyptus, and protea.
A set of ranunculus and eucalyptus jewelry.
Florals by The Enchanted Florist | Bouquet Photo by Jesse La Plante
Most of all, Kyla was great to work with! She explained which designs would work well with my pressed flowers and went back and forth with me on specific designs. I really appreciate that she sent a photo of the finished jewelry designs to be sure I was happy with them. She made an adjustment to one of the pieces and I loved it! — Katie
Allison celebrated her wedding in the picturesque Quail Hollow Park in Hartville, Ohio in early August. Her colorful wedding flowers complemented her equally brilliant wedding dress. We preserved red anemones, orange daisies, black-eyed susans, blue delphinium, and more!
A set of jewelry with delphinium, anemone, daisy, and more.
Florals by The Garden by the Gate | Bouquet Photo by Mandy Mezinger
I was so pleased to find out about Impressed by Nature before my wedding, and I remained pleased throughout the process as well as with the results! Every piece of the process was smooth, careful, and beautiful.— Allison
Traditional wedding registries can be limiting and dated in their offerings for modern couples. Using big box stores' registries can be convenient, but they limit what you can request as a gift to a fraction of what's out there. For instance, you can't include anything that's truly unique, like products from handmade makers and independent designers.
As a handmade artist, I've run into this challenge. Couples regularly reach out to me about including my bouquet preservation package on their registry, which is nearly impossible using the traditional registry route.
Luckily, there are so many new options in the way of registries, so I'm excited to talk about both unique registry gifts AND modern online registry options in this blog post.
There are a lot of registry options out there, here are some that work with your unique interests.
Summer festivities call for FLOWERS! (Well, in my book anyway!) Here's a simple way to add a whole lot of botanical beauty to your party and really impress your guests.
I made this floral ice punch bowl for my birthday and it was a hit! I'm planning on making it again and I learned some lessons to adjust for the second time around, which I'll share below.
Materials:
Steps:
1. Collect the flowers you want to use for the ice bowl and lay them out in the larger bowl. I wanted to make an impression, so I picked these fuchsia roses and left the stems on, which definitely helped keep them in place. You can use any flowers, just keep in mind that small flowers will probably float to the top. If you want to use small flowers, you might try freezing the bowl in stages to create layers of flowers.
Lesson learned: The roses I picked were a little too big for this project. The large flower heads were so thick that they created gaps in the ice bowl, which meant that the punch would leak out. Luckily, the flower heads were clustered at the top so we only filled the bowl halfway with punch at first and then refilled as needed.
2. Once you arrange your flowers in the larger bowl, carefully rest the smaller bowl inside and gently push all the flowers down so they're flush with the top of the bowl rim.
3. Slowly pour water into the outer bowl so it fills in around the flowers. Jostle the inner bowl around so the water makes its way around. Fill with water until you can see it reach a couple inches below the rim of the outer bowl. You will be adjusting the water level in the next step, so this is just an estimate for now.
4. Add your weights to the inner bowl. You can use pie weights, beans, ice packs, or anything from your freezer. This part is a little tricky. Basically, you want to add enough weight so that the inner bowl rests at a height from the outer bowl to create a fairly even ice wall on all sides. The inner bowl should not touch the bottom of the outer bowl, otherwise, the base of the bowl will be too thin to hold your punch. Once you have the inner bowl weighed down, add more water, if necessary, to fill the outer bowl to the brim.
5. Clear a space in your freezer and carefully place the bowls so that they rest flat. Leave to freeze overnight.
6. Wait until just before you're going to serve your punch to take the ice bowl out of the freezer. When you're ready, remove it from the freezer and carefully pull the inner bowl out--it should come out with fairly easily. Now, hopefully your outer bowl has some flexibility and you can flex it until the entire ice bowl slides out. If not, I had luck getting my ice bowl out of a ceramic bowl by flipping it over in my sink and running cold water over the bottom of the bowl until it eventually fell out. Don't run water over the ice itself.
