25 Pretty Pressed-Flower Wedding Details

Round Lucite Place Cards With Pink Pressed Flowers and Ferns on Lavender Napkin, Engraved Plate, and Gold Leaf Charger — Photo by Michellia Fine Imagery

From voluminous bouquets and textured boutonnières to billowing aisle installations and lush centerpieces, blooms are primarily responsible for decorating a majority of weddings. While fresh varieties are the most popular choice, if you’re looking for a unique way to display your buds, consider pressing them—either by enlisting a professional or tackling it as a DIY project.

This process involves removing moisture from the petals, so instead of retaining its original shape, pressed flowers have a flat, paper-thin appearance. Since pressing blossoms is a method of preservation, you won’t have to worry about drooping buds. Instead, these plants will maintain their peak vibrancy, vitality, and freshness, bringing undeniable beauty and elegance to your big day—especially alfresco spring or summer nuptials. And if they’re stored properly, you can repurpose these decorations in your home, where they’ll serve as a constant reminder of your special day.

With these compact blooms, you can easily incorporate them into your wedding as décor, adding them to invitation illustrations, sealing them in acrylic signs, pasting them on paper escort cards, placing them in framed table numbers, or using them as garnishes for your cake. Whether you press a handful of buds or a mass, solely the petals or the full blossom, these preserved elements will bring an organic flair to any affair. For a visually intriguing look, choose a medley of varieties in an array of shapes, sizes, and colors. Just be sure to select buds found in your big-day arrangements and ones that coincide with your aesthetic, such as sunflowers for rustic nuptials or anemones for contemporary bashes. While there are endless possibilities for types of flowers, you can also opt for greenery, such as ferns, vines, and leaves.

If you’re looking for inspiration for pressed-flower wedding details, we compiled 25 gorgeous ideas. Keep scrolling to explore the many possibilities.

01 of 25

Assign a Focal Flower

Lucite Wedding Invitations With Pressed Flowers and White Calligraphy — Photo by Olivia Richards Photography

If you’re throwing a garden-fresh affair, set the tone by designing invitations with pressed flowers. To give your invites depth and interest, designate one bloom as the main attraction, like a multi-petal style in baby pink, and use accompanying foliage as accents, such as smaller, textured bulbs in cream. The contrast will allow the fuller, colored bud to demand attention.

02 of 25

Elevate Your Wax Seal

White Wedding Invitations With Pressed Daisies for Wax Seals and Yellow Floral Illustrations — Photo by Hipster Wedding Photography

While you always have the option of engulfing your cards in dense floral accents, adding preserved buds to your wax seals is a more subdued iteration. Take cues from this couple who sealed their invites for their picnic-inspired nuptials in a wildflower field in Vietnam with delicate daisies, which injected romance and whimsy into their stationery suite. They also paired the pressed flowers with illustrated ones, combining nature with a manmade masterpiece.

03 of 25

Press Petals

Wedding Invitations With Pressed Flower Petals, Pink Envelopes, and Floral Card — Photo by Josh & Dana Fernandez

Instead of compressing full flowers for your wedding flatlay, try pressed petals. Scattering these lush accents onto cardstock will add a romantic, artistic touch to your invites. We love how the smattering of petals seen here pulls in the peach-and-coral tones from the illustrated note.

04 of 25

Pair With Fresh Blooms

Pressed Flower Welcome Sign on Canoe With Fresh Rose Installation — Photo by Peyton Byford

Your big-day signage is one of the best ways to enact pressed-flower wedding details. Embellished with papery buds, your wedding welcome sign, for instance, will greet guests in a cheerful, energetic way. And by adorning the compact components with an assortment of fresh blooms beside it, your entryway will introduce guests to an organic, exuberant celebration.

05 of 25

Showcase Foliage in Frames

Wooden Bar With Pressed Ferns and Greenery in Wooden Frames on Wall Behind It — Photo by Lucy Cuneo Photography

Want your reception to feel like you’re kicking back in your living room? Place your pressed-flower wedding details in picture frames and suspend them near a statement decoration, such as this stately bar. The framed accents will make the space feel homey and extra cozy. A collection of pressed ferns encased in glass and bordered with wood is ideal for rustic nuptials.

