Last weekend was the best. We did 3 weddings, one bridal shower, and  all of our weekly flowers. Just as we finished the last of our work on saturday night, my son Alex popped by for a little family time. Evan my husband and super dad, made a huge fried chicken dinner to celebrate. Although Alex was with us for less than 24 hours we had a great time.  It was one of those weekends, where everything just worked out perfectly. 
Hannah suggested that, before Alex left, we should do a family photo on Sunday. This sounded like a great idea to me and the girls. Of course the boys including by husband, immediately started moaning. Hannah is a budding photographer, so we were going to let her have a try at setting the timer and running into the photo. Actually Hannah, has started her on photography blog and you can visit that here. Lucky for us fate intervened. My friend Kate Headley the photographer called literally as I was wishing I could get a real family photo. She said she was going to be in Lucketts and wanted to pop by for a visit. Now really; what are the odds of that, like I said it was just one of those really lucky weekends. Kate lives in DC, so I knew this was a really fortunate moment.  With no preparation, or even warning, Kate snapped these very impromptu shots of our clan. I believe this was probably the most active group of people Kate has ever tried to photograph and yet she did an amazing job. Kate always brings a little something extra to her photographs and I am always moved beyond belief when I see her images. These are also the unedited images that were quickly emailed to me. I probably should have waited to see all of the images before I posted, but I simply could not resist. 
 This next photo of Grace absolutely melts my heart. She totally preserved the baby Grace I want to remember. I love Grace's impish little grin and although I have taken hundreds of pictures of her, I have never caught the true picture of Grace. Thank you Kate for giving me the gift of Grace.

 
We all loved the first image because it shows our family in action. We are always in action, motion or commotion.

 
My oldest son Alex requested this picture. He thought it would be funny to hold Grace in a chair, to show the very different ages and sizes of my children.  This is my oldest and my youngest baby.

 
She actually did catch us all looking at the camera and behaving ourselves. This was no small task, because our Sam who is in the navy and burgundy striped shirt, was far more interested in flirting with Kate.

 
Thank you Kate for capturing the clan, and now the Chapple family has been photographed by a real superstar. Kate Headley was featured in the Spring 2009 Martha Stewart Weddings. I am of course very honored to have these photographs.
I am also sharing a sneak peek photo from a shoot  Kate and I did in the city. A few of theses images have also been added  to my website. We are working on giving the site an end of the year makeover.

 
I thought this picture was stunning, I had a blast on this project and I can't wait to show you more of our work.
I love my family, I love my flowers and I really love Kate Headley.
Holly

This is one amazing setting for a wedding; we love Morven Park. A huge restoration project has been under way for the last several years.  With restorations complete they are ready for weddings. If you would like to have a wedding in this historic venue, you better move fast. Only a few girls a year will be lucky enough to have a wedding at Morven Park. The grounds are truly remarkable, and the photo opportunities are out of this world.

Here is my bride Allie:

 

Here bouquet was amazing; we used fiddle head ferns, deep blue hydrangea, purple dendrobium orchids, purple carnations, blue delphinium, purple stock, purple calla lily and wax flower. I love this blue, purple and plum combination for the fall.

 

I am so glad I got this photograph of the happy couple.

 

The reception was tented and in front of the mansion. The cocktail hour took place in the gardens.

 

They had almost 30 guest tables, so we used the maids bouquets for some of the centerpieces. Here is a photograph of the bouquets all boxed up and leaving for the wedding. The girls wore navy dresses, so we used more lavender shades in their bouquets. Lighter toned flowers gave the girls more contrast against their dresses. The girls carried lavender roses, lavender stock, purple, orchids, purple carnations, blue delphinium, and wax flower.

 

Here you can see the maids bouquets being used as a centerpiece; we also created two other styles of centerpieces. 

 

We displayed 20 vials of flowers on the head table.

 

This was a beautiful wedding, and I was so happy to be back on the grounds of historic Morven Park. This estate is one of Loudoun's great treasures and a perfect place for a wedding.

Happy married life Allie; we loved your wedding.

Holly

This past Saturday we had 3 weddings. Each wedding is just beautiful, and I am so glad to report that we had another amazing weekend at Holly Heider Chapple Flowers. Our first wedding was Erin's wedding; she married at The Briar Patch Bed and Breakfast Inn.

 

I absolutely adore the bouquet I created for Erin. We used black magic roses, brown cymbidium orchids, cirucs roses, orange freesia, yellow billy balls, hypericum berry, green brasilia, yellow solidago, and fiddle head ferns. The final fun element was ornamental grass from my garden. I thought the overall effect was stunning.  I loved this bouquet.

 

I was able to get these fabulous shots thanks to L.H. Lindberg who happened to be setting up these pictures.

 

The Lindbergs are a husband and wife team. It is always fun to see them on the job. I love watching other vendors work. It is amazing to me how many professionals it takes to have a really great wedding.

We also had the pleasure of working with Six Star Catering on this event. When we arrived for set up, we found everything ready for the florals. Clearly this staff was very prepared, and every little detail was just perfect.

