Cathy and Brian married in April at Strong Mansion, in Maryland. This venue is on top of Sugar Loaf Mountain and it is truly one of the most beautiful venues I have seen. When the photographs arrived from photographer Theresa Choi, I was beyond pleased. This wedding was so lovely, and making this very special bride happy was such a pleasure.

My bride chose all purple, burgundy, and plum tones for her wedding flowers.  The look was very rich, and dramatic, with a nice twist of romantic. We used burgundy peony and spray roses, purple lilac, anemone, phlox, stock, and astrantia with a bit of blue viburnum berry.

The grooms bout was created with a burgundy peony bud, astrantia, and the viburnum berry.

I love these images!!!

At this venue there is a huge reflecting pool at the ceremony site. It was one of my favorite features of this venue.

We created an arrangement of purple cabbage florets, purple stock, phlox, burgundy spray roses, larkspur, and stock for the unity candle. The brides brother, very lovingly brought his sister a bunch of white daffodils on her wedding day. I was so touched by his kindness that I asked if I could put one white daffodil in the back of the brides bouquet and the rest of the daffodils in the unity candle design. Everyone loved this idea.

We used shepherds hooks with hanging flower arrangements to decorate the stone wall where the ceremony took place. These designs were transferred to the cocktail tables after the wedding.

My iron baskets were used to hold the seating cards and the baskets were adorned with flowers of the day.

I love the portraits taken by Theresa. Her photography is so beautiful.

Centerpieces featured the same flowers and groupings of my crystal stands. The look was indeed very glamorous. I love those stands and I am so happy I had them for this wedding.

They look amazing with my mercury glass vases.

Happy married life Cathy and Brian, I am so happy I was your wedding florist!!!

Over the last few months we have been gathering fun antiques and props for upcoming events. We love, love, love, finding that special something that sends your event over the edge. Feel free to contact us if there is anything you need, if we don't have it, we can probably find it!!!

My latest and most favorite find our these sweet little silver platters and bowls. The base of the platter has been turned into a chalkboard. We know these will come in handy on guest book and place card tables. In fact we are trying to find enough to use them for table numbers. We LOVE this idea.

These sweet little tin urns are going to be a lovely touch to some of our garden parties.

These miniature milk glass vases have been added to my outrageous collection of vintage containers. They are so small I can use them on the top of a cake. We are dying to use these. Speaking of milk glass have you seen our collecting?

We've also been buying bling, lots, and lots, of bling.

These are hair pins that we found in NYC. Next time you see them they will be in the middle of one of my bouquets.

We even bought earrings that we will convert into adornment for our bouquets.

These little beauties are antique curtain fobs. These will be used in bouquets or to pin up place cards. Fabulous idea right?

We also have been practicing our decoupage moves. We are excited about using these containers next week.

These library card drawers will be used for my "library bride." We will fill them with flowers or mini bud vases. Yes I think we are off to an incredible start. Many of these items were gathered right here in Lucketts at On A Whim Antiques.

Holly

I meet a lot of brides to be, and often the conversation turns to the engagement ring. Many of these brides have shared with me their difficulty in finding a truly vintage ring. 

Recently one of my brides told me about her absolutely fabulous vintage jeweler, Mr. McHone. This lovely shop is located in Harrisonburg, VA. it takes a about two hours to get their from the city ( DC) but I think his shop is totally worth the drive, it is right off the campus of JMU. We visited the store a few weeks ago when we went to tour the college.

The shop has amazing vintage pieces with the delicate filigree that was prevalent  in years past.  In addition to his incredible rings there are endless vintage broaches, charms, and hat pins. The store is so incredibly fun to browse through. I am still longing for some of the broaches and charms I saw.

 

Mr. McHone also puts available rings up on his website and I believe he will also search for particular styles if you contact him.  One thing is for certain this store is a total gem.

This bouquet was created with hydrangea, zinnia, and lambs ear from my garden. The grass is roadsidius–or cut from the side of the road. Roadsidius just sounds more sexy. We wrapped the bouquet in bark wire. Genevieve photographed the bouquet in one of the copper pots from my booth at On A Whim.

