For Caitlyn of Verna’s Forever Florals, flower preservation is about creating lasting connections to the people who matter most. Based in Central Ohio, she transforms wedding and memorial flowers into meaningful resin keepsakes, thoughtfully crafted to become part of a family’s story for years to come. Inspired by the personal meaning behind her own business name, Caitlyn approaches every bouquet with care, looking beyond the flowers themselves to the memories, relationships, and moments they represent. Her work is a beautiful reminder that even when a moment has passed, the love connected to it can remain close.
In Conversation with Caitlyn
Hi! I’m Caitlyn, owner and artist behind Verna’s Forever Florals, a wedding flower preservation studio based in Central Ohio. I specialize in preserving wedding and memorial flowers in 3D resin keepsakes, including trays, frames, tables, and other custom pieces. I serve brides throughout Ohio and accept bouquets nationwide through overnight shipping. Verna’s is named after my grandmother, Vernie, who went by Verna, making the business especially meaningful to me. I love being able to take flowers tied to such an important moment and turn them into something that can be displayed and treasured for years.
1. What keeps you passionate about flower preservation?
For me, it’s knowing that I’m working with something that can never truly be replaced. A wedding bouquet or memorial flower holds so much meaning, and I love being able to preserve a piece of that moment for someone. My favorite part is seeing the transformation from fresh flowers to a finished keepsake and knowing that instead of those flowers eventually being thrown away, they’ll become something my client can keep in their home for years. Every bouquet is completely different, so I’m constantly learning, creating, and finding new ways to showcase each client’s flowers. That keeps the work exciting and makes every piece feel personal.
2. Tell us about your very first flower preservation order
My very first preservation order was for a young woman named Emma who had recently lost her grandmother. She was incredibly close to her grandma in many of the same ways I was close to mine, so her story immediately meant something to me. I knew what that kind of loss felt like and how meaningful it could be to have something tangible to hold onto. Emma trusted me with something so personal and irreplaceable when I was just beginning Verna’s Forever Florals. I remember feeling excited, nervous, and incredibly honored that she trusted me to create something from her grandmother’s flowers. That first order reminded me why I wanted to do this in the first place. I could never forget Emma or that first preservation. She took a chance on me at the very beginning, and I’ll always be grateful that my first client was someone whose story connected so closely to my own.
3. Tell us about a meaningful flower preservation project
One of the projects that has stayed with me most was a memorial preservation for a woman who unexpectedly lost her husband only a few months after they were married. Her friends came together and surprised her by having his funeral flowers preserved. The amount of love and support surrounding her during such an unimaginable loss really touched me. She also had two little boys, and while neither she nor her friends asked me to create anything specifically for them, I kept thinking about how meaningful it might be for them to have something of their dad that they could keep close as they grow up. I decided to make each of them a small pocket heart they could carry with them now, as well as memorial pins made with their dad’s flowers that they can one day wear on their wedding days. This project has stayed with me because it reminded me that sometimes I’m preserving much more than flowers. I’m preserving a connection to someone who was deeply loved. Knowing those boys will have a small piece of their dad with them during some of the biggest moments of their lives is something I will never forget.
4. What has your experience with Wisedry been like?
Wisedry has become an essential part of my preservation process. Because I specialize in 3D resin preservation, properly drying the flowers while maintaining their shape is one of the most important steps before I ever begin pouring resin. I use Wisedry silica gel to carefully dry my clients’ flowers, and I especially appreciate how well it allows me to preserve the dimension and natural shape of each bloom. My clients are trusting me with flowers that cannot be replaced, so having a product I feel confident using is incredibly important to me. I’m excited to partner with a brand that I genuinely use in my studio and that plays such an important role in the finished pieces I create.
5. What’s one tip you’d give someone preserving flowers for the first time?
Seriously, keep going. Flower preservation is one of those crafts where the learning never ends. Every flower, bouquet, and project can teach you something new. Techniques will change, products will improve, and sometimes things simply won’t go the way you planned. Don’t let the mistakes discourage you. Learn from them, keep practicing, ask questions, and never stop educating yourself. Some of the things that felt impossible to me when I started are now part of my everyday process, and I’m still learning all the time. There is always something new to learn in flower preservation, and I think that’s one of the best parts of it.
