R&D Floral · Wedding Bouquet Preservation
Resin vs. Pressed Wedding Bouquet Preservation: Which Is Right for You?
Thoughtful answers from Rebecca and Dulaney’s preservation work.
Start with the piece you want to live with
Resin and pressed-flower preservation are both ways to keep part of your wedding bouquet. Rebecca and Dulaney’s advice when a bride asks which to choose is simple: it comes down to personal preference. Think about where you will display the piece, whether you prefer dimension or a flatter composition, and whether you want art, jewelry, or both.
R&D Floral offers multiple keepsake formats, so you can also ask about combining a larger piece with smaller gifts made from the same bouquet.
What resin preservation looks like
Flowers must be completely dry before R&D Floral places them in resin. The team arranges them to echo the bouquet or create a natural flow, prepares the molds, uses a vacuum chamber to reduce bubbles in the resin, and allows each pour to cure. Some pieces require more than one layer.
Rebecca and Dulaney particularly like smaller flowers in resin. They caution that light-colored cosmos and poppies can become translucent when embedded, changing how they appear in the finished piece.
What pressed preservation looks like
Pressed flowers are flattened and arranged as a composition in a frame or other artwork. Rebecca and Dulaney especially like daisies and ferns for pressing. Thick blooms can be difficult to press because retained moisture may lead to mold; the team chooses a method that suits the flower rather than forcing every bloom into a flat design.
For framed and floating-glass pieces, R&D Floral uses a UV-protectant spray on pressed flowers before arranging them. Protection and careful display can help, but natural flowers can still change over time.
Appearance, color, and long-term care
A resin keepsake preserves a sense of depth; a pressed piece emphasizes silhouette, spacing, and the bouquet’s composition. Neither method can promise an exact replica of the fresh flowers. R&D Floral does not paint or dye the flowers to restore wedding-day color.
Resin can scratch and may discolor over time depending on the formulation, curing, light exposure, and care. Keep finished pieces away from prolonged direct sunlight, high heat, and abrasive cleaning. Ask R&D Floral for care instructions specific to your piece.
How to decide with your actual bouquet
Send a photograph of your bouquet and tell the team which blooms are most meaningful, where you want to display the keepsake, and whether you want jewelry for yourself or gifts for family. They can assess the flowers and discuss a pressed frame, resin keepsake, shadow box, or combination.
A shadow box is a third option, distinct from either resin or pressed-flower art: R&D Floral arranges silica-dried flowers in a three-dimensional display rather than encasing them in resin, and applies a UV protectant to the dried blooms. A resin letter frame is a separate product as well — preserved flowers encased in resin around a photograph. As with any format, expect natural variation rather than an exact match to the fresh bouquet, and know that a UV protectant reduces but cannot fully prevent color change from light exposure over time.
There is no universally correct answer: the most useful comparison is between the actual finished pieces you would enjoy owning.
Plan your preservation
For shipping and packing, read How to Ship Your Wedding Bouquet for Preservation. If you are planning ahead, see When Should I Book Bouquet Preservation?.
Related reading: How Long Does Wedding Bouquet Preservation Take?.
Ready to discuss your flowers and keepsake options? Visit R&D Floral’s wedding bouquet preservation page to get started.