 

This bouquet was created with fern I found while taking a walk with my daughter. We used fall colored roses, scabiosa pods, mini poppy pods and a foliage called safari sunset or leucadendron. We wrapped the bouquet in burlap and photographed the design in a old wooden box.

 

This little vase was created as a sample to try on our new shepherds hooks. We thought it was so cute we took it along to the photo shoot. The design is a simple vase with ribbon wrapped around the vase. The ribbon will actually be our way of hanging the vases on the hooks. We used bright green spider mums, green roses, lavender mums and green hydrangea.

 

As I have mentioned before my daughter Hannah is showing lots of talent as a photographer, so she caught this great image of Genevieve at work. The following images are my bouquets through Hannah's eyes. 

 

Many thanks to Genevieve for feeding me so many images this week.  We will post "in the cooler" later today, as in really late today.

Holly

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

Here at Holly Heider Chapple Flowers, we love all things Southern.  That’s why, when we had the opportunity to work with the fabulous team at Southern Weddings to design custom bouquets for a feature on some of the South’s most celebrated fictional Southern heroines, we jumped at the chance.  Utilizing quotes and details from cherished Southern novels and films, the ladies at Southern Weddings let us run with colorful, textured inspiration to create some truly imaginative designs- perfect for these storied Southern belles.

We’re taking just a moment to delve into the inspiration and floral nitty-gritty behind each of our beautifully blooming bouquets below, but you won’t want to miss the real deal!  Be sure to scoop up the most recent  Southern Weddings, V7, to get the full-gloss glory of these romantic petals in print.  With photos by Katie Stoops Photography and some gorgeous styling by Southern Weddings’ Creative Director, Emily Thomas, this is a must-see feature.  After our little tease below, we just know you’ll be inspired to search out the full scoop for a second heaping helping of this sweet story.

What Southern belle hasn’t dreamed of a love as passionate and enduring as that of Allie and Noah in Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook?  When designing her bouquet, we went for full-out romance.  Luscious peonies, white and blue scabiosa, ethereal Queen Anne’s lace and snow-on-the-mountain greens graced this design.  Blue tweedia is the perfect “something blue” tucked significantly into Allie’s arrangement.  Nostalgic, sweet and with an air of nearly-lost love and longing, Allie’s bouquet is tied off with a soft expanse of pale blue ribbon.

The epitome of a Southern belle, from her teased tresses to her over-the-top, pepto bismol-drenched ceremony, Shelby Eatenton’s bouquet was a no-brainer.  With a palette of blush & bashful (how could we have used any other hue?!), soft, buxom blossoms and a layered tulle cuff, this bouquet belongs to a woman who gushes with femininity.  We mixed voluptuous Constance cabbage roses with bridal pink piano cabbage roses and ladylike peonies.  Southern Weddings tied on a lacy handkerchief, elegantly monogramed, to show the significance of family to this Southern gal.

With a flair for the dramatic, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Daisy Buchanan from Louisville, Kentucky, was mesmerized by the glimmering glam of the roaring twenties.  Built around a pure, simple white calla lily, this bouquet crafted for The Great Gatsby’s leading lady is teeming with white and lavender lilac, blushing ranunculus, iris, sweet peas, opulent white calla lilies and trailing white clematis.  Wrapped with nostalgic lavender ribbon, the bouquet is decadently accented with deco-inspired gems.  Daisy would have swooned over this lush concoction of elegant and charming blossoms.

Jenny was a true flower child- soft, whimisical and as free as the passing breeze.  We created a bouquet that was as untamed as she- airy, wispy and full of light.  The delicate, vintage ribbon used to tie the bouquet was selected as a reminder of the simple yellow dress Jenny wore as a little girl, while the flourishes of daisy-like chamomile are reminiscent of the 70s floral crowns she would have donned.  Lacy peonies, vibrant poppies, peach ranunculus and orange asclepias provided an artful array of hues for the little girl turned woman who was ever searching for the bright side of Love.

