I am onto the next adventure (follow @hollychapple on insta to see where I am now) and have barely had a moment to grasp the happenings of last week. The pace of my business never slows. But I keep telling myself I’m going to stop and savor the incredible things that are happening for me and my team, so that’s what I’m doing with this post.

Last week we had the incredible opportunity to design for the British Floral Influencers Luncheon. The proceeds from the luncheon will go to the Garden Museum of London and the exhibit being created for Constance Spry, which will open this October. I was so honored to be involved. Just think, I got to design with some of NYC’s finest designers and hear the incredible Shane Connolly and co-speakers Emily Thompson. Shane has a royal appointment to the Queen in floristry, imagine that. Shane is also one of the strong voices behind the no floral foam movement. 

Several NYC designers and I each had a table to design. This was grand and I was thrilled, but things got even better. Martha Stewart herself took on a table and designed her look in conjunction with Dennis Schraeder of Landcraft Environments. I admit I was really quite blown away when I heard she would be designing along with @DavidBeahm, @NicCamille, @Foxfodder, @joshuawerber, @cathybgraham and @ryanzoeller.

Here is the picture of my tablescape! Many thanks to Harmony Harvest sharing so many beautiful local blooms! We were also lucky enough to get to create botanical couture for two beautiful ladies, who floated among the guests.

Martha arrived carrying cattleya orchids from her greenhouse. At this moment, she embodied the love I see in all of my other flower friends. She was so, so proud of her stems. Let me also say she is gorgeous. In years past, I have had the pleasure of going to her corporate offices. I remember in one board room, there were portraits hanging from her modeling days. It’s easy to see how she was a successful model.

As chance would have it, I got to speak with her. I didn’t really believe it would happen, but I promised myself I wouldn’t annoy her or self promote if I met her. Crazily enough, we just stood talking about our designs and what I grow on my farm. I told her about my peonies and that I get my dahlias from Erin at Floret. I thanked her for what she had done for floristry and the love of flowers, and I walked away. Moments later, I was kicking myself because I hadn’t thanked her for the features of my work or of my Syndicate Sales product line in her magazine. It’s hard to know what to do or say when you meet a legend and you’re also trying to respect that she was there to enjoy the day.

So I have to say for the most part I’m pretty damn thrilled. Here are some pictures of the day! A big huge thanks to Carolyn Bender @cbealifestyle for all of her hard work planning the event and to Char Hubble for her commitment to this cause and hosting us at the Metropolitan Club.  My table was truly lovely, and I’m so proud of our work. Thank you, Sydney, Jess and Chapel Designer Gabriel Wile. And thank you, Carine, for the table settings from Mason De Carine. You clinched the deal. 

The luncheon and our designs were also featured on the Martha Stewart Blog!

If you read our newsletter you will know we have had a lot of amazing things going on. Our latest leaflet (get it?) shared some sweet memories about the last ten years. If you aren’t subscribed, you will want to subscribe here. Images by @fredmarcusstudio and @andymarcus.

We are so excited about the upcoming opportunities to study with the HHC Studio. We have created a consolidated list of our classes; please check it out here. Each workshop features some of my favorite educators in the profession of floristry. We have covered all aspects of education from fundamentals of floristry to luxury event design and all of our workshops address best business practices and marketing. You will receive the benefit of many years of experience at our courses. Most of our teachers are legacy educators with a family history of over 100 years in floristry. I hope you will take this opportunity to join the HHC family. Who wants to meet me in NYC, Ireland, or Hope Flower Farm? Image Rebekah Murray

Lots of love!!!

HC

Today, I am excited to be sharing my latest project with you, born from a collaboration with two of my favorite florists: Abby Chapple and Abby Chick. “The Abbys,” as we call the dynamic duo in our studio, approached me with a powerful idea: What if we create a product to help retail florists enhance their offerings?

The three of us have long observed an absence of resources for designers seeking bespoke flower arrangement imagery and recipes for e-commerce. The true talent, taste, and originality of retail flower designers has not been reflected in the imagery available for their websites. Recognizing the significant resources – time, money, and energy – that would be required of each flower shop to rebrand and update their imagery, we also saw an opportunity. And Wellspring was born.

The intent of this project is to bring modern imagery and profitable recipes to the retail flower industry. Wellspring includes: 

–Over 25 unique floral designs, with corresponding recipe, product code, orientation, helpful hint, substitutions, occasions, and placements

–Images of each design, optimized for e-commerce websites and social media.

–High resolution images of each design, intended for print items such as customer-facing flyers and lookbooks

If you own a retail shop, or you want to add daily work to your event and design business, or even if you’ve just enjoyed the free Flowering Formula recipes we’ve been sending in our newsletters, click below to learn more. It’s not too late to update your website before Valentine’s Day!

We are so excited to share this beautiful wedding! 

