Yesterday, I had the pleasure of showing off some of the joys of Loudoun County. Some of my city friends came out for a visit. Sterling and beyond is the city to me. We had a great day and I was so happy to share Loudoun's  incredibly diverse and rich community with my friends.  The above picture shows Doug Fabbioli, he is engrossed in telling his wine story.  Doug is a amazing member of not only the wine industry, but of Luckett's as well.  Doug supports all things Loudoun, Lucketts, and wine related this a incredible man with barrels full of passion about his Loudoun life.
  We actually rode in grand style from destination to destination in a Reston Limousine. I am kicking myself for not taking a picture of that. Truly fun, for a housewife and florist.  Normally I am watching the brides arrive in the limo. Nice change for me.  Reston Limo offers wine tours, in addition to all of that wedding day transportation.  This is a great bridal shower idea or bachelorette party.  We love Kristina owner of Reston Limo, truly a remarkable lady.

  Next We headed to my dads farmers market Heider's Country Store.  Daddy has fresh produce that he grows on his property in Lucketts.  At 71 years old he planted 3 acres of Tomatoes, Berries, Squash, Corn, you name it he grows it, my dad is truly amazing.
   Dad announced to my friends that one of the mares had just delivered a foal, so we were off to their farm. I was happy to thank the mare for dropping her load, just in time for my friends.  I mean really, you just can't plan that kind of fun.

We headed to the shops in Lucketts and out to Tarara Winery. I have more pictures to post, but I have a client on the way. I will post more later today.  I also still have one very incredibly unique wedding to post from last weekend.
Holly

  Shannon was my first bride to marry this past Saturday.  Shannon was having a small intimate wedding at Lansdowne Resort.  We created her bridal bouquet, all bout's (short for boutonniere) and corsages.  We also created several centerpieces for her guest tables.  We used green Cymbidium Orchids, raspberry Roses, and hot pink Gerber's to create her bouquet.

 Her centerpieces were created in vases lined with limes.  We used bright green Hydrangea, and green Hypericum, to make the flowers really stand out.  I am sure Shannon had a wonderful day, a wedding day at Lansdowne is sure to be perfect.

  My next wedding was Carine, this wedding took place at Rose Hill Manor.  Carine is originally from Haiti, so she loves tropical flowers and bright colors.

  We created two large arrangements for the outdoor ceremony. Here we were able to use lots of those tropical blossoms, the bride loves. These arrangements were so beautiful.

 

  Carine had two flower girls one wore a orange sash, we placed orange flowers in her hair. The second flower girl had a hot pink sash, she carried a basket with hot pink flowers. We placed hot pink rose buds in hair also.

 

  We did half of the centerpieces elevated and half of the designs low to the table.  We used all the bright colors of the day.

  One of my favorite elements about this design, were the mini Pineapple flowers. If you look closely you can see a flower that actually looks like a mini pineapple.

 

 The cake was provided by Amphora Bakery they also did all of the catering as well.

This wedding was absolutely beautiful.  We handled everything perfectly and were even able to accommodate a last minute, day of, increase in centerpieces.   We always are prepared, and that is something I am very happy to report.

We have another unique and beautiful wedding to share with you and some other great ideas from the weekend.  I just can't fit it all in one post.

Holly .   

   We have gotten into the habit of doing a "In The Cooler" post before a event.  We just buzz around really quick, and let you see some of the designs while they are sleeping. Everyone needs to rest before the big day, even flowers. These are some of this weeks creations.

We created 50 of these burgundy and white centerpieces. Yes, that is correct 50. We have a wedding tomorrow for 500 people.

This is our pink and lime green wedding. The bridal bouquet is hidden in the cooler.

Here is one, of two very large altar arrangements. They go with the first photo, we have a red, yellow, hot pink, orange and green wedding at Rose Hill Manor in Leesburg.