 

We did a combination of high and low centerpieces, and I got to use my favorite gold stands for the elevated pieces. Each low design had lots of candlelight.

 

We used yellow oncidium orchids and fiddle head ferns flying out of the design to give it height. We used a mass of lily, snapdragons, mums and roses to complete the design.

 

I love the formal chandeliers that are mixed with the rustic stone hearth.

 

The wedding cake was simply art; I loved the use of the broach on the cake. This incredible confection was created by the legendary Carolyn Buschmeier of Cakes by Carolyn.

I also love this photo of my MOB. You know I love the mini bouquets for the mothers. 

 

In addition to the centerpieces, we created these cute little designs for the cocktail hour.

 

This second mantel was in the room where the cocktail hour was held.

 

The ceremony takes place overlooking the mountains.

Here the staff from Harmon's Carriages is getting the team ready. You know, I actually drove teams like this when I was a child. My father used to show his teams at the state fair. I have a huge adoration for Harmon's Carriages; they are truly the best in the area. They have five teams available for hire, plus the white mares for the Indian weddings.

 

The carriage will deliver my bride and her maids up the hill to the ceremony. My bride is clearly happy and ready to go.

Happy married life Erin; we loved your wedding.

Holly

As we move into November we are enjoying a full schedule, but a much calmer pace. This week I have had extra time for the kids and time to enjoy my flower ladies. We created designs for 3 weddings, and we also got to do bridal shower flowers for one of my favorite past customers. We also celebrated Jessie's birthday today. Designer Debbie is home in North Carolina; we miss her, but we were so glad she could be with her family. Here are some photos that show our shop, cooler, family and flower shop ladies.

 

Here is the birthday girl Jessie helping me get the flowers ordered for next week. After lunch, we had a mini birthday party.

When baby Grace woke me up at 5 AM this morning, I decided to bake Jessie a red velvet birthday cake.

Jessie is on the left, Carrie is next, then Sam, and then city designer Helen. 

 

This piece was created for Tuskies Restaurant in Leesburg, Virginia. We do their weekly flowers.

 

We have a beautiful purple and lavender wedding at Morven Park;these pieces are for Allie.

 

Of course, we always have our little visitors in the shop. Honestly, some days I don't know how the flower shop ladies put up with what goes on around here. When kids are yours, their behavior is so much easier to deal with; when they belong to someone else, they can be very annoying. My ladies are always good to our little visitors. Grace is just plain cute, so having her around is fun. Sam, however, creates an unbelievable amount of mischief.

 

Sam hiding in the flower delivery boxes.

 

This all just works for me; this is how I want to run my business. I wanted it all: a big family and a big business. Home base makes that possible.

 

We have two fall weddings this weekend and the blossoms are just amazing.

 

Milva orange roses.

 

Bronze button mums.

 

Antique green hydrangea–a local product.

 

Garland for our Lightfoot Restaurant wedding. We will twirl this up the stem of an elevated vase.

 

We have had a great week. We were featured this Friday on The Brides Cafe, and those images are simply to die for. Please take time to check out our post at the cafe. We also received a phone call from The Knot, and we have made the 2010 best-of list. This is a huge deal for us. What this means is that not only are we doing a great job here, but our brides are taking the time to nominate us for this award. We are really excited about the many good things that seem to be coming our way. We are also enjoying the new relationships with other designers and florists across this country. Yes, I Twitter, Facebook and blog.  I am just simply happy. My big baby Alex is coming home on Saturday, so when I finish up my weddings, I will have some full Chapple family, family time. What a treat.

Holly

Opening Kiley's email and receiving these photographs was such a huge treat. I almost fell off of the chair when I got a look at my bride. Kiley's mom Jo did all of the planning, so I did not really get to know Kiley. When I saw how beautiful she was, how bright and sunny she looks, I was really glad we had chosen sunflowers for this bride. The photography is by Andy Pigsley Photography.

 

Jo, the brides mother, came to me requesting flowers for a simple outdoor wedding. She had seen my work before at the Leesburg Flower and Garden Show, and she really wanted me to take on Kiley's wedding. The wedding was held several hours away in a town I had never heard of, but they still wanted me to be the florist. Jo was willing to pick up all of the flowers and get them to the wedding.  I did all of the personal flowers and small centerpieces for the reception. They wanted bright happy flowers, and we certainly achieved the look. 

 

We used sunflowers, blue delphinium, red roses, solidago, and orange lily in the designs. We added white queen anne's lace to the bridal bouquet and white roses.  

 

The groom had a white rose, and the rest of the men had mini viking mums. I love to use viking mums when I am doing a sunflower wedding. They look just like a miniature sunflower.

 

The men wore navy suits that matched the maids' navy dresses.

 

I am so honored that Jo allowed me to do the flowers for her daughter's wedding.  I love the simplicity of this wedding. The outdoor reception, the men's attire, the maids' dresses and the happy flowers were a great combination.  Happy married life Kiley; we loved your wedding.

Holly

I want to give a big, huge shout out to designer Jessica. She created these boutonnieres last week for a photo shoot.  I was totally impressed with her creativity. Look at the detail in these pieces. She actually took twigs and glued them together to create a little platform for her floral art. I am so proud of you Jessie; I loved your boutonnieres.

