Times of San Diego
Local News and Opinion for San Diego
Most weddings end with a blur of dancing, a handful of mementos and bouquets that begin to fade almost immediately.
For Grace Scott, the founder of For Keeps Florals, the end of the reception is a new starting point.
Founded in 2023, Scott’s wedding flower preservation business grew out of her earlier work in the wedding industry and a steady stream of brides asking the same question: What can I do with my flowers after the wedding?
As demand increased, what began as a small, home-based studio has evolved into a nationally recognized preservation powerhouse rooted in San Diego.
“I didn’t set out to build a company,” Scott said. “I just kept hearing from couples who weren’t ready to throw away something that meant so much to them.”
While For Keeps Florals’ operation has blossomed online, San Diego is where it all started. The studio began as a home-based business, with Scott working closely with local florists. She later expanded into a creative space in San Diego before moving the design studio to Sonora in Northern California. Today, while a significant portion of orders comes from Southern California, the studio serves couples across the country who ship their blooms to For Keeps Florals’ expert team.
That hybrid model — local roots paired with nationwide service — has allowed the business to grow rapidly. For Keeps Florals has completed more than 800 commissions, transforming ephemeral arrangements into enduring museum-quality, pressed-flower frames. The company is now approaching its 1,000th order.
While flower preservation is often associated with DIY projects, Scott’s studio takes a more rigorous approach. Every bouquet is treated as both a piece of fine art and a delicate historical object.
Every piece goes through a detailed cleaning and preparation process using acid-free materials and anti-static tools designed to protect color, structure and longevity. The studio even developed a shipping system using recycled materials and a floating-frame suspension box, maintaining a 0% damage record after shipping hundreds of finished frames across the U.S.
“When someone sends us their bouquet, they’re trusting us with something irreplaceable,” Scott said. “We’ve built our entire process around honoring that trust.”
To mark its upcoming 1,000-order milestone, the studio plans a major gesture of appreciation. For Keeps Florals has pledged to give back $10,000 in preservation services in 2026, to the couples and community that helped the business reach this height.
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“Every bouquet tells a story,” Scott said. “Reaching 1,000 orders isn’t about numbers; it’s about the countless moments we’ve been trusted to preserve. This year, we want to give back in a big way as a thank you to everyone who helped us grow from a passion project into what we are today.”
As the wedding industry continues to shift toward sustainability and intentional keepsakes, wedding flower preservation has become an increasingly popular choice. By combining traditional pressing techniques with modern design and archival-grade logistics, For Keeps Florals is defining how memories are kept long after the wedding day.
Details on the company’s milestone celebration will be announced on the For Keeps Florals website studio later this year.
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