Wedding Compote Centerpiece Tutorial using the Holly Chapple Pillow
Alison from Bloom Culture Flowers is sharing a DIY wedding centerpiece hack you won’t want to miss! Learn how to make a wedding centerpiece with this handy DIY tool: the Holly Chapple Pillow!
Who is Holly Chapple and why do I care about her pillow? Well, flower friends, that’s a great question. Holly Chapple is an insanely talented florist who created a really great tool to replace floral foam (which is not so great for the environment). She called it The Pillow and you use it in place of chicken wire, tape, or floral foam.
The Holly Chapple Pillow is a great tool to help you make a centerpiece because it keeps the stems where you put them. This tool, in testing and comparison, was really similar to foam. It helped me use *way* less greenery and flowers because you aren’t trying to overcompensate with more flowers because your stems keep moving and creating more holes! This is a great tool for any DIY bride or budding floral designer.
Centerpieces are not one size fits all and neither are these Pillows. There are multiple sizes to help with different-sized arrangements. I found this tool helpful in that you could actually use half of the pillow for one centerpiece (more bang for your buck!) I was actually really surprised by how easy it was to use and how similar it was to floral foam. If you have zero experience with flowers, it is a wonderful tool!
We’ve made you a tutorial to show you how to use it! Easy peasy!
Supplies you’ll need:
- Holly Chapple Pillow (you can find them on Amazon)
- There are three sizes. 8”, 6”,and 4” – use according to your vase size.
- Snips
- Waterproof Floral Tape
- Vase or compote (shallow vase)
- Water
- Snip
Flower Recipe:
- 2 Ivory Spray Roses
- 2 Peach Spray Roses
- 3 Peach Stock
- 5 Lavender Roses
- 3 Toffee Roses
- 3 Tweedia
- Sprays of Rice Flower
- Stems of Salal/Lemon Leaf
- Stems of Gunni Eucalyptus
How to Make a Centerpiece Using the Holly Chapple Pillow
Start by Attaching Your Pillow to Your Vase
Start placing your pillow in your vase and taping it in place. I tape an X across the top before I put water in the vase. Once the pillow is secure, pour in your water.
Insert Your Greenery
Start with a few pieces of greenery, I usually like to use 2-3 different varieties of greenery to build a foundation before placing my flowers. I used Eucalyptus first and then some Salal/LemonLeaf
Place your Linear Blooms
Next place linear blooms such as the stock, this helps us create more of an organic shape. I usually work in an X pattern as it helps with consistent placement and helps distribute flowers neatly.
Add in Spray Florals
I then place the spray roses. I usually use a few of these blooms to cover up the mechanics of the centerpiece. I drape a few stems over the edge of the vase to cover the pillow and tape.
Add in Focal Flowers
Moving on to our focal flowers I place the larger roses. We’ve used two varieties of roses in this tutorial, play with depth and placement. Make sure they are not all on the same plane to create depth and a more professional look.
Pro Tip!
Periodically rotate your arrangement! You don’t want to only work on one side to realize there is a whole other side to do! Rotating your arrangement as you work helps you see holes and treat the arrangement as a whole, not just one side.
Place Detailed or Accent Flowers
Once the roses are placed, move on to your detailed flowers. Here we’ve used Tweeida to provide a pop of blue. Play with varying lengths here to create highlights and lowlights in your arrangement.
Fill any Gaps with Fillers
Last we fill in with the filler flower Rice Flower. Fill in any holes you see and disburse throughout the arrangement.
Finish with Greenery
Once the bouquet is looking full and almost finished, fill in any holes you see with leftover greenery. Pay attention to the drape of the greenery to compliment the design of your centerpiece.
Pro Tip!
Keep your arrangement hydrated with fresh water daily!
Holly Chapple Pillow Centerpiece Video Tutorial:
Watch the full video on YouTube or hit play below to view the full Holly Chapple Pillow Centerpiece