These pieces (19 total ) were for a rehearsal dinner tonight, they were created for one of our friends at Design Cuisine.  We used dark Milva Roses and elements from my garden, and some exotics. These were picked up at 10:00 am this morning. Happy wedding Kelly. 

It looks like another full weekend at Holly Chapple flowers, more photo's coming at the weeks end.

Holly

Guess who this is? Just read the signs.  I will be doing the flowers for Tiffany and Danny in just one more week. I am so excited to be working on this event. My couple is truly lovely and totally inspired.  They have been hard at work creating all of the little details that make a event perfect. These hand painted signs they got at ETSY from thebackporchshoppe  are a perfect example of some of the very personal touches this wedding is sure to have. The bride and groom are having a family gathering this weekend. They will be hard at work folding programs, and creating  paper tissue balls that will be suspended from the ceiling of the tent. They made the below designs for the ladies rest room, candy bar, and gift area.

This is sure to be a wonderful wedding and I look forward to sharing more with you very soon.

I wanted to post this picture because, I think it may truly be the cutest altar picture ever. This is my bride Jenn, her wedding was several weeks ago.  We are still waiting for the professional images but she sent this photo to me.  I honestly don’t think I have ever seen a bride that happy at the altar.  Most shots are the pre faint look, or the I am gonna cry look.  She clearly is wearing the “I am getting everything I ever wanted look”.  Jenn also sent me this really cute note that shares with me the value of the blog.  I often wonder if people are paying attention to these posts.  Some brides clearly are.  We typically do a Friday night post called ” in the cooler “, it’s a little sample of what will be happening the next day. It never occurred to me that my brides were taking sneak peeks. That is truly adorable.  Here is the little note she sent to me.

Holly,

 

Thank you so much for all of my wedding flowers they were absolutely gorgeous and perfect!  I stalked your blog the day before the wedding waiting for fridge pics and finally the morning of, I got a peek I was so excited!!  Of course your official thank you card is in the mail but I just wanted to let you know how much I loved the flowers.

Thank You,
Jenn

We are getting ready for another big weekend. I will try to do that walk through the cooler tonight, just in case someone is peeking.

Holly

 

  The centerpieces I will showcase today are the rest of the designs created for the RSVP Catering event.  Some are very elaborate, and some quite frankly are simple gatherings of vintage items.  When choosing centerpieces for your wedding, first you will have to consider the overall look of your wedding.  The next most important decision will be establishing a budget for those designs.  Consider using vintage items picked up at antique stores or raiding the family china cabinet.  Using just a few blossoms in a creamer or a tea cup can look very fashionable without screaming budget.  Mostly use your thinking cap, and have fun.

  We took this cloche vase and stand right off my mantel and created this centerpiece.  Very unique, very easy and very beautiful.

  Sometime when you have upgraded linens or patterned linens you can save on your centerpieces.  This vessel was straight out of the kitchen and we used lemons and limes to bring this design to life. It is such a clean look.

  How simple and sweet.  From July until the first frost, Dahlia's are an awesome flower to use for DIY flower arrangements. Seek out local growers and farmers markets.  This teapot was purchased at a yard sale for .50 cents.

  A vintage candy bowl, again hit grandma's china cabinet.

  Totally clever for a barn wedding or outdoor barbecue. I have a collection of cow bells, believe it or not.

  Clusters of wheat and Billy Balls, also known as Craspedia.

  More local Dahlia's, displayed in a very fun vase.

  This buffet piece was created of all carnations. Yes, carnations. Designs created with carnations big or small can look just delicious.

  These lovely centerpieces are certainly for a larger flower budget they have close to 75 roses in each piece. We added 15 stems of Astilbe and 10 stems of Spray Roses just to push it over the edge.  These pieces are super yummy.

  We created this design as a entrance focal piece but in truth it would work really well on a buffet also.  Notice there are actually Artichokes in this design.

