To press your own flowers, place flowers between sheets of blotting paper and put into a flower press or make a press with two boards and weights. Flowers take two weeks to totally dry. If you want to reproduce a bouquet, use a company to press your flowers since it is a real art to recreate you bouquet. You can do this yourself or select a company to do it for you. Flowers do not always retain the original color but can be color enhanced with paint.
Flowers can last a lifetime.
The method that results in the most natural looking flower is freeze-drying. A blend of science and art, freeze-drying retains the shape and color of your flowers almost as if they are still fresh. Expensive equipment is required and the process cannot be completed at home. With this method the bouquet is photographed and then taken apart. Each flower is dehydrated and then treated with a special solution to help it retain its color.