Preserving Love in Petals; The Romantic Art of Pressed Meadow
When the final song has played, the last slice of cake has been enjoyed, and the wedding dress is carefully packed away, what remains are the memories, and, for some, a bouquet lovingly transformed into art.
This month, Iβm thrilled to feature Pressed Meadow, the enchanting pressed flower art studio founded by a creator with a heart for nostalgia and an eye for delicate beauty. Specialising in contemporary wedding bouquet keepsakes, Patti from Pressed Meadow captures the fleeting beauty of flowers and preserves them in dreamy, ethereal arrangements. Each piece is a love letter to the wedding day: pressed, preserved, and presented in a style that is as gentle as it is enduring.
I spoke to the artist behind the petals to learn more about her inspirations, creative process, and why pressed flowers continue to bloom long after the big day.
1. Tell us a little about yourself and how you discovered flower preservation and art.
Hi! Iβm Patti and Iβm the creator of Pressed Meadow, a flower pressing studio specialising in wedding bouquet preservation. I feel really lucky to work with flowers and to be based in the gorgeous Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, surrounded by wildflower meadows!
I started Pressed Meadow during the first lockdown of 2020. My wonderful mum lives in Germany and I rarely get to celebrate her birthday with her. When walking through the beautiful local meadows, this little idea started to sprout and grow in my head. The idea to collect, preserve and frame flowers as her birthday present, so she can look at them every day and hopefully theyβll be a reminder of how much I love her. I followed that idea and I loved doing it so much that, unexpectedly but with plenty of joy, Pressed Meadow was born. My mum has now acquired quite the collection of pressed flower frames!
Since then I have pressed and framed hundreds of flowers. I love to preserve not only the blooms, but also the special memories they evoke.
2. What inspires your floral choices and style?
My signature style is contemporary, light, and airy, designed to highlight the individual blooms and foliage. Over the years, I have experimented with various styles, but the modern deconstructed style truly captures my heart. For me, it combines the sentimental art of flower pressing with a contemporary, minimalistic aesthetic. I love working with bouquets that feature a variety of flowers and textures, as well as an intensity of colour.
3. What's your favourite technique or tool when preserving flowers or working with them?
As an incurable romantic, my favourite technique is using a traditional flower press. Thereβs something so sentimental and special about having your wedding flowers pressed using a technique steeped in history.
4. What do you love most about working with fresh or preserved flowers?
I love absolutely everything about pressing wedding flowers! The art of pressing flowers is so romantic and sentimental. I appreciate that the flowers get a second life; they can be preserved in bloom for a lifetime. I enjoy how slow and mindful flower pressing isβit cannot be rushed. The subtle transformations in the colours of pressed flowers reflect the passage of time, and each pressed wedding bloom tells a story, echoing the love and memories created together.
5. Do you have a favourite project or piece youβve created- and why is it your favourite?
There are two pieces that hold special significance for me. The first is the frame I created with the pressed flowers I collected in the Chiltern meadows during that very first year. It was a gift for my mum and features the letter "M"βfor "mum" as well as the first letter of her name. She proudly displays it in her living room. The second piece is my wedding bouquet frame. When I got married 11 years ago, I knew nothing about flower pressing. A few days after the wedding, I squeezed my bridal bloomsβpeonies, ranunculus, and sweet peasβbetween the pages of a book and went on my honeymoon without giving it another thought. As a result, most of the flowers ended up moulding, but the few that survived serve as the sweetest reminders of our beautiful wedding day in Oxford.
6. What advice would you give to someone just starting out?
Press as many different flowers as you can - thatβs how I have learned (and Iβm still learning!) over the years. There are so many fantastic artists on Instagram sharing their tricks & tips, and even special flower pressing workbooks, courses and workshops you can participate in. Little Pressed Flower is a fountain of knowledge - I recently tried your tip about pressing little feverfew flowers between cotton pads!
7. Rapid Fire Round:
- Favourite flower to work with?
Thatβs really hard! I canβt name just one - I would say my favourites are burgundy astrantias, blue delphiniums, yarrow, cosmos, dark hydrangeas and vibrant roses.
- Morning or night crafter?
Iβm definitely a morning crafter! Although in the summer school holidays youβll find me in the studio in the evenings, as Iβm usually out and about with my little man during the day.
- Tea or coffee while pressing?
Loads and loads of earl grey tea with milk. My friend recently recommended a cold earl grey tea infusion with lemon, as itβs been so hot, and Iβm addicted! I also listen to a lot of podcasts while βfloweringβ.