This rich, textured bouquet belongs to none other than Gone With the Wind’s coy Scarlett O’Hara.  Margaret Mitchell’s debatable heroine would have been pleased with the seductive moodiness of this arrangement which incorporates deep purple double hellebores, elegant purple dianthus and purple sweet peas.  Enigmatic and mysterious, Scarlett’s dark charm is beautifully referenced with deep purple tulips, purbple scabiosa and allspice flowers.  A nod to her southern femininity is immaculately incoporated with rich, sleek magnolia leaves.  Tied off with voluptuous green velvet and silk- a subtle reference to Scarlett’s resourcefully repurposed drapes.

A bouquet isn’t likely to be the first thing on Skeeter Phelan’s mind, but she certainly wouldn’t mind this one.  Neutral, not too complex and neat with just a hint of airiness, this bouquet is as unassuming as the young reporter herself.  A bundle of contradictions, Skeeter has a cotton trust fund and a determination to right racial wrongs.  We love how this bouquet mirrors Skeeter’s inner turmoil.  Perfectly arranged Combo roses match the quiet and reserved mindset of 1960s Mississippi society, while the gunnii eucalyptus breaks all the rules, artfully trailing outside the perfect boundaries of the bouquet,  just as Skeeter herself often traipsed beyond the borders of polite conversation.  Full of texture, the barely-there blush of the astilbe and pale pink berries ties the dahlias and white patience garden roses into the mix.  Should The Help’s heroine consent to marriage, we’re sure she’d snatch up this pretty posey before heading down the aisle.

Southern tomboy Scout Finch preferred playtime to prettiness in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, but we’ve imagined her all grown up with a bouquet of her own.  Nostalgic and rustic, this bouquet incorporates a dusty mix of color that would suit Scout’s low-key nature.  Peach Juliet cabbage roses, carmel antique roses and mock orange are accented with sweet southern garden flowers like Virginia blue bells, Queen Anne’s lace, blue thistle and honeysuckle.  The white azalea pays tribute to the prized garden flower of Scout’s beloved neighbor, Miss Maudie, while blue, textured chambray ribbon is a sentimental touch- reminiscent of Scout’s childhood dungarees.

We loved crafting beautifully sentimental bouquets for these southern gals- be sure to pick up your own version in glossy!

Photography by Katie Stoops, Katie Stoops Photography
Photo Styling by Emily Thomas, Creative Director, Southern Weddings

 

 

Loudoun Weddings are a specialty of the Holly Heider Chapple floral design studio. We love designing in this county because of the many unique and inspiring venues. Ally and Alex married at Bluemont Vineyard, a venue with one of the most amazing views. We used beautiful coral and pink tones, with pops of orange and even a hint of yellow. Ally and Alex married in front of a custom made mantel created by the couple and their family. The beautiful images were taken by photographer Julie Renee.

Ally carried sunflowers, coral charm peonies, pink astilbe, lambs ear, peach hypericum berry,  white gooseneck, and chamomile

We created a dainty flower crown of hypericum berry, solidago and seeded euc.

Love this picture of Ally with her maids.

Tables were decorated with vintage blue mason jars and a mix of the days flowers.

 Happy married life Ally and Alex, it was an honor to be your floral designer!!

 

Happy anniversary to Lindsay and Brett. This fabulous couple married one year ago, on St. Patrick’s day weekend.  The wedding was held at Bluemont Vineyard and it was a gorgeous Loudoun Wedding. This couple was truly one of my favorite highlights of 2013. Holly Heider Chapple Flowers handled the flowers, event design, and draping of the barn for this wedding. The gorgeous images of the day were taken by photographer Genevieve Leiper.

Lindsay carried a bouquet of green viburnum, white peonies, white freesia, sea star fern, queen annes lace and white ranunculus.

The bouquet was bound with burlap ribbon and a vintage pin.

The couple married under our willow arch. We used white hydrangea, white flying clematis, stock, roses, mosses, and greens to create the ceremony decor.

 Love our altar!!

 

Perfect for St. Patricks day!!

A ring bearer pillow created with moss, flowers, twine and ribbon. Our floral pillows are an HCF specialty.

Evan handles the draping for our events. His meticulous installations at the Bluemont Vineyard are highly sought after. Lindsay and Brett knew they wanted Evan as much as they wanted our flowers. I have to admit we are an awesome duo.

Guests were treated to a St. Patrick’s day candy bar, designed by our studio. This was an amazing Loudoun Wedding.