Photographer:Still 55 Photography

Wedding Planner: Bright Occasions

Ceremony/Reception Venue: Union StationEntertainment

I have always always loved wedding design. Next to my family, the act of caring for a bride or groom has been my whole world and life. As you know, I also love flowers so the mix of nurturing people and providing flowers has been so incredibly right for my life’s work. For at least twenty years, my role in the planning of the wedding was very pertinent. I either did full event design and or I was providing a trusted pair of eyes for the families ensuring everything was just right on the wedding day. As a result, I became very close to many of my clients which made all of the work I was doing so very special and purposeful. I’m the kind of person that joyfully works to make people I love happy. While I like being paid fairly for my work, the reward of a new friendship or the potential of a future collaboration with the family or friends is priceless to me. The last five to six years have been incredibly busy in the DC market and things have significantly changed here. Over the years, I relinquished a lot of my contact with the bridal party and their families to other vendors. This happened naturally and slowly, so much so that I hardly noticed my voice was slipping away.

This weekend I received an early morning text from my bride Meg. I did full event design for her wedding last year. Because we worked so closely together last year planning her wedding, we developed a wonderful relationship. So much so, that I am doing her sister’s wedding this year and she even came to Hope Flower Farm to gather holiday designs. Meg was writing to let me know her first baby had been born. It was such an honor to receive this news. This is the very type of ongoing relationship I want with my clients. I was overjoyed that she thought to contact me and that I get to be connected to her entire family. As the day went along, I wore a constant smile on my face and then it hit me. Something incredible has been missing at work. This something has left me feeling empty and lacking and I have not been loving or enjoying my work like I used to. The missing element has been that I have lost direct contact with some of my clients. When I look back over the last 25 years,  many of the brides I got to work directly with have become lovely lifelong friends. Those brides are still in my life today. By relinquishing my relationships with the clients and taking direct orders from other wedding vendors I am missing the big pay off, the very thing that inspires me to design so beautifully, my love for my client.

It finally hit me like a ton of bricks. The only clients I have continued relationships with are the ones I was privileged enough to have contact with. For nearly 20 years that was the way it was, but over the last few years it has only been the case for the weddings I was the lead designer or contact person on. When I do full event Design or am the lead on the wedding I develop incredible relationships with my brides and grooms that lasts a lifetime. I have also noticed that these close knit relationships develop into future opportunities to design again for the same family and that is what sustains a business. Somehow I just walked away from the very part of what I love doing and started producing weddings instead of designing them. Quite frankly the work I do, and all floral designers do, is very daunting and stressful. All the LOVE perks were what were propelling me forward. Without the perk of falling in love with my brides it all seems rather mundane. I want to move my clients to tears. I want to bring them unsurpassed commitment and beauty. I want to be an important part of not only their wedding day but also a part of their future as a budding family. This is why my company has sustained 25 years in the business, because I care. Loving them and wanting the best for them is how I keep my passion alive. I am so excited about the weddings and events I have on the books for the 2018 season. I am one of the best and strongest advocates for a couple marrying and it’s an honor. Check out our Full Event Design page on the Holly Heider Chapple Flowers website. 

Images by Lisa Ziesing/ Abby Jiu

Many years ago I went to the Virginia state corporation board to make Holly Chapple Flowers a legit corp. I filed for my certificate under the name of Holly Chapple Flowers LTD. With much excitement, I brought the news of my new company home to my mother. During that conversation my mom asked if I might consider changing my business name to Holly Heider Chapple Flowers LTD. She saw this as a way to keep the Heider name alive and create a legacy. I am one of five daughters and the last of the Heiders. The end of the line was always on my parents’ minds. At the time I thought the request was a little silly and even a little annoying as it required additional fees and more paperwork, but I honored my mother’s request. Here we are, all these years later, and I have been given the gift of a product line and a partnership with Syndicate Sales. I am so thankful to my mother, I couldn’t see into the future the way that she could. I couldn’t imagine a time when daddy would be gone and we would all be older. I couldn’t imagine that my company could be used to carry on the Heider name. My mom used her ability to see into the future and because of her wisdom, yesterday was all the more incredible. Lots of tears were surely shed. While I am very excited about our new product line and my incredible relationship with Syndicate Sales, the biggest achievement and excitement was seeing the Heider name carried on. This product line includes 3 sizes of compote bowls (offered in black, clear, white and glass) as well as a mechanic I use for bouquets and centerpiece designs. While the mechanic has a funny little name, the ‘egg’ and the ‘pillow’, I can assure you the story and the journey are nothing short of epic!!

