How to Preserve Dried Flowers (and What to Do If It's Too Late)
Here’s Our Guide On Preserving Already Dried Flowers, and What You Can Do If It's Too Late
If you’re searching “how to preserve dried flowers,” chances are you’ve got something special—maybe a wedding bouquet, a floral gift, or a meaningful arrangement—that you want to hold onto. You’re not alone.
At For Keeps Florals, we get this question a lot. And while we wish we had a magic fix for brittle blooms, the truth is: once flowers are fully dried and fragile, there’s not a whole lot you can do to preserve them in a long-lasting, beautiful way—especially not in a pressed flower frame.
But don’t worry—there are still some creative ways to honor your flowers, and even recreate them if needed.
Why Dried Flowers Are Tricky to Preserve
When flowers dry out completely, they lose most of their flexibility and structure. They often become:
Brittle and easily broken
Color-shifted or browned
Crumbly when handled or moved
Too delicate for pressing or framing
Shriveled and mis-shapen
Because of that, dried flowers often can’t be pressed or rearranged into a flat frame. Any pressure (even gentle) will likely crush or tear them apart. While we have had some success pressing these dried blooms into a frame, it often requires replacement or supplementation to get an aesthetically pleasing result.
So What Can You Do with Dried Flowers?
Your best bet is a shadow box, which protects the dried flowers without pressing or flattening them. This type of display allows the bouquet to stay 3D, but keep in mind:
It doesn’t preserve the flowers further—they’ll still continue to age over time.
The display can look bulky or rustic (not ideal for every home or wedding style).
Most dried flowers will still fade and shed petals, even when protected.
We don’t offer shadow boxes as part of our standard collection, but we can take on custom dried flower pieces by request. If you’re interested, feel free to reach out and we’ll talk about what’s possible.
The Best Option? A Bouquet Recreation
If your flowers are already dried and can’t be preserved, don’t worry—it’s still totally possible to create a pressed flower frame that reflects your original bouquet.
We offer bridal bouquet recreation, where we source fresh blooms to match your original bouquet and preserve them as if they came straight from your wedding day. It’s a beautiful and heartfelt way to turn the moment into something lasting—even if you missed the preservation window.
You can learn more about how that works in our post:
Bridal Bouquet Recreation for Wedding Flower Preservation
Can You Still Try Pressing Dried Flowers at Home?
You can, but with caution. Dried flowers will likely:
Fall apart in the press
Lose their shape or structure
Flatten unevenly
If you still want to try, press them between parchment paper inside a heavy book and avoid touching them afterward. Just know the results might be more rustic than refined—and probably not suitable for a long-term art piece.
For Best Results, Start With Fresh Flowers
Pressed flower frames turn out best when the flowers are:
Fresh and vibrant
Unbruised
Delivered for pressing within 3–5 days of the event
If you're planning a wedding or know someone who is, this is the time to get ahead. Visit our wedding flower preservation shop to learn how to preserve your bouquet before it dries out if you want truly stunning pressed flower frame results like these:
Final Thoughts: It's Not Too Late to Create Something Beautiful
If your bouquet is already dried, that doesn’t mean your preservation story is over. A bouquet recreation can capture the look and meaning of your original flowers with fresh, preserved blooms—arranged and framed with the same love and care.
We’d be honored to help you turn your story into something lasting. Explore your options at forkeepsflorals.com, or reach out if you’re curious about a custom dried flower display.
