Last week I had the pleasure of providing flowers for Sara's wedding. I have a long, lovely story to tell you. For tonight I am sending you to see the images on the photographers blog. Please visit the amazing Kristen Gardner. I will share this story with you soon.

This may be the last time you see Elodie in the flower shop, so for a little fun, I threw her "in the cooler." Elodie leaves for France on Tuesday. It will be sad for us to see her go, we have gotten very used to having her here with us. Elodie has been able to apprentice on 23 weddings, since arriving here, just 4 and half weeks ago. That ought to give her a clue about the wedding world.

Today we delivered the most amazing wedding flowers to our bride Katy. We provided full service styling and detailing for this event and I will share all of those little treasures with you on Monday. The above flower basket was one of the many remarkable designs we created for this awesome family.

After we delivered Katy's wedding flowers, we got back to work on our events for tomorrow. I am providing the flowers to 3 lucky brides tomorrow. 

The flower shop girls were awesome this week, and I am so grateful for the creativity they share with me, and I am always grateful for the laughter.

Tonight was a really late work night for us, most of the designers did not leave until after 9:pm. Thankfully they held down the fort while I ran Elijah, Sam, and Grace down to the school for a little trick or treat.

Big brother Alex also just got home for the weekend and he immediately went into carving pumpkins with the little ones.

The flower shop comes in handy when its kid craft time.

Here is our jokester Riley!

Night, night!!

 

In the midst of our busy Friday we got to stop for a mini birthday party for designer Debbie. Happy birthday Designer Debbie, we love you!!!

Elodie or Frenchy, worked on our pumpkin centerpieces.

Miriam created these awesome flower girl baskets.

Designer Debbie made mountains of bouts and corsages.

Designer Gabby helped with, bouquets, kids, and our puppy Sadie.

We have 3 events this weekend and we are enjoying a calmer week. I head to NYC once the weddings are complete. I will be looking for new sources, meeting with friends and visiting the NYC flower market. I have some great girls going with me and I am totally excited about our flower trip. I can't wait to show you everything I find in the big apple.

This is my bride Christine and right now she is enjoying her reception. Christine married today at the Thomas Birkby House. I want to send out a big huge thanks to sister Cynthia, for helping to plan such a wonderful wedding. After weeks of assisting with the planning of this wedding, Cynthia became suddenly and seriously ill last night. She literally is in the hospital and was unable to come to her sisters wedding. I know this was a tough day for the whole family but at least Cynthia's touch was everywhere, and she helped to give her sister an amazingly beautiful wedding. I loved all of the gorgeous details the family either chose, or designed.

Our bridal bouquet consisted of orange calla lily, two shades of orange roses, green hypericum berry,  and a collar of green aspidistra leaves. My bride loved clean contemporary lines for the bouquets, but she also liked a vintage feel as well. I suggested we let the bouquets stay clean and contemporary and then we could get a  little bit looser at the reception, this way she could have some of the vintage vibe as well.

Maids bouquets were created with green hydrangea, green hypericum berry, green roses, green button mums and the same variegated aspidistra leaves.

Designer Debbie helped me to hang a 60 foot long garland. Notice, the odd look on my face. I hate when people take pictures of me while I'm working. I always look stressed, when I am creating.

The men's bouts were of course, inspired, and unique. We are famous for our bouts, and corsages.

We used several different arrangements in vintage containers to create the ceremony site, and I loved that look.

We placed Cynthia's bouquet on the altar, which gave us this little centerpiece to place with the programs.

The family made these great custom overlays, which we used everywhere.

We were in love with the fabrics the family chose as accents. The pieces they created were so clever.

Their favors were totally coordinated with the wedding and made from their specialty fabrics. This may have been the best DIY project I have ever seen.

We had just enough leftover garland to enhance the buffet tables.

We provided centerpieces in large, medium, and small mason jars. Event planner Stephanie Aspinwall of Pretty Entertaining not only oversaw the days events, but she also made these awesome table numbers.  I am totally buying a set.

Don's dahlias, always steal the show. You can see Don and his glorious dahlias at the Leesburg Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.

This was yet another wonderful event at the Thomas Birkby House. There is always magic at a Birkby House wedding.

Cynthia I hope you are feeling better, and I hope you are comforted by the fact that you helped to give your sister an awesome wedding. Happy married life Christine, and thank you for allowing us to be a part of your wedding.

Now this is what is, "in the cooler"

Good Night!

