I am thrilled to be a part of the Chapel Designers group and today we are offering up a progressive blog featuring favorite bouquets from talented designers across this nation. We all met in NYC for the Chapel Designers Conference, which was  started and nurtured by the one and only Holly Chappel. I can’t wait to see all of my new friends again in NYC next year!! So here are three of my latest favorites…my favorites list changes so quickly as I am lucky to have  the opportunity to create bouquets on a weekly basis for my brides…each with unique personalities…but for today…these are my three favorites!

Haley Sheffield Photography

This sweet bouquet was created just last week with several of my favorite elements…Passion Flower vine, Coral Charm Peonies, and several shades of Ranunculus. I love loose, organic styled flowers.

Next Bouquet…..

Haley Sheffield Photography

This bouquet was created for one of my dear “friendors”, Jamie Jimenez, owner of Julias Poppies. She is the talent behind my logo and website design. She requested some of the elements and asked for it to be “Big”. I think that was achieved! Several of the blossoms included Fritillaria, Patience garden roses, Pieris Japonica, and Jasmine vine. This wedding will be featured in print December of 2013.

Third and final choice…..

Laura Deas Photography

I loved this bouquet even though it wasn’t as wild and woolly as my typical look…the colors, the feminine feel, the softness….the combination of the Sarah Bernhardt Peony, the mini green Hydrangea, and the stunner in the foreground,Ornithogalum Dubium, made this lovely spring bouquet  a breath of fresh air!

Please continue on this progressive blog by going to each of the links below….links to my Chaple Designer family members…some of the most talented floral artists in the industry!

http://www.hollychappleflowers.com/about/chapple-designers/

Holly Heider Chapple Flowers LTD: http://thefullbouquetblog.com/?p=25873

Celebration Florals:  http://bit.ly/11Bc48t

Gertie Maes: http://www.gertiemaes.com/blog/

Soiree Floral: http://blog.soireefloral.com/

Colonial House: http://colonialhouseofflowers.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/bouquets/

Stacy K Floral: http://www.stacykfloral.com/blog2/?p=4489

Wild Bunch Studio: http://wildbunchstudio.blogspot.com

Passionflower: http://www.passionflowerevents.com/main/blog.jsp

Alicia Jayne Florals:  http://aliciajayneflorals.com/blog/?p=162

Goodness-Gracious! Florals: http://tulipiere.com/2013/04/29/46/

Urban Petals: http://myurbanpetals.wordpress.com/?p=3233

FloressenceFlowers: http://floressenceflowers.blogspot.com/2013/04/my-favorite-bridal-bouquets.html

On Butterfly Wings:  http://onbutterflywingsblog.com/?p=356

Fleur:ology : http://fleurologydesign.com/?p=721

Alluring Blooms: http://alluringblooms.com/chapelbouquet/.html

Posh Floral Designs: http://poshfloral.com/memory-monday-favorite-bouquets

Francoise Weeks: http://francoiseweeks.com/2013/04/bouquets-2/

Exquisite Designs http://www.exqdesigns.com/blog/?p=2225

Sherwood Design and Events: http://www.sherwooddesignandevents.com/a-few-of-our-favorite-bouquets-and-meet-our-friends/

Courtenay Lambert Florals, Weddings, and Events: http://courtenaylambert.blogspot.com/2013/04/bouquets-with-chapel-designers.html

Affair With George: http://www.affairwithgeorge.com.au/blog/?p=80

http://www.daevids.com/bouquet-blogging-with-chapel-designers/

Happy Monday!

G.

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Weddings, styled photo shoots, consultations, buying trips, networking gatherings…. I have been skipping along from one to another so fast  I  completely missed a lovely milestone! September 13th marked the 9 year anniversary of Gertie Mae’s Floral Studio. A sweet little passion, along with  tons  of persistence, and a bottomless well of  determination brought me here to this very  moment. The business has changed through the years…. I  like to refer to the adjustments  as  ”morphing” ! When I first opened the storefront, I kept in the back of my mind that I had to be willing to go wherever the journey takes  me…the storefront may not be the end all and be all…

The first concept was of a European style “bucket’ shop creating tied bouquets and custom arrangements,  along  with small antiques, gourmet chocolates, and artisan made gifts. The initial  change came when I added full service floral designs coupled with deliveries. After that, the brides began to find me and the wedding side took off. The inviting and quaint storefront quickly became an anchor business in the historic downtown of my community and was humming along quite nicely. The cog in the wheel for me, as for everyone else, was the downturn of our economy. The flower portion of Gertie  Mae’s was still going strong, but the retail shoppers had all but disappeared. The first morph  from storefront to a workroom setting took place. Designing  in a building on a secondary family property made sense and  blessed me with the ability to continue growing my business in a tough economic climate. My wedding designs began to receive more and more attention filling the calendar with weekly weddings and events. It became evident that weddings were the mainstay.

Another morphing…Focusing on weddings and special events made perfect sense and was a natural destination on the journey. On June 29th, the streamlined plan to specialize in weddings and events was put into play along with a complete re-branding of Gertie Mae’s. A new look, a new direction, and all roads leading  to the continuance of business  regardless of the economic climate. I am blessed beyond belief and truly thank my grandmothers, Gertrude and Mabel Mae for passing on their “flower talent” gene to me. I love what I do and do what I love…the day that changes is the next “morphing’ for me. I have always believed if you are not happy with what you are doing, it is time to make a change!

Happy Anniversary to my beloved baby-Gertie Mae’s Floral Studio…next stop…who knows?!

G.

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