06 of 25

Choose an Acrylic Background

Arched Bar Menu With Arched Acrylic Sign and Pressed White Flowers — Photo by Joe + Kathrina

Displaying your pressed-flower wedding details in acrylic is the best way to showcase them. With its translucent, glass-like appearance, this material will spotlight your condensed blossoms—without any competition from other elements, as seen here at this nontraditional dinner party wedding in California. If you’re throwing a modern soirée, this plexiglass item will also coordinate well with your aesthetic—an added bonus if you ask us.

07 of 25

Use Edible Floral Accents

charcuterie board with pressed flowers on mozzarella on wooden cutting board — Photo by Amanda K Photography

To bring a decorative flair to your cocktail hour menu, consider pressing edible flowers and using them as garnishes. Lavender, chamomile, and hibiscus are some of the many options you can consume, and each will bring a pop of color to your appetizers. Add compressed blooms on mozzarella for your charcuterie board (like this couple did for their baby’s breath-filled fête in the Berkshires) or sprinkle petals on top of crostinis.

08 of 25

Select Seasonal Blossoms

Lucite seating chart with pressed flowers on yellow car and fresh flowers around it — Photo by Peyton Byford

No matter where or when you’re throwing down, selecting in-season options for your pressed-flower wedding details is a must. With seasonal, locally sourced buds, your decorations will look fresher and more lively—and you’ll probably save a few dollars, too. For a spring event, like this at-home affair in Texas, roses and daisies will channel the vitality of spring.

09 of 25

Designate Seating Assignments With Specific Varieties

Pressed Colroful Flowers on Wedding Reception Seating Cards — Photo by Facibeni

If you’re looking for a creative way to assign seats at your wedding reception, consider adding pressed flowers to paper escort cards (which is what this bride and groom did at their magical affair in an old-world Italian castle). For an intentional and organized approach, use a different type of bloom to designate each table number, such as sunflowers for the fifth table or pansies for the ninth table.

10 of 25

Introduce a Rustic Flair

Paper Escort Cards With Pressed Flowers — Photo by Alex Bramall

The types and colors of flowers that you pick to press on your escort cards will play an important role in pulling your theme together. If you’re tying the knot in a rustic bash, dried petals with muted tones are your best bet. To increase the pared-back feel, pin the paper cards to a wooden board.

11 of 25

Opt for Ferns

Escort Cards With Pressed Ferns in Gold Frames on Table — Photo by Jose Villa

For those who are holding a botanical bash, pressed greenery is an apt alternative to pressed flowers. An effortless-yet-impactful way to bring this idea to life is stuffing framed escort cards with ferns, vines, and leaves. Embellishing your display with potted plants will enhance the timeless, prolific feel.

12 of 25

Reinforce a Theme

Gold Frame With Pink Pressed Flowers on Table With Blue Linens and Pink Glassware — Photo by Josh & Dana Fernandez

Blossoms are a beautiful addition to any wedding, especially those with romantic aesthetics. With a pink-and-red color palette and lush floral centerpieces, a table number with flattened flowers is the perfect complement to this tablescape. We love how the pressed plants are combined with the play-on words, “Love in bloom,” to drive the theme home.

13 of 25

Stick to a Color Scheme

White Plate On Top of Gold Leaf Tray With Custom Resin, Purple Napkin, and Pink Rose on Top — Photo by Michellia Fine Imagery

A cohesive color scheme is a necessity at any type of affair—including those with pressed-flower wedding details. If you’re incorporating paper-like foliage into your tablescape, make sure to use hues that complement the rest of your tabletop elements. Look to this bride and groom for inspiration: At their pastel-toned garden soirée in California, they stuffed lucite place cards with pink flowers, which coordinated with the pink velvet tablecloth.

14 of 25

Infuse Sophistication With Monochromatic Tones

dried flower place cards on white plate, napkin, and menu card — photo by peyton beyford

While multicolored pressed-flower wedding details are always eye-catching, choosing a monochromatic tone will exude class and sophistication, especially when paired with a single-hued tablescape. For a timeless, clean look, choose white blooms for your pressed-floral place cards. Layered with a white charger, menu card, and napkin, this detail will help accomplish the intended ambiance.

15 of 25

Highlight the Couple’s Seats

Mrs. and Mr. Place Cards With Pink Pressed Flowers and Ferns — Photo by Josh & Dana Fernandez

Whether or not you add pressed flowers to your guests’ place cards, consider using these compressed details for your own seats as the couple of honor. If you’re sitting at the head table, your moniker—whether it’s your first name or your new married title— etched on glass and encased with blooms will set your seats apart.

