the artist behind your bouquet preservation
Hi! I’m Tia Lorraine,
I preserve wedding bouquets in a little town in Western North Carolina, in a studio in the basement of the home I share with my sweet husband and two cats.
In my 20s, I dropped off wedding cakes, set out floral arrangements, passed apps, cleaned up glasses to “I wanna dance with somebody (who loves me)” and trashed all the leftovers. I admired the forgotten flowers and always ended someone else’s wedding day with a few stems in hand. I made art with these dried flowers for years before even considering making art for others. Creating this art has saved me as many times as I have saved someone else’s flowers.
At 30, I felt pressured to settle down from multiple jobs and so I became an English Teacher. It wasn’t the right fit for me as I found myself desperate for the freedom to create. A few years later, with the encouragement of my future-fiance and florist-friend, I left teaching.
In June 2022, all the seeds I planted sprouted into Golden Preserved. The following year, we moved to Western North Carolina and Golden Preserved has grown into something I never thought possible.
And yes, that is some of my husband and I’s record collection. We opened up a record store in downtown Canton, NC June 2025! Both Golden Preserved and Papertown Records will have the same anniversary :)
FAQ
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Colorful and plenty of variety! For this reason, Golden Preserved does not take all white or singular-flower bouquets!
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Typically 5-7 months, as it is just one gal behind Golden Preserved.
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Of course you can! I reccommend overnight shipping and following all my instructions to ensure the best preservation for your bouquet.
And if you shipped your bouquet, I waive my shipping fee when sending you your collection!
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Right after you’ve booked your florist, book your preservation. Booking ahead of time ensures availability and no stress on what to do with your bouquet!
To book, click here! I have a form to fill out, as I only accept so many bouquets a season, and I’m picky with the bouquets I choose to preserve as I want to make sure I am the right artist for you and your flowers.
Once accepted, there is a $100 retainer to secure your date. You don’t need to know what you’d like until after your flowers are dry. The retainer will be deducted from your final invoice!
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Golden Preserved does not offer color correction. I do my best to take care of your flowers once they are in my hands. I always handle your blooms with gloves so as not to add to the bruises and oils that the petals have collected since being picked.
I use a high-quality silica that helps retain the shape and color of your flowers, however, some flowers naturally just dry darker and all flowers will fade over time. I find this change beautiful and I hope you do, too.
For example, toffee roses dry purple!
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Typically, no. Pressed floral art, just like color-correction, is another art form. I dry my flowers full and may only press, remove petals, or cut flowers depending on my discretion. Please look closely at my frames to ensure you understand that Golden Preserved provides three-dimensional flower preservation in original handcrafted frames.
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Your flowers will never look exactly as they did when they were fresh. Some flowers dry darker, some lighter, some show off all the bruises, and white roses are going to darken over time. It’s important to understand that this is an ever-changing art.
For your frames, some silica may make its way out of the flowers and get trapped within the glass. I do my best to get rid of every little speck while still protecting the integrity of your dried flowers. The flowers are also sprayed with a UV protectant so may look a little shiny when you first get your piece and are encased behind UV glass, but they will fade over time.
When booking, I am making the assumption that you have read through this and know what to expect. But I also don’t want to scare you! There is beauty in aging art that holds so many memories.
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Don't have one! I work out of my home studio in Clyde, North Carolina. This is where you’ll drop off your bouquet!
Everything I make is custom and made to order so it wouldn’t make sense for me to have a shop! I have full-price transparency on my website. There is a $100 deposit and $200 minimum on all orders.
Sometimes I may offer you to pick up your collection at Papertown Records in Canton, NC!