"You're just throwing those away?"

In my time as a wedding floral designer, that was a question I'd get nearly every time I returned to a venue after a wedding for clean up. A mom or an aunt or a grandmother looked on with absolute *horror* as the flowers they purchased went directly into the trash. And I know, it hurt my heart, too. But that's the unfortunate reality of the events industry.

I've pressed flowers as a hobby since I was 8 years old. My aunt gave me a little 6 by 6 inch press as a gift, and while the press itself didn't stay with me through all my moves (I don't know, maybe it's still in my mom's attic?), the art of pressing and preserving flowers did. It stuck so well that it turned into a full time job as a floral designer for weddings. Wedding floral design and pressed floral design have their differences but so many of the fundamentals are the same. Designing with cut flowers provides me with a unique perspective on designing with their flattened counterparts. That's what sets me apart from other preservationists.