DIY the Flower Press Backdrop from This Rad Southwestern Elopement Inspiration

From wedding cakes to fashion and invitations to signage, the pressed flower trend is one that isn’t going anywhere any time soon. So when we took in the sheer wonder that is the giant flower press DIY backdrop in this elopement inspiration, we wasted no time in sharing!

Fresh off their first-ever workshop dubbed The Wandering Capri, photographers Kacie Herd & Jayde Cluff shared this stunning Southwestern-inspired elopement. A quick scroll might have you wondering—where in California/Arizona/Mexico is this? But you’ll have to travel a lot farther south to find out. Because Cactus Country is a nursery, restaurant, and wedding venue, it’s also Australia’s largest cactus garden and it captures that Southwestern vibe perfectly.

Below, we’re diving into all the inspo with a fashion-forward boho couple, details out of a desert dream, and all the tips to DIY your own flower press backdrop!

Southwestern-Style Invitations

The invitation suite designed by Summit and Sage perfectly preps for the Southwestern-inspired soirée that is to come.

A thousand times YES to that banner by Daydreamer Creative Studio!

The Boho Wedding Dress

The bride wore a crochet lace Rue de Seine gown from The Bridal Atelier and carried a bouquet of flowers in those perfect desert tones by Bryants Buds.

Cowboy Cool

We’re getting Neopolitan ice cream meets cowboy vibes from the rad ASOS suit—and it totally works! (PS: Should we add it to this list?)

Raise a Glass

We’ll drink to this display!

The furniture and tableware were provided by Event Den and honestly, those glasses are worth planning an entire dinner around. How cute are they?

Psst—see that stunning pressed floral cake by Sweet Spot Cakery back there? It might just be a clue as to what’s to come…

Hello, platform boots! Loving those!

DIY Flower Press Wedding Backdrop

We are huge fans of flower press wedding details and this arbour is an absolute dream! We begged Kacie for more details about the backdrop and she sent over all the instructions to build your own.

How to Build a Flower Press Backdrop

Materials:

Two large acrylic sheets (the sheets used here were 1.8m tall, roughly 70 inches)
Electric saw and sandpaper

Drill and small nuts and bolts (to hold the two pieces of arbour together tightly once the flowers are in)

Wooden beams to make a stand and run up the sides (see photo above)
Flowers to press that don’t go mouldy and that dry well (could also use pre-pressed flowers)

1. Cut the arbour.

To cut the acrylic to make an arch, make a point in the middle of the arbour near to the top. Then, attach a piece of string with a pencil at the end to sketch out the shape.

To cut it, you need a good saw or electric saw. We then sanded the sides for safe transport as the edge of the arbour was quite sharp.

2. Press the flowers.

Remove only one side of the transport paper on the acrylic to lay your flower arrangement, then press the second layer (with one side of transport paper removed) over the flowers

Tip! Leave the remaining sticky transport paper on the acrylic the whole time as acrylic scratches easy. Leave both outside pieces on until you get to your shoot/wedding location and then peel it off.

3. Use a drill to make small holes along the sides of the acrylic arch then tightly screw the nuts and bolts throughout.

4. Create a secure stand.