Interview: Love Letters Floral

Colorado

January 15, 2014

By Couture Colorado

I am thrilled to introduce you to the talented Holly Kerr, founder and lead designer at Love Letters Floral {LISTmember}. Holly went from rebuilding homes in the AmeriCorps to now creating gorgeous wedding bouquets. Business Description and Service you provide: Love Letters Floral Design is a full-service wedding floral design company for beautiful weddings in Colorado. From small weddings to very large weddings, services include consultations, design concepts, creation of any and all floral arrangements, delivery, set-up, and clean-up. When and why did you start your business? I officially launched my business in 2011, although I have been doing floral design for weddings since 1998. I've had an entrepreneurial spirit from a very young age selling my own handcrafted painted rocks, leis, wreaths, and other items door-to-door. In high school, after selling boutonnieres and corsages to my classmates for school dances, I dreamed of one day having my own floral shop. Originally,my business was going to be half floral shop and half coffee shop so I could help customers with their floral needs over a hot cup of coffee. (I am an avid coffee drinker). In 2011 I decided on a home-based business that focuses on weddings. Flowers are a great addition to many settings, but the unique and personal nature of weddings are what I find rewarding. Running a home-based business allows me the flexibility to hold consultations wherever is most convenient for my clients. Often times these consultations end up at coffee shops, so my vision of meeting with customers over a hot cup of coffee holds true more than 15 years later. How did you learn your craft? I have always been drawn to flowers, but my love of working with flowers developed when I enrolled in a several week lei-making course while living in Hawaii in the early 1990's. In high school I took apart a corsage from the Homecoming Formal I attended and thought to myself, "I can make this!" Subsequently, I taught myself to do so and started selling boutonnieres and corsages to my fellow schoolmates for school dances. (I recently found the flier I designed for my high school endeavor in a box of old papers. Talk about a time warp!) When my cousin got married in 1998, I had the honor of designing her floral arrangements. That propelled me to create floral arrangements for the weddings of friends and their relatives. Time spent working in a floral shop and hands on learning over the years has taught me that experience is the best teacher. Describe your floral style and approach to weddings. I love creating floral arrangements that are abundant and rich with flowers! My approach to weddings is to design the floral arrangements in harmony with the overall look and feel of the event. One of the biggest details of a wedding is the wedding party's attire, specifically the bridal gown. Flowers alongside the gown are meant to compliment the dress, not conflict or detract from it. Whether the wedding is rustic, vintage, modern, elegant, or any other style, the floral pieces I create are adapted to that specific style, with the types of flowers used, the color-scheme, and the composition of arrangements. Initial wedding floral consultations are scheduled to help couples navigate the sea of possible floral options (of which there are many!). My approach is to gather as much information as I can about what each couple envisions for their big day and really listen to any ideas, likes, or dislikes they might have, while at the same time offering up concepts, design styles, and/or specific blooms they might not even have considered. As a wedding professional, I strive to make this part of the wedding planning process easy, fun, and informative. What or who inspires you? Gosh, that is a big question! Well, I can say that in general I am inspired by the ability to dream and design in your mind, then bring that vision into real life manifestation. Being able to touch, hold, smell, or taste something that began as a thought is absolutely incredible. That is the fundamental process of creating floral designs for weddings so I am constantly inspired just being in this line of work. I am also inspired by stories of people who have followed their heart and talents in doing something they love and are passionate about. I think fear of failure stops so many people before they even start. I am a believer in the motto, "Just keep swimming" and with every stroke there�s an amazing couple I work with that brings the energy that make this line of work so much fun. Any awards or features/publications? I had my first feature recently in A Colorado Courtship, Floral Fridays on November 15, 2013. I was also recently notified from Denver Life Magazine that some of my designs will be featured in the Spring/Summer 2014 issue of DLM Weddings, which should come out in early to mid January. Favorite Wedding location. I have a personal fondness for outdoor weddings. Denver�s City Park, Washington Park, and anywhere in the mountains are all beautiful places to get married, but I also love the look and feel of an intimate backyard wedding. Favorite Wedding Trend. I love all the lacy and very detailed dresses that are currently in style. One of my favorite things to do with the bridal bouquet is to match the lace or beadwork on the dress to the base of the bouquet. I am also a big fan of bouquets with lots of colors and textures, and I think it's especially neat when non-floral items are included, such as feather, berries, beads, trinkets, ribbons, candy, fruits and vegetables, and anything else unusual or personal. Advice for a couple planning a Colorado Wedding. Planning a wedding is a big process and it can be easy to get overwhelmed by everything. Just remember that weddings are meant to be joyous occasions, so the planning process should be enjoyed, as well. Delegation is important when planning an event of this magnitude. Whether you are hiring professionals to help you with all the details or going the DIY route and enlisting the help of friends and relatives, the people you choose to work with and trust have your best intentions in mind, and the time spent worrying about all the pieces can and should be left to them, so that you and your significant other can focus on each other and enjoy the day. Where did you grow up and how did you end up in Colorado? I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, but lived in several other states growing up and in adulthood. I went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and got a degree in English Literature. After college I joined the national service program, AmeriCorps NCCC for two terms. I was part of the post-Katrina hurricane disaster relief and helped rebuild several damaged houses. Doing hands-on service work was an amazing experience and allowed me to see even more of the United States. After my time with AmeriCorps NCCC, I moved to the island of Kauai to be near my parents. Hawaii is an incredible place, but small and rural. I decided to move back to the mainland to be in a bigger city with more career opportunities. I have been in Colorado for a little more than 6 years and can't think of a more beautiful place I would want to live. Here are a few of her favorite wedding images. Check out more on her site: Love Letters Floral.