This next boutonniere is truly stunning as well. Jessie added twig, berry and a touch of moss to this piece.

Way to go Jessica; perhaps we should go into the boutonniere business. I think we could have a lot of fun making these with dried elements. I would love to start creating these with family heirlooms, perhaps buttons, pins, jewelry. My mind is reeling with the possibilities.

A+++++ Jessie.

Thank you,

Holly

Here are the wedding photos from Rebecca and Chris. I am excited to share these with you. The wedding took place this spring at the George Washington Hotel in Winchester. I worked with some of my favorite vendors: event planner Lisa Schulz from the Posh Planner and photography by the fabulous married duo the Regeti's.  Here are the results of all of our hard work.

 

The flowers of the day were the pink peony and pink roses. With the maids pale blue dresses, the effect was stunning. We loved this wedding. The children were completely adorable and a huge part of the day.

 

The flowers girls carried smaller versions of the maids bouquets. I love this option for the flower girl. If you are having a church wedding petals are out.

 

Speaking of churches, this was a great set up. The church was in downtown Winchester within walking distance of the hotel. Which gave the Regetis's lots of fun photo opportunities.

 

My bride chose to carry a cascading bouquet. Actually she was the first of several girls to carry cascade this year. Is this style of bouquet making a comeback?  We used white Cymbidium orchids, sophie pink roses, spray roses, variegated ornamental grasses and the developing buds of my Nandina bush.  Now I remember why I don't have any red berries on my bush right now.

 

We created very lush and full designs of peonies and roses with cream hydrangea for our low centerpieces. I found these glass compote bowls and have been in love with them ever since.

 

My bride wanted tall branches with crystals. We used manzanita with willow. We tinted the branches with a hint of silver to match the rest of the decor. She used silver accents throughout the wedding.

 

We actually wired or glued the mini orchids onto the branches. This wedding was a lot of fun. We will be returning to the George Washington in December for another wedding, and we look forward to working in this historic hotel again.

Happy married life Rebecca and Chris; we loved your wedding.

Holly

This summer I had the pleasure of doing bouquets for Ursula's wedding. Ursula married at the Patowmack Farm Restaurant  just down the road from my house. She had a small intimate wedding, and I loved the feel of her special day.  Gorgeous dress, fine dining and a small gathering of friends and family.  These images are from the professional photographer, Brandi from Modern Toile Photography. Although this was one of the smallest weddings I did this year, the results are one of my favorites. Ursula had 12 guests at her wedding and everything was simply magical.

 

We created a bouquet for Ursula of antique blue hydrangea, cream vendela roses and white mini calla lily. We made the bouquet slightly smaller than usual and we loved the effect.

 

I let Ursula borrow this really sweet blue pitcher that I got at Marshall's of all places. We used that on the dinner table to hold the bouquet, and then we created two smaller designs in white creamers that we also picked up at Marshall's.

 

In these designs we picked up more color with the antiquing hydrangea in several shades, the same vendela roses, and we also added orange tulips in deeper peach pink tones and some yellow. I really love the way this looks.

If I remember the story correctly Ursula was going to skip the whole wedding and just snag her man at a civil ceremony. Her friends convinced her to do this smaller scale wedding. I love this alternative for those who do not want the big wedding. You still get the awesome dress, flowers, a fabulous evening, wonderful memories and, of course, the hubby. I really think this is a fun option.

Thanks for letting us be a part of your wedding. Happy married life Ursula.

Holly

 

Our baby lion Grace. 

 

Hope you have a great Halloween. We actually do not have any spooky weddings, so we get the weekend off. Check out our last blog post for our very fun Halloween designs. Now for some mommy time. 

Here is a cute shot from two years ago. Abby will die when she sees this.

 

Love this picture also. The boys have really grown.

Holly

This week we worked on Halloween designs. To get these fabulous designs created we started with a lot of paint. Here is how we began.

 

We took all of the elements outside that we wanted to enhance. We painted berries and mosses black. We painted twigs and branches silver.

 

I went on a back road run and got these hedge apples. They look like brains, and I love them for this holiday.  They actually are used in many different types of designs, but painted in Halloween colors, they are super fun.

 

We also painted fresh mini pumpkins and gourds black. This particular large pumpkin is plastic so that it would hold water for several days without the funky smell of wet pumpkin. We used regular 99 cent paint from the Walmart for these elements.

We started by putting our florist foam in the pumpkin. The florist foam is called Oasi;, you get this nice and wet before you start. We added the silver twigs and branches next, then we used willow and Manzanita branches. We then did a layer of the black painted moss with silver highlights to hide some of the foam or Oasis, and then we began adding the flowers. We used dark black baccara roses, deep purple black callas, and chocolate brown sunflowers that we enhanced with black Just For Flowers paint.  Guess what: that paint is just for fresh flowers. It is a lot more expensive so we used it only on the flowers. 

 

The larger designs were for buffets. We made mini designs for the food tables and coffee tables. 

 

This was a great project and we LOVED the way these pieces turned out. Happy Halloween.

Holly