 

 

At about 12:30 last night, I realized I had not done an " in the cooler" post. I know Ali is a huge blog follower and I wanted her to see her bridal bouquet "in the cooler".

I have a few more bridals to make and then we will be out the door.

This has been, one heck of a work week.  We designed until 10:30 tonight, and we are all exhausted.  Many thanks to my husband Evan. He keeps us all nourished and fed.

Another big thanks to Elodie, our designer from France, she is awesome. I hope I dont make her regret the decision to come on over to the USA. This trip has certainly not been much of a vacation. In fact, I am not sure she will see anything but my parents farm, a few weddings, and the inside of my flower shop.

Today we delivered two weddings, in the midst of preparing for tomorrows events. This week we will provide flowers for weddings on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I simply forgot we needed a day of rest but everything is looking beautiful. I just hope my flower shop girls, and boys, don't hate me at the end of this week. I pushed everyone just a little to far and I feel guilty. Thank goodness the flowers are so beautiful, it is certainly one of the reasons we keep on going, that and we would never want to disappoint a bride, so we are pressing onward.

Night, night.

This has been a very busy week with lots of changes. My office got booted out of the flower shop to make room for more designers. Our team keeps growing and growing with lots of new and interesting people.  We increased the flower shop by at least a 1/3 this week. I now have an office next to the work room instead of in it. 

 

The increase in floor space will help us when huge orders arrive.

Kelly joined the team a few weeks ago and she will be helping me with emails and call backs. She is super talented and awesome on the computer.  Kelly has been involved with the wedding industry for several years and she is really incredible.  So don't be surprised if you get an email from Kelly.

We have created awesome designs in our new space with several new designers. Here is a quick peek of whats " in the cooler" and then I am off to bed.  This full throttle design mode is exhausting all of us.

I know those pieces are beyond gorgeous! I love those lavender roses called amnesia.

 

I am outta here!!!

This was a typical Friday night for me, until I got the call that my sister was about to deliver her second child. I have four sisters, two sets of twins. This baby coming is likely to be the last of 15 grandchildren for my parents.  I quickly put my bridal bouquet "in the cooler" and headed to the hospital. I arrived just moments after Clayton Heider Van Pelt was born. My new nephew is adorable, healthy, and a sweet little miracle.

 

Abby made it home from  JMU for the weekend, so we girls had a blast checking out our new baby.

 

This is my daughter Hannah with new baby Clay.

We also of course have a busy wedding weekend ahead of us. Our designs range from very traditional to very organic in nature. Here is a quick trip through the cooler and then Auntie Holly is off to bed.

 

Check out these amazing orchid dahlias from the one and only Don.

 

What a great day!

 

I am going to cheat a little with my " in the cooler" post and hurry up to bed, I am sleepy…Today was Donna's wedding and her flowers were totally awesome. I will post her full wedding on Monday when I have a little more energy, you will love her designs. I have several other events "in the cooler" and I will give you a quick stroll through the cooler and then I am heading to bed. It is 10:24 as I start this post, I just got home from seeing my daughter in the marching band, and I am totally worn out. Having 3 kids under the age of 5 at a football game while your teenagers stroll around or perform in the band is totally freaking exhausting.

 
Night, night…

 

 I have to do my "in the cooler post" early this week, one more thing in the cooler and she is going to explode. We have a very wonderful and exciting weekend ahead of us, as you can see we have several different color themes happening and each piece, and each wedding, is simply beautiful. 

Every single nook and cranny is full of flowers. Each of these tables is holding several designs and then under the table we have centerpieces stored on the floor. You literally can't walk inside, the walk in cooler. Each morning we have to pull out buckets and designs so that we can get to things we need. It is unbelievable.

The yellow and blue designs are headed to Maryland and they are stunning.

These bouquets are going to Whitehall!

These pieces are going to the Belmont Country Club. They  are in the sitting room because they simply could not fit in the cooler.

These are the amazing centerpieces for a very special wedding that we will tell you all about on Monday.

Everywhere we turn we have props, plants, antiques, and good stuff.  A big shout out to On A Whim Antiques for supplying endless inspiration for our big events. I literally have two van loads full of furniture and cool items to take to our weddings this weekend. I love you, On A Whim. Thank you to every vendor that helped me pick out the perfect "finishing touches" for my events. A special thanks, to Donna, and Mary Alice, who for some reason put up with my creative bursts through the antique store, and the patience they find for me.

Wish us luck, and safe travels, as we journey out this weekend. I hope you all have a great holiday, all of us at Holly Heider Chapple Flowers will be working.