7. Place your floral ice bowl on a tray or dish to collect the water as it melts. Inspect the walls of the bowl to make sure it will hold liquid and then add your favorite punch!
]]>
One of the most rewarding aspects of my business is working with newlywed couples to preserve their wedding flowers and create botanical accessories to memorialize their special day. I’ve worked with dozens of brides in this way and each jewelry collection is so unique, so I’m beyond excited to share a handful of them with you here! Special thanks to the couples who generously shared their weddings and photos.
Amy, along with the help of her family, took full advantage of her late summer wedding and grew her own wedding flowers--isn't that amazing?! We preserved over a dozen varieties of flowers from her bouquet, including zinnias, queen anne's lace, river oats, daisies, and sunflowers; and created a custom set of accessories that truly represent the diversity of her botanicals.
Two mixed petal necklaces with sunflowers, zinnias, river oats, queen anne's lace & more!
Florals homegrown by Amy & Family | Bouquet Photo by Living Radiant Photography
I've gotten lots of compliments on the jewelry, and everyone loves that it was made from my wedding bouquet flowers! — Amy
Emily celebrated her wedding at the beautiful Temescal Beach House in Oakland during the warm Bay Area autumn. Since she's local, Emily dropped off her flowers to IMPRESSED by nature headquarters at Makers Workspace a couple days after her wedding, and I took care of pressing them, including mint, sage, tulips, thistle, sunflowers, and white, purple and pink roses. When we started discussing her jewelry, Emily was clear that she wanted to create pieces for her bridesmaids to commemorate the day with them, so we made a special pair of earrings for each one!
A set of bridesmaids' earrings with sage, rose, and mint.
Florals by Fleurish CA | Bouquet photo by Andrew Hawley
I absolutely recommend working with Kyla to preserve your wedding flowers- perfect gifts for friends and family (and yourself!) to remind you of the joy the flowers brought you on your special day. — Emily
Amanda enlisted a variety of flowers with warm autumn tones to complement her New England wedding at The Candlewood Inn. Together we preserved eucalyptus, hydrangeas, roses, daisies, protea leaves, ranunculus, and amaranth. Amanda was inspired by Amy's mixed petal necklaces (above), so we created a similar piece with her unique botanicals.
A set of necklaces for Amanda and her loved ones with eucalyptus, ranunculus, roses, hydrangeas, dahlias, and daisies!
Florals by Flowers By Danielle | Bouquet Photo by Tim Nosenzo
[Kyla] made both the flower pressing and jewelry design process incredibly simple. We designed six necklaces using designs from her online shop: four for myself and two for family members. Each piece came out great! — Amanda
Katie's mid-summer wedding in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of New York featured a gorgeous bouquet of pinks and purples. We created a set of earrings for her loved ones using delphinium, clematis, and rose petals, plus we made a silver tie clip for Katie's husband.
A set of earrings with delphinium, clematis, rose & more!
Florals by Flowerwell | Bouquet Photo by Alexandra Meseke
Katie of Flower Mama, Jackie's friend and florist, reached out to preserve her friend's wedding flowers and make some keepsake jewelry pieces. Not only did Katie create traditional bouquets, she also designed and built a breathtaking arch installation for the summer ceremony at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Marin. Many of the flowers we pressed, including peonies, daisies, dahlias, zinnias, snow on the mountain, delphinium, queen anne's lace, and lisianthus, came from this piece. It was a fun flip to work with the florist rather than the couple to create pieces this time around!
A set of earrings with dahlias, snow on the mountain, lisianthus, and queen anne's lace.
Florals by Flower Mama | Arch Installation Photo by Sylvia Vizcaino
I would absolutely 100% recommend Kyla for her service to provide you with incredibly unique, beautiful, and timeless jewelry pieces as a way to preserve your wedding flowers. — Katie
Nicole's Disney World wedding featured an entirely red bouquet of anemones. Her bouquet included other Disney elements, including adorable Mickey Bar floral pins from Enchanted Sweet Spot. It was fun creating unique pieces with a single color palette for a change!