16 of 25

Channel the Rainbow

Green Plant Reception Table Decor and Colorful Pressed Flower Charger — Photo by Meredith Campbell Photography

On the other end of the spectrum, channel a medley of vivacious hues. Follow this couple’s lead at their moss-themed nuptials in Savannah by engulfing glass chargers with compact blossoms in orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. To make this detail the focal point of your tablescape, choose neutral tones for the rest of your tabletop items, such as a greenery-filled runner, white linens, and classic silverware.

17 of 25

Enliven Your Tabletop

Placemat with pressed flowers beneath beige plates, yellow knotted napkin, and gold flatware — Photo by Katie Pritchard Photography

Placemats aren’t normally seen on wedding reception tables, but a slab of glass with pressed flowers and petals will bring a beautiful, unexpected touch to each seat. This is an innovative, more natural alternative to printed tablecloths. To maximize the effect, make sure your linens are neutral-colored.

18 of 25

Focus on a Singular Bud

Minimalist Menu With Pressed Flower on Lucite Gold-Rimmed Charger — Photo by Paula Jackson Photography

Many couples decide to include a bunch of blooms for their pressed-flower wedding details. However, focusing on a single bud is a simple-yet-stunning option. To make sure these flattened flowers stand out, choose a minimalist background, such as a white card with an unfussy typeface, for your menus.

19 of 25

Combine With Illustrations

Clear Acrylic Wedding Menu With Pressed Flowers and Illustrated Script — Photo by Michelle Roller

Pressed flowers are ornamental in and of themselves, but adding illustrations will create a work of art. For a bold, original dinner menu, paint the upcoming meal in ornate writing on an acrylic sheet, accented with hand-pressed wildflowers. With vibrant colors and an eclectic font, this idea is perfect for retro weddings with a ‘70s-style feel.

20 of 25

Decorate With Flowers and Leaves

Three-tier white cake decorated with pressed flowers — Photo by Jacqueline Benet

Bring a garden-fresh feel to your wedding cake by decorating each tier with an assortment of pressed flowers and greenery (like this couple did at their personalized affair in Seattle). With a combination of plants, your garnishes will look hand-picked. Colorful accents on white fondant will allow each individual piece to shine.

21 of 25

Create a Garden

Two Tier Whit Wedding Cake With Fern And Purple, White, and Yellow Flower Patterns Displayed on a Bed of Moss and Silver Cake Stand — Photo by Jenn Emerling

Another garden-like design idea for your confection is planting your dessert, trimmed with pressed ferns and flowers, in a bed of grass or moss. This is a fun, out-of-the-box addition to a nature-focused affair, whether it will take place in a forest (like this couple’s moss-filled woodland wedding), a vineyard, or a greenhouse.

22 of 25

Integrate Dried Elements

Three-Tier Wedding Cake With Pressed Flowers on Cake Table Decorated With White Flowers — Photo by Hipster Wedding Photography

Dried flowers are technically already preserved, but you can extend their shelf life and enhance their natural beauty by pressing them. Consider decorating an all-white cake with pressed, dried buds, which will bring dimension and texture to your treat. For juxtaposition, engulf your display table in long-stemmed, fresh blossoms.

23 of 25

Provide Contrast

Three-Tier White Cake With Pressed Flowers and Fresh Floral Accents — Photo by Janine Licare Photography

Instead of covering your cake in pressed blossoms, another option is alternating decorated layers with bare ones. The addition of a no-frills, minimalist tier will help the ornate ones look more pronounced and intentional. Consider finishing your treat with a cluster of fresh flowers for further juxtaposition.

24 of 25

Garnish Other Sweets

Plate of Shortbread Cookies With Colorful Pressed Flowers — Photo by AGP Collective

If cake isn’t your dessert of choice, replace the traditional treat with a bar of sugary snacks, each pressed with a bright flower. With a beige hue and plenty of room to work with, shortbread cookies are a great option for this compressed decoration. Whether you press small, thin petals or full, ruffled blooms, these lush accents will take each sweet to the next level.

25 of 25

Add Preserved Plants to Favors

Cookies With Pressed Flowers and Satchels of Seeds — Photo by Rebecca Yale Photography

Sending your guests home with a favor is a thoughtful way to commence the celebration—and goodies with hand-pressed flowers are arguably more meaningful. Preserved petals scattered on homemade treats will go a long way with your friends and family. The edible gift can even supplement a similar, longer-lasting idea, like seeds to plant at home.

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