Happy anniversary to a fabulous couple!!

 

Last summer we had the pleasure of designing the wedding of Cara and Christopher. This was a gorgeous Loudoun Wedding  held at the enchanting Murray Hill. This wedding was featured in the current issue of Washingtonian’s Bride and Groom. Our studio provided the gorgeous florals, lighting, and we designed the event. Genevieve Leiper photography captured the day. Christie from Events In The City handled the coordination services for this special day.

The wedding featured soft blues, popping pinks, and happy orange tones. I used dahlias, hydrangea, roses, spray roses, ranunculus, and green seeded euc.

The couple married overlooking the Potomac River. We used our giant shepherds hooks to hold our floral accents. Evan had these custom designed by an iron worker.

Vases of flowers lined the aisle.

Bridesmaids bouquets popped against the girls spiced wine dresses.

After a beautiful wedding at the manor house, guests walked to the “hollyish” decorated barn.

I designed a progressive seating chart, guests found their seats as they strolled through the woods to the reception barn. Vintage tables enhanced with fresh flowers and decor were stationed along the path.

Love This!!

Our hanging floral chandelier was a major decor accent of the evening.

Beautiful farm tables and vintage lace from Something Vintage Rentals were used to style the bridal party table.

Vintage bottles from the brides grandmother were used on this table as well.

This table was designed to show the thoughtfulness of our amazing groom. Every time Christopher travels, he sends Cara a post card. We used those post cards everywhere to personalize the wedding.

 Something Vintage Rentals also provided furniture groupings for guests and bridal party to enjoy.

My Awesome husband Evan did all of the edison lighting for this event.

This was a gorgeous Loudoun Wedding!!! Happy married life Christoper and Cara.

This spring I had one of my most favorite adventures. I returned to Selma Plantation. Selma is where I did my very first wedding. The estate has been abandoned for 11 years. On many occasions I have partnered with photographer Anne Robert and Dawn owner of Something Vintage Rentals. Dawn and Anne told me they were dreaming of an abandoned mansion shoot. I assured them I had just the right place. Selma is 3 miles from my house and she is sitting there just like a ghost. Dawn and Anne nearly died when I showed them Selma. I received permission to enter the mansion in hopes that a feature on Selma would hopefully inspire someone to bring her back to life. I hope someone sees this and rescues one of the most beautiful homes in Loudoun.

Much to my surprise the house in spite of its abandoned status is still remarkably beautiful, crown molding is still in tact, even the piano is still waiting for its family to return. My heart nearly collapsed when I saw the swing still hanging in the tree. My sister was the last Selma bride and I can clearly remember her sitting in that swing, in fact every Selma bride sat in that swing for her bridal portrait. I was 25 years old when I did my first wedding at Selma, this venue was the grandest wedding site in the area. It was very moving to sweep out the dust and bring the pretty back into the house. I seriously had flashbacks in the mansion. I could clearly remember hanging garlands on the grand staircase 20 years ago. This shoot was also very special because several Chapel Designers came to design with me on this big project. Many thanks to Daevid of Daevids of Norfolk, Trish Van De Merkt, and Donna Sue of  First Dance Floral.  The flowers purchased for this shoot were from my garden or purchased from local growers. I have never seen flowers so pretty.

Bouquet by Holly Heider Chappple Flowers

Crushing on the vintage rentals from Dawn.

This picture says so very much!!!

Bouquet and hairpiece by Holly Heider Chapple Flowers.

Yellow peonies and clematis from my garden bouquet by Holly Heider Chapple Flowers.

My flower cape that I was obsessed with creating. Holly Heider Chapple Flowers

This bouquet was created by Donna of First Dance.

This bouquet was designed by Daevid.

Piano design by Trish Van De Merkt

The grand stairway.

A very exotic and garden influenced bouquet by Holly Heider Chapple Flowers.

Hair by Julie Jackson Stylists, Make up by Suzanne Della Pella for Amie Decker Beauty, Models from the Artists Agency.

Dresses by Reem Acra and Jenny Packham from Gabriella New York.

Paper: Va. Paper Suite

Event design Anne, Dawn, and Holly.