A set of two necklaces and clip-on drop earrings with anemones and hydrangeas.
Florals by Elizabeth Davis from Disney Floral and Gifts | Bouquet Photo by Disney Fine Art Photography
I was so thrilled when I found Kyla's work! I will be buying this as a gift for future brides and would recommend her to anyone. — Nicole
For many people, gift wrapping is an afterthought. But I think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't appreciate a beautifully wrapped gift, so I've gathered together 25 ideas to help you get inspired this year! From DIY bamboo wrapping paper to sewn flower embellishments, all of these decorative wraps are inspired by nature.
Seriously, with just a leaf and some paint, you can create this beautifully minimalist paper. Or use copies of botanical prints to for a fun floral wrap.
Don't skimp on the gift tags--from printables to wood pieces, there are plenty of options!
Top your parcels with a little extra special something from Mother Nature.
Chances are you or someone you know has a mild or full-blown obsession with all things botanical. I can certainly relate! That's why I put some of my favorite floral finds together in one place for you to shop or share with your loved ones. Even more, many of them are made by my favorite small businesses and they're all under $100. Happy Holidays!
]]>Teal and cranberry are two of my favorite color combinations, which is why I love this cool and warm tone pairing for a special holiday party. These teal fringe booties perfectly dress up this ivory silk tank and cranberry smocked shorts. Just add black tights and the sweet william choker with teal and gold glass beads and you’re good to go!
1) silk v-neck cami :: 2) wine smocked high waisted shorts :: 3) 1920s vintage inspired beaded clutch :: 4) teal fringe heel booties :: 5) sweet william necklace
]]>As you plan for your warm weather events--spring flings, backyard barbecues and the like--consider adding a little floral fun to your party drinks! This quick and easy tutorial will leave your guests impressed by nature ;)
I made these edible flower ice cubes for my backyard birthday party and they were a huge hit! They only took a bit of preparation and added so much to all of the drinks my guests enjoyed. After all, who doesn't love a little botanical pick me up?
Materials:
Steps:
1. Collect your flowers and make sure to wash them--look out for bugs if you harvested your own. You might choose a specific color palette or a confetti of flower fun, like I did! Each flower has a different flavor, so you might try some flavor pairings. I noticed that once the cubes melted, some guests were adventurous enough to eat the petals, but a lot of guests simply enjoyed them floating in the drink as a garnish.
2. Fill each compartment of the ice tray halfway with water. Sprinkle some flower petals in each space and then fill the rest of the way with water. I found it helpful to use a pitcher to top off each compartment so that they didn't overflow. Many of the petals will float to the top. I recommend pushing them down to make sure they're wet, which will help them sink a bit. If you have time, you can double freeze them to disperse the flowers more evenly. Fill the compartments halfway with water and flowers, freeze them, and then add more petals and water to top off the cubes and freeze again. I used this method for half of my cubes and loved adding these lovely chamomile flowers to the top!
4. Leave the cubes to freeze overnight. If you're making multiple batches, store them in paper bags in the freezer to avoid sticking together.
5. Add them to your favorite beverage and enjoy!
If you try this project, I'd love to hear what flowers you used! Share in the comments below.
The natural world has always been a source of calm and creativity throughout my life. As a child, my siblings and I would spend hours exploring the outdoors, including a real-life batcave! Years later as a teacher, my kindergarten students and I spent months creating elaborate fairy dwellings using natural found objects. Now, in my current life’s passion, I spend my days fawning over pressed flowers and leaves to create my natural jewelry designs. Running a business is not always relaxing, so in moments of stress and busyness, I continue to find ease and joy in the natural world around me--quite literally, stopping to smell the flowers. I think it’s safe to say that nature is my self-care muse!
As we celebrate the earth this month, I'd like to share a floral DIY project with you: pressed flower luminaries. If you aren't familiar with how to press flowers, pick up a flower pressing kit in the shop--it's affordable and easy to learn! Flower pressing is a tradition that dates back to ancient Egypt. It's a simple process that dries plant materials in a natural manner that maintains much of the color and integrity of the plant. The careful process encourages mindfulness of action as well as a deep connection to the natural world, and the end results leaves the door open for numerous creative projects. This is just one option for you to try out.
