Pressed vs Shadowbox Bouquet Preservation
At Thea House, there are two primary ways your flowers can be preserved: pressed or three-dimensional in a shadowbox. Each method offers a different interpretation of your bouquet, and understanding the process can help you choose the one that feels most true to you.
Pressed Bouquet Preservation
Refined, delicate, and quietly detailed
Pressed preservation transforms your flowers into a flat, botanical composition, where each bloom is carefully arranged to highlight its shape, colour, and structure.
The process
Each bouquet is approached individually. Flowers are separated, evaluated, and preserved using a combination of:
Traditional pressing methods, which allow for slow, even drying
Microfleur microwave pressing, used selectively to retain vibrancy and reduce browning in certain blooms
This combination allows for greater control over:
colour retention
petal integrity
overall composition
Once dried, the flowers are thoughtfully arranged and framed, creating a piece that feels more like a botanical artwork than a direct replica.
The result
Pressed preservation is ideal if you’re drawn to:
a light, airy aesthetic
a more artistic interpretation of your bouquet
compositions that feel timeless and minimal
Some flowers reveal unexpected details when pressed — delicate veining, subtle tonal shifts — offering a new way to experience your bouquet.
Shadowbox Bouquet Preservation (3D)
Textural, dimensional, and true to form
Shadowbox bouquet preservation allows your flowers to retain their natural shape and structure, preserving the bouquet in a three-dimensional form.
The process
Rather than using silica sand, which is commonly used in flower preservation, I intentionally use semolina as the drying medium.
Semolina provides:
a gentler drying environment
more controlled moisture absorption
reduced harshness on delicate petals
This results in flowers that dry more softly, with less brittleness and a more natural finish.
Beyond the preservation process itself, this choice is also a more considered one. Unlike silica, which can pose health risks such as silicosis when inhaled over time, semolina is a food-grade, biodegradable material.
It is:
compostable
safer to work with
and gentler on both the flowers and the environment
This aligns with a slower, more intentional approach to preservation — one that considers not only the final piece, but how it is created.
Because of this process, shadowbox preservation is best suited for:
flowers that hold their shape well
bouquets with structural variety
those wanting to preserve more of the original bouquet
The result
Shadowbox pieces feel:
more representational
more textural and dimensional
closer to how your bouquet looked on your wedding day
They allow for a fuller use of your flowers within the frame.
Pressed vs Shadowbox Bouquet Preservation: How to Choose
There isn’t a “better” option — only what resonates more with you.
Choose pressed bouquet preservation if you love:
a refined, botanical aesthetic
softness and negative space
a piece that feels like art inspired by your bouquet
Choose shadowbox bouquet preservation if you love:
dimension and structure
preserving the bouquet more as it was
a fuller, more textural display
A final note on preserving your bouquet
Your bouquet will naturally change through the preservation process. Colours may soften, deepen, or shift slightly — a quiet reminder that the piece has been transformed, not replicated.
The goal of wedding bouquet preservation is not to recreate the bouquet exactly as it was, but to preserve its essence in a way that endures.