There is a certain timeless beauty embodied in a bunch of fresh flowers and here at Modern Wedding we always love to stop and smell the roses! While we don’t have a background in floristry we’ve certainly seen, shot and admired enough bouquets and centrepieces to appreciate the work and talent of floral designers. We were super excited when we heard our good friend Michelle van Eimeren of Affair With George was bringing out American floral designers Holly Chapple and Francoise Weeks for some incredible workshops in Sydney – we decided a breakfast to celebrate their visit down under was a must!
The scene was set at The Bathers’ Pavilion at Balmoral Beach. Together with Sydney’s best floral designers (those featured in Modern Wedding Flowers magazine of course!) we sat down to a delicious breakfast and shared in joyous conversation with our guests of honour. The gorgeous trio – Michelle, Holly and Francoise styled up the tables with some amazing woodland inspired centrepieces and succulents. Both Holly and Francoise shared a little of their background, their life and their work, each unique and equally inspiring.
From left-right: Holly Chapple, Francoise Weeks, Modern Wedding Editor in Chief Victoria Black and Michelle van Eimeren
Modern Wedding staff from left-right: Anne-Marie Christie, Kimberlee Kessler, Liana Bowes, Rosemary Slade, Isabel van Rees
Holly began her flower shop 21 years ago with a focus on uniquely beautiful designs. Her business has grown from strength to strength and Holly juggles life as a mother of seven with the demands of business. Unique to Holly are her bouquets which she creates with a distinct back and front and she wires each individual rose. We love that Holly offers a world of inspiration on her blog The Full Bouquet and if all that isn’t enough Holly instigated a now annual conference for florists, Chapel Designers, via social media! (The Chapel Designers Conference is actually where the trio met!)
Francoise made the move to the US from Belgium bringing with her a wealth of European floral knowledge and experience. Francoise is a teacher and an innovator and best known for her woodland style in which she uses mosses, lichens, bark and forest floor gatherings to create floral works of art. Originally drawing inspiration from a childhood memory her style has developed into something totally unique. Her work also includes botanical haute couture creations of purses, headpieces and shoes. The very humble Francoise had us all inspired to get creative with things that can be gathered from the natural world around us!
Thank you so much to Francoise, Holly and Michelle for inspiring us and for sharing your creative wisdom! If you would like to keep up with their latest floral creations then be sure to follow them on Instagram – @francoiseweeks and @hollychapple
Special thanks to Lisa Thompson of Lisa Thompson Photography for visually documenting this event for us!
MW x