Materials:
Pressed flowers and leaves (use thin plant materials for this project)
Wax paper
Scissors
Ruler
Iron
Ironing board
Washi or clear tape
Steps:
1. Cut four 5”x10” wax paper rectangles.
2. Fold each rectangle in half to create 5”x5” squares.
3. Open up each folded piece and place dried flowers or leaves on one side of the fold. Fold the top layer back down with flowers inside.
4. Briefly run the iron (on medium setting) over the top layer to seal the two layers together. Do not leave the iron on the wax paper for too long or it will melt! Repeat with all four squares.
5. Line up all four sealed squares in a row. Use the washi tape to connect them on the seams where they meet.
6. Fold along each seam to create a square box and tape the final seam together.
7. Place the luminary near a bright window and let the natural daylight outline the beautiful colors and shapes of the plants or add a small tealight or battery-operated candle in the center and watch the petals illuminate at night.
TIP: Make a set of differently sized luminaries by playing with the dimensions of the wax paper walls.
]]>Perfect for a night on the town or an afternoon garden party, this floral-embellished top with scalloped edges recalls the glamorous 1920s. Pair it with grass-green trousers and vintage leather mules, plus creamy layered white rose earrings for a complete spring outfit.
I'm ready for spring and looking forward to incorporating more floral pieces into my daily wardrobe! I especially love this ruffled combination with these brilliant red leather sandals. The bold pieces are perfectly complemented by a pair of subtle green sage leaf earrings.
It's been quite a week for flowers! They've been celebrated near and far in so many ways that spring must be around the corner. From elaborate floral displays at the de Young Museum's Bouquets to Art exhibit in San Francisco to a wide range of floral fun at the Canada Blooms Festival in Toronto, you can find botanical beauty in nearly each corner of the globe this month.
Find one near you:
I had the opportunity to experience the very special Bouquets to Art exhibit in San Francisco this week. This is the third year I've attended and what a treat it continues to be! Floral designers from the Bay Area and elsewhere are selected to choose their top three pieces from the de Young Museum's permanent collection. Three weeks before the exhibit opens, the designers are given their assignment and get to work crafting incredibly involved works of floral art inspired by their assigned piece. Some of the same artwork gets chosen each year, so it's fun to see the differences in interpretation from year to year. While some designs are literal representations, others are quite abstract. This year, I particularly loved the linear pieces--we're so accustomed to seeing flowers in their organic shapes, it's neat to see this different design orientation. Here are a few of my favorites:
]]>Being flower-obsessed, I looked forward to planning my wedding flowers. As I started into the planning, though, I realized how many things there were to consider. I learned a lot along the way, so I thought I'd share it with you! Disclaimer: I'm not a wedding florist or floral designer, so some of this information might vary based on where you live and who you work with.
When you start considering your wedding details, flowers can be incorporated in a number of areas. They can make a big difference in the overall feel of your day, which is all the more reason to get clear on how you want to use them and how they should look.
Here are 10 tips to consider when making plans for your wedding flowers--I'll sprinkle in some photos from my wedding too ;) :
+ What's your budget? This is a big one, I know! The Knot estimates that couples spend an average of 8% of their budget on flowers. Obviously, each couples' priorities are different, so the following tips should help you narrow down what this could look like.
+ How do you want to use flowers? Here are some ways couples incorporate flowers into their day (click on each for ideas, and remember, these are only options!):
We decided to order flowers for everyone who walked down the aisle--our siblings (11 in total!) plus our parents and our officiant. It was pricey, so we decided to save money by creating our own table arrangements--keep reading to see what we did! Flowers: Gorgeous & Green Photo: Kristian Melom
+ What are your wedding colors? Even if you have specific flowers in mind, it’s helpful to have a color palette so that your florist can incorporate other flowers within your aesthetic. Sometimes this can help lower the cost, especially if your favorite flower is pricey or hard to find.