This shoot will always be an all time favorite!! I knew before I had even started designing I would create magic. It started with an amazing road trip with my girl Chloe Milligan. Chloe is from Scotland. She spent the summer and the fall here at Hope Flower Farm and I owe you a story all about her. This was our last ride together and along the way as we gathered we found vintage china for the prop closet at Hope, chairs, candles, silver and flowers. Yes,  flowers! As we were traveling along the highway ( I was not even sure what state we were in) I saw an abandoned rest stop and mountains of one of my favorite flowers, Abelia. I literally slammed on the brakes and did a 360 in the road. As I approached the bush I was screaming “OMG! OMG! This will make my bridal bouquet so so so magical!” If you go back to about this time last year on Instagram you will find a clip of me hacking Abelia on the side of the road. Thanks Chloe for secretly capturing that one!! I knew, knew, knew for sure that I had found an abundance of a flower that would define the shape and color palette of the shoot. This shoot was being produced for a Liz Fogarty Workshop. Jenna Shellhammer of Pop The Cork was the lead stylist and planner behind the shoot. Thankfully the girls trusted me to do something Hollyish and they allowed me to bring a new color combination to life. This shoot has been featured at least ten times and the bouquet even made it to Martha Stewart Weddings. I know this is because of all of the unique stems and tones used.

Another reason this shoot is extremely important to me is because it was produced just a few days after Hitomi Gilliam did a workshop at Hope Flower Farm. Many of the pieces I created for this shoot were influenced by my time with Hitomi. This bouquet is a result of my “egg mechanic” and a Hitomi structure that helped me get my cascade super strong and sexy. The barn design I created for this shoot is also a result of new mechanics I learned from Hitomi. Take a look at the images from this amazing day and be sure to see the full list of the vendors involved. I love creating magic!! When I design like this, the pieces I create influence the shape and tones of events to come and the industry.

     Photography Liz Fogarty | Event Planning: Pop The Cork Designs | Floral Design: Holly Heider Chapple Flowers LTD | Wedding Dress: Tara LaTour | Cake: Buttercream Bakeshop | Shoes: Christian Louboutin | Ring: Susie Saltzman | Makeup: Izzy B Makeup | Hair: PSC Hair Artistry | Calligraphy: Julie Ha Calligraphy | Tux: The Black Tux | Vintage Car: Jay’s Model A | Accessories: Lindsay Marie Design | Linens: La Tavola Fine Linen Rental | Rentals: Something Vintage Rentals

This gorgeous blush and white Mayflower wedding was featured in the latest issue of Washingtonian Bride and Groom. Adrienne and John’s wedding will always be very dear to my heart and you will see why as you scroll through these incredible images provided by Abby Jiu. From their stellar team of artists and artisans to the endless beauty of this day, we will always be all hearts for this couple. Event planning and design by the oh so fabulous, Laura from Grit and Grace, event production Event Revolutions, rentals from DC Rental, and epic Hollyish florals. Check out the beauty!!!

Bridal bouquet created of light pink nerine lily, blush Constance David Austin Garden Roses, white peony, ranunculus, lily of the valley, spray roses and deutzia.

For 8 years I have been dreaming of creating floral chargers. It was worth the wait!!

I worked with a welder to create an iron frame that would allow for a parasol of flowers over the guests tables. This design was inspired by Simon Lycett. Simon has taught at some of the floral design conferences I produce and teach at in London.

 This DC wedding will always be remembered as a true show stopper. As a DC wedding florist it’s an honor to work on such glorious events and it is clear we know how to make an impact with petals!!

Over the next few months we will be offering several floral design educational opportunities at Hope Flower Farm. Join us on July 24th for our Beginners Floral Design class. Registration can be found here.

The next Chapel Designers workshop is happening in conjunction with the amazing Gregor Lersch.  Gregor is one of my absolute favorite floral design teachers and we are honored to be working with him for the next Chapel Designers event at Hope Flower Farm.

We also have a 2 day large installation class with Gregor which is being offered here. Images for the above classes were provided by Angela Newton Roy Photography

And the epic floral design event of the year is Flowerstock!!!!! With teachers Ariella Chezar, Robbie Honey, Southern Blooms, Holly Chapple, and Debra Prinzing.  With music from Nathan and Eva. Join US!!!

Flowerstock Photographer Abby Jiu

On one of the coldest days I can personally remember, I flowered the presidents. I did this in collaboration with my good friend and event designer Laura Ritchie from Events In The City. Laura had been dreaming of a presidential shoot for over a year and she just so happened to bring this shoot to life just days before she delivered her second child. Way to go Laura!!!  Running through the streets of DC with flowers in hand was quite a fun and exciting adventure. If it had not been bitter a _ _ cold it would have been even better!! Here are some of the presidents I flowered and the beautiful table scape and concept Laura designed.

One of my favorite details of the day were the ghost chairs. Laura worked with calligrapher Laura Hooper to design these chairs, each chair featured a presidential quote. I was in love with them!!

This shoot was photographed by Abby Jiu and was featured on the Inspired By This Blog. 

Event Design & Styling: Events In The City
Photography: Abby Jiu
Floral: Holly Chapple Flowers
Venue: Ritz Carlton Georgetown
Calligraphy: LH Calligraphy
Paper: Haute Papier
President Busts: Hobby Lobby
Linens, Glassware, Chairs, White Plates: DC Rental
Flatware: West Elm
Grey Chargers: Crate & Barrel