Why quality flower preservation takes a year

You just got engaged. You've started pinning bouquet ideas on Pinterest. Maybe you've even reached out to a florist. And somewhere in the back of your mind, you're thinking about what happens to those flowers after the last dance.

So you search "flower preservation" and start contacting artists. You ask about pricing, process, shipping. And then one of them tells you the turnaround time is a year.

A year feels like a long time. I know. When I tell clients they won't hear from me for 10 to 11 months, I can see the surprise. It's a fair reaction, and it's worth understanding what's actually happening during all those months before you decide whether that timeline works for you.

I want to walk you through the process so you can make an informed choice about what matters most for your flowers.

What actually happens during those months

Creating a single pressed flower frame requires 18 to 22 hours spread over several weeks. Here's where those hours go.

Initial preparation and pressing take 4 to 6 hours, spread over multiple weeks. When your bouquet arrives, I assess each flower's condition. Some blooms need rehydration if they've started to dry. I carefully prep each flower, place them in the press with precision, and then begin a weeks-long process of changing the blotting paper regularly. This prevents mold and ensures even drying. Rushing this stage means moisture gets trapped between the petals, leading to browning and decay months later.

The drying phase alone takes up to 4 weeks. Flowers contain more water than most people realize. Removing that moisture slowly and evenly is what preserves color and prevents brittleness. Large studios with dehydrators and climate-controlled rooms can speed this up somewhat. As a solo artist working from a home studio, I work with the flowers' natural timeline.

Design work takes another 5 to 7 hours. Once the flowers are pressed, the real artistry begins. Many people don't realize that professional pressing often involves deconstructing flowers and reassembling them petal by petal. That lush rose in your frame might have been taken apart and rebuilt to achieve the right shape and composition. I perform color correction to restore vibrancy lost during pressing, create design mock-ups for your approval, and then carefully glue each element into the approved arrangement.

Finishing touches add another 2 hours. Frame assembly, meticulous cleaning to remove any dust or debris, and thoughtful packaging to ensure your piece arrives safely. The packaging alone takes longer than you'd think. These are fragile, irreplaceable objects.

Custom framing adds up to 3 weeks. Each frame is made to order by my trusted framers using archival-quality materials. They don't keep pre-made frames sitting on shelves. When your design is finalized, they build your frame from scratch with museum glass, acid-free matting, and solid wood. Quality framing takes time, and I won't compromise on the materials that protect your flowers for decades.

And there's about 3 hours of miscellaneous work per commission: client communication, progress photos and videos, documentation for my portfolio, and administrative tasks.

That's 14 to 18 hours of hands-on work per frame, plus weeks of drying time.

The math problem nobody talks about

Here's where the timeline gets honest. I'm one person. My flower preservation practice is just me.

Could I hire someone else to help? Yes. I've chosen not to because I want to be hands-on with every commission. That's what feels right for my practice, even though it means longer timelines.

What this means practically: I accept a limited number of commissions each year. When you reach out, you're joining a queue of other clients whose flowers arrived before yours. I work through commissions in order, giving each one the same careful attention.

This is the part that makes some people uncomfortable. You send me flowers from the most important day of your life, and then you wait. The flowers sit in my studio, properly pressed and preserved, while I work through commissions ahead of yours. By the time I begin designing your piece, months have passed.

I'm genuinely uncomfortable making you wait this long. I really, really wish I could do it faster.

I can't. And I won't pretend otherwise.

What faster actually means

There are artists and studios who promise much quicker turnarounds. Some deliver finished pieces in six weeks. I'm not here to criticize them. Different people want different things, and there's room in this industry for multiple approaches.

But when evaluating options, it's worth understanding what faster timelines typically require: larger teams where your flowers pass through multiple hands, efficient processes designed for volume, and often a more standardized aesthetic where every piece follows a similar template.

The trade-off is personal connection. When you work with a large studio, you're part of a production system. Your bouquet moves through that system efficiently because efficiency is the point. You get your piece faster because the process is optimized for speed.

When you work with me, you're collaborating with the person who will touch every petal of your bouquet. You're getting my artistic eye, my specific techniques, my years of practice. You're also getting my limitations as a solo practitioner, which means a longer wait.

Is the wait worth it?

For the right person, yes. The clients who choose to work with me tend to value the personal connection and artistic collaboration over a faster turnaround. They want to know that one person cared for their flowers from start to finish.

Here's what I can promise: when your frame finally ships, it will be a piece of art that captures your flowers' essence in a lasting way. Every bloom received my undivided attention. I poured love into the design, sweated the details of color correction, agonized over composition until it felt right.

And because I use archival-quality materials on every commission (museum glass, acid-free matting, solid wood frames), what you hang on your wall today will still look beautiful in twenty or thirty years.

The wait is a year. The piece lasts decades.

If a faster timeline matters more for your situation, that's completely valid, and there are wonderful studios that can accommodate that. If you're drawn to the idea of working closely with an independent artist and the wait feels manageable, I'd love to hear from you.