Not sure what to do with the flowers that helped make your wedding day so special? Looking for a way to keep them forever? We chatted to Katy from Imprint Casts about her beautiful work in wedding bouquet preservation, where she creates a piece of art from them that you can keep forever more.
Hey Katy!
Hiya! I’m Katy, the maker behind Imprint Casts, and I can take stems from your wedding bouquet and turn them into a unique botanical cast intended to hang on your wall and remind you of the day you said I do.
How do you create the casts?
To create your wedding cast I need at least 15 – 20 stems from your bouquet. It’s preferable to get the whole bouquet intact, but if you wanted to keep some stems to dry or press, then I can pull the best ones for casting out of the bouquet.
My process involves selecting the most beautiful flowers from your bouquet, rolling them into a carefully prepared clay slab, removing them very carefully and preserving the imprint they have made. This means the real flowers are only used to take the imprint and don’t stay in the clay or remain in the final plaster artwork.
I offer a variety of sizes and shapes of casts and you can opt to have your finished cast framed or hand painted (or both). All my unframed casts come ready to hang so you can get it on your walls straight away, propped on a shelf or positioned on a wee easel and gaze on it to remind you of your big day. The casts are made of Plaster of Paris so they are fragile but just treat them like any ceramic object. They can be gently cleaned and dusted with a dry lint free cloth. Also you don’t need to worry about where you place them within your home, the colour or texture won’t face over time so you can stick them in direct sunlight or in a kitchen/bathroom without worrying about them!
If people want to work with you on wedding bouquet preservation, how does it work?
I need the flowers within 48-72 hours of the wedding so I can make sure the stems have not perished before I can get them in the clay. Wilted flowers become soft and papery which makes them difficult to create a proper imprint from.
My studio is based in Fife but my bouquet preservation service is not bound to local brides and grooms as I offer a postage option for those getting married beyond Edinburgh/Fife. I like to make it as easy a process as possible to take any additional stress away from your big day. So I will send you a bouquet box with a pre paid postage label included and all you have to do is keep the bouquet in water overnight after the wedding, pop it carefully into the box and pack it securely, pop the label on and get someone to take it to the nearest post office or drop off point for collection. It will be couriered using a 24 hour service and I will cast the flowers the day it arrives in my studio. For local brides I offer a collection service within Edinburgh and Midlothian for a small fee and bouquets have also been dropped to my studio by family or friends who are coming home past Fife/Edinburgh so that is an option too.
There is also the option of using any leftover flowers to create a set of small hanging casts which can be gifted to family or friends who have played a special role in your day. I can also cast your bridesmaids flowers, perfect for a little thank you to those ladies (or lads) who have helped make your day perfect. Bridesmaids casts are a little smaller but available with the same finishing options.
Once made, the casts take 8 – 10 weeks to dry out, and when they are ready for you I will either arrange a drop off/collection or post out for a fee.
Which flowers work best?
A wee word of warning as not all flowers are suitable for casting. Large soft flowers with delicate petals don’t tend to come out very well, so roses and peonies are generally not suitable. A mixture of flowers and foliage is ideal and I can work with you and your florist to make sure there will be enough cast-able flowers. If you have a full rose or peony bouquet and want them preserved then definitely check out pressed flower artists who can work their magic on these large, beautiful blooms.
And if you cannot get your bouquet to me in time or my diary is full, I can source identical flowers to those in the bouquet to cast (for a fee). This means I can fit your cast around other work. Plus, it also opens the door to those who are already married and wish they had been able to get their flowers cast!
Thanks for reading and please get in touch with any questions, or wedding bouquet preservation commissions – my books are pretty full for 2022 but I will slot you in if I can. Happy wedding planning WC clan!