+ What problem do the flowers solve? A neutral or dim venue might call for large, colorful flowers to brighten up the space; whereas, small, subdued arrangements will complement an already-ornate setting. An indoor summer wedding might benefit from large, wild arrangements to invoke the nature outside. And for a fancy affair, consider elevating the glam with tight, formal or elegant, cascading arrangements.
+ Are there flowers you don't want? Now, I'm a flower freak, but when my floral designer asked me this question, I knew that I didn’t want roses in my arrangements--I thought they looked too formal for my outdoor, garden wedding. She prompted me about spray or garden roses and I decided that they would work--to me, they had a more wild and loose feeling. I’m so glad she did because they were a beautiful addition to my bouquets. Roses can be a great option because they come in so many colors and varieties. Fragrance and meaning is another reason some couples exclude certain flowers from their arrangements.
+ What is your arrangement style? The way your flowers are arranged can convey a lot about your aesthetic--tight and formal, big and bold, colorful and fun, loose and ethereal, green and woodsy, cascading and romantic. Here's a visual guide to the most common bouquet shapes.
For my bridal bouquet, I chose a cascading style with coral, peach, and succulent greens, including eucalyptus, dahlias, roses, and passion vine wrapped in natural burlap. Flowers: Gorgeous & Green Photo: Kristian Melom
+ How do you want them wrapped? For bouquets and boutonnières, you can choose how they are wrapped. Traditionally, bouquets are wrapped with ribbon and pearl pins down the stems, which leaves you to choose the ribbon color. There are so many other options, though, so it's worth spending a little time on this. Burlap-wrapped bouquets have become very popular and complement summer, boho-chic, and outdoor weddings. An option that I totally love is minimal, leaving the stems long and natural with a simple twine wrap--fyi, this option doesn't always work, especially if you have a large arrangement or varying stem lengths. Typically, the boutonnières will be wrapped to match the bouquets, but you can also make specific choices for them.
+ Are you open to what's in season? Using local, seasonal flowers is a sustainable option and can be more affordable. This can also be an easy way to leave many of the choices up to your florist--give her some parameters and she'll fill your floral needs with seasonal blooms. If you're interested in learning more about what's in season during your wedding in your location, there are lots of resources online. For my local California folks, Farmgirl Flowers is great resources. If you want specific flowers and they're not in season, keep in mind that they can be pricey.
+ What containers do you want to hold your table arrangements? Many floral designers will provide options for containers, typically glass vases, but you can also get creative and DIY your own--think: jars, baskets, jugs, bottles, tubs, hanging pots. For my wedding, we collected nearly 100 glass bottles and jars for table arrangements. We wanted a natural, flower field look, so the organic arrangements in different containers worked well. You might even skip the traditional container altogether and go with table wreaths or garlands instead. $ Money-saving tip: Get bulk flowers at your local wholesale flower market and fill your own containers. Keep in mind that this will require extra hands and space to store the flowers the night before (ideally in a refrigerator).
+ Are you looking for alternatives to cut flowers? There are plenty of alternatives to cut flowers that can be affordable and complementary to your aesthetic. Living plants are a great option and can double as living mementos of your special day. A friend of mine had a tree at her wedding that guests hung messages on--the tree is now thriving in their yard. My husband and I planted the succulents from my bouquet and his boutonnière in a beautiful planter that lives on our front porch. You might even incorporate living plants into your wedding favors. Dried flowers are also an option that can replace many of the traditional flower uses. Lavender, thistle, hydrangea, flax, billy balls, sea oats, poppy pods, yarrow, and globe amaranth are some of my favorites. Be careful using dried flowers in bouquets and boutonnières as they can be very delicate. A final alternative to cut flowers is to go with fake flowers. There are some artists out there creating A-mazing floral representations in paper and felt. Here are some of my favorites: Fiber Florist (felt), Feed the Fish Co (felt), The Cobra Lily (paper), Tiffanie Turner/Papel SF (paper).
]]>