Element Preservation loves a love story. We get to see hundreds of bouquets representing a deep commitment, romance, and the choice to share each other’s lives. We love getting a chance to tell these stories, not just through the preservation artwork we create, but also here in our Field Notes. We hope stories like these can inspire those who are in the planning stages of their own weddings. 

Dana & Chris’s Everlasting Love Story

Dana and Chris were married in September of 2024 and were kind enough to tell us their story and why they chose to commemorate their nuptials by preserving the flowers and greenery that made their wedding day all the more beautiful. 

Dana and Chris met in the new-fashioned way, by both swiping right on each other. Chris says he knew right away that Dana would be the one. They took time to get to know each other, spending time in the great outdoors. They enjoy fishing, kayaking, and traveling together, and these themes are apparent in the choices they made for their wedding aesthetic and florals. They worked together on home renovations, finding more and more to love about one another as they tackled projects. 

Chris proposed on an Alaskan glacier after almost a decade together. They held their wedding at a farm venue, where guests enjoyed farm to table food and gorgeous views of rolling hills. The two adventurers honeymooned in Australia, where they snorkeled, pet koalas and kangaroos, and went whale watching. The couple shares two dogs, Molly and Spuds, as well as a super senior cat, Jack. 

Preserving the Memories

Dana and Chris chose to commemorate their special day by preserving their florals in Element Preservation’s flagship 16x20 frame, including their beautifully designed invitation. They chose a Barnwood frame, which matched perfectly with the overall vibe of the wedding. They also ordered a sweet ornament, in which we placed some greens and florals from their pups’ flower collars. Dana’s bridal bouquet was stunning, full with spindly ferns, delicate delphinium, and playful scabiosas. Dana’s wildflower inspired bouquet matched perfectly with their invitation, and our team took inspiration from the invite’s look to create the gorgeous design.

Dana Tells Us More…

What aesthetic did you go with for your wedding day? 

The aesthetic for our wedding day was a woodsy theme with a high emphasis on ferns in the designs. Everything from my bouquet and the wedding party's personal florals to our table florals, which included ferns laid out as a "runner", reflected this. Even our stationary, wedding cake, and cookies for the bridal party had ferns incorporated into their designs. I've also always loved wildflowers so they were the perfect tie into our theme and we used a lot of those vs traditional wedding flowers in the bouquets, centerpieces, and around the ceremony arch. Our florist, Carrie, really did an amazing job of making it all come to life and was so excited to work on such a different concept.

What was your favorite part of your wedding day?

My favorite part of our wedding day is so hard to choose because we had so many memorable moments. I would say the top five would have to be: the getting ready time in the bridal salon with my side of the wedding party, our first look, getting to see our dogs (Molly and Spuds) before the ceremony in their flower collar and bow tie, walking down the aisle after getting married, and our first dance. Runner up would be the last man standing scavenger hunt game we surprised our wedding party with at the beginning of the reception. During this, they had to find whatever items the DJ asked them to within 30 seconds so it made for some hilarious memories and photos.

What did you decide to preserve - bridal bouquet, centerpiece, boutonniere?

I decided to preserve my wedding bouquet and pieces of our dog Molly's floral collar. Although I loved all of our florals for the day as they were truly a seamless look and feel, I felt my bouquet was a no-brainer to preserve and decided to send Molly's collar in case they needed additional florals for either my bouquet design or our ornament.

Why did you decide to preserve your flowers?

I decided to preserve my flowers because when I was growing up my mom had pressed flowers from different occasions and I always thought this was such a cool concept and a unique way to save a physical part of the memories of an event. Since my parents had both passed from cancer back in 2020, I thought doing this after the wedding would be another great way to include one of the things I remembered about them in our special day.

What is your favorite part of your floral artwork?

My favorite part of the piece is how organic and natural the ferns look wrapped around our wedding invitation. I loved how the artist who laid it out left part of the ferns on the invitation visible as a nice tie into the preserved ferns. I also loved the sweeping motion that was created with the ends of the florals to help to guide your eye around the frame.

Florals - @blooms4rooms

Photography - @knowntogether.photo

Dress - @lilysaratoga

Venue - @sevenpondsfarm

Hair & Makeup - @lcbeautycompany

Let Us Preserve Your Love 

Whether your wedding is woodsy, modern, or any other aesthetic, your flowers will stay beautiful through the work we do at Element Preservation. We are not just pressing and arranging flowers, we are giving our couples another chance to look back at the culmination of their love. Every time you walk past your framed florals or hang up your ornament for the holidays, you and your spouse can relive that most special moment of going from two into one. Your flowers, like Dana’s, tell a story. With Element, that story never needs to end. 

Start the preservation of your special florals with Element

Written By: Phaedra, An Element Designer