I would like to thank RSVP catering for allowing me to showcase my work.  I also am thankful for getting to work with their very talented designer and sales person Izzy
 ( Elizabeth Shotwell ).  Very wonderful evening, very awesome experience.  Thanks also to Jill at Washingtonian Magazine for coming by and taking a peek at all our hard work.

Holly

  Remember just before vacation I was working on a event with Izzy (Elizabeth Shotwell) at RSVP catering. They wanted to have a tasting that not only featured their excellent food but showed brides the endless possibilities in linens and table decor.  These pictures show the end result of all of our hard work. Each centerpiece or design is a Holly Chapple Design. Even the non floral arrangements are my inventory from my home decor line that I sell at On A Whim Antiques at Lucketts Va.

  We had a wonderful evening and I was so glad to spend the night with such wonderful people in the industry.  A huge pleasure for me was spending time with Jill the Editor of the new Washingtonian Bride and Groom magazine, what a incredible lady.  I am so glad to be a part of their fabulous new magazine and one of her editors picks for best of florists in the DC area. I also got to spend time with my friend Maria Cooke from Ritzy Bee. She featured one of my bouquets today on her blog so please check that out. Another new treasure and joy in my life is the fabulous Kate Headley her photography is such a remarkable extension of her very creative mind. I am so lucky to have all of these wonderful women in my life.  Keep posted we will have lots to share this week.

There are many more designs to feature from this event so keep posted.

Holly

  I have just gotten back from vacation, so there is much to do.  Time with the family was wonderful and they so needed just a little of my time.  I honestly am ashamed to admit that I work more than I mother.  My business is bigger than my very large family and that is hard to believe.

 We are back in full swing here, we designed all day yesterday.  Which in truth is very unusual for a Monday.  The pictures above show flowers in the process of opening for this weekend.  Carnations, Mums, Alstra and Lily take days to make wake up.  The bottom picture shows some of the designs for this evening.  We have a event tonight at RSVP catering. Our designs will be on display and we are so excited about sharing them with potential clients.  I look forward to showing you better pictures soon.  For now here are a few more photos from our very wonderful week at the beach.

 

  Here is a shot of me and my husband Evan at the Sound.  The brown bag around my neck is my baby girl Grace. She hung from my neck pretty much the whole vacation. We have several pictures of her where she is still in the bag but I was able to sneak it off.

A perfect example. Here she is still in the bag.

  This is also from our night at the Sound. If you look way out into the water there is a tiny little dot. That is Evan fishing.  We love taking the children to the Sound, we do this once every beach trip.  The water is only a few feet high, this allows the children to feel very secure. Daddy can walk out forever and fish.  The water temperature is amazing.  It is a great place to escape to if the ocean is rough.

  We created a new look for Alex. He is an awesome big brother and is willing to do just about anything to keep us all entertained.

  I honestly will struggle getting back to work.  I have fallen very far behind on email and call backs. When you own your own business taking a week off is utter anguish.  I have a full week of weddings and events this week so playing catch up will be very difficult.  I forgot to leave a day in the week to play catch up.  We will design everyday this week. We have 6 different events we are working on.  I am going to have to change from vacation mode to full swing ASAP.

Holly

  Time with the family has been wonderful. I have to admit though, when you own your own business it is extremely hard to claim. In spite of the fact that I promised the family I would not work this week. There have been things I have had to tend to, like crashing websites and email. It is impossible to shut down and leave your customers wondering where you might be. It is one of the many complications of being a working mom. I try so hard to be everything to everyone and there are times when that simply is not possible. When I am working and that is everyday, I am not focusing on my family.  Evan always seems to make up for everything and even on this vacation he has thought of it all, and packed it all. I would be at a complete loss without him.
Abby if you happen to get near a computer we miss you terribly. Happy Birthday beautiful girl.  We love you !!!  For the first time ever we are not all together on family vacation. Abby was chosen by the State of VA. to attend Governors's School. She is studying in Richmond for 3 weeks, missing her birthday and our family trip.

Hannah is my brown eyed girl and number 3 in the line up, Elijah is number 5 in the clan and the first baby in our second round of baby making.

Our very crazy Sam !!!  Number 6

Baby Grace relaxing at the beach. This is just wearing her out. She is baby number 7 and our grand finale. I promise.

My oldest baby Alex. Pretty hot, if I must say so myself.

This is Riley our fourth child and the baby of what we call the "original four"
Riley volunteered for the burial, so I am not sure why he looks so unhappy. I think it is my constant need to take a picture that has him looking annoyed.

We buried Elijah also, I think for him the getting out was the best part.

I told you Evan thought of everything. He was convinced that we could make our very own slip and slide. He brought sheet plastic and built the slide which dropped the kids off in the Ocean. Pretty clever. That is an awesome dad.

Spider Man ice cream for Elijah. He can't get over the fact that ice cream trucks actually deliver it right to your door. Very impressive.
I hope to focus on this clan for the next few days. Good luck to my flower shop girls who are holding down the fort. We actually have two weddings this week. The clients consulted with my flower girls and wanted to work with us even though they knew I would be away. Yes, I have awesome flower girls always helping me behind the scenes.
Holly

  Last week, Kate Headley requested a bouquet for a photo shoot. I was happy to oblige, for the opportunity to have her photograph my bouquets. Kate is the latest superstar in the world of photography. You must check out her website and blog.

  I did have one huge dilemma, I was leaving on vacation and the cooler was almost empty. I decided to turn the request into a challenge and see what I could come up with by using the bounty of my property. This time of year proved to be a bit difficult, as we are just past the glory of Spring and it is a tad bit early for my annuals. This caused me to get very creative. Every flower in this bouquet was from my garden except for the Pink Nerine Lily. I had those chilling in a vase in the cooler.
  First I hit the apple tree and pulled tiny little baby apples down right on the branch. I used my purple Hydrangea, tiny undeveloped blossoms from some plants my husband started by seed, the pods from my Tulip Poplar tree, pink Yarrow and the remains of my Clematis.
The results were honestly stunning, I truly had a ball making this piece. So much fun; that I decided to make just one more bouquet for the fun of it all.

 
  I had probably 30 green Carnations leftover from the weekend before, they last forever. I also had some white Freesia that simple was not ripe last week. I usually take my leftovers and donate them to Churches or friends but this week I got to use them for this shoot. I massed the carnations together in a tight ball. I pulled the hydrangea though the cluster and then hit the garden again. I pulled through the bouquet white Queen Anne's lace, and my blue Lace Cap Hydrangea.  I was so happy to create these bouquets; just for the sake of creation. I had a great time in the garden that morning and it was a little kiss goodbye before I headed off to the beach.
Thank you so much Kate for sharing these photographs with me, now I will have my glorious bouquets forever.

Holly

  Recently I attended a blogging boot camp hosted by Liene Stevens from the Blue Orchid Blog and Think Splendid Communications.  The boot camp was a opportunity for vendors to learn about blogging, as well as other forms of social media. In addition to all of the incredible blogging tips, we had a chance to connect with other vendors in the wedding industry. I was very interested in the success of Julianne Smith known in the wedding world as Garter Girl. 

Julianne describes her business like this: my garters are simple and stylish
and unlike anything else out on the market.  I started the company b/c a friend
needed a garter for her wedding and couldn't find one to match her
personality.  So I decided to make one for her and from that my business got its start.  If they flaunt it, toss it, or
keep it as their little secret, I'm all about getting brides to embrace the
garter tradition with a little style!

Please take the time to pop over to Julianne's website and blog. I think her garter's are a awesome way to bring new life, to a very old tradition.  For me, weddings are all about tradition.
Here is a bouquet from one of my past weddings in case you are having a little flower withdraw. This bouquet is a yummy summer combination or Orchids, Tropicals, Lily, and roses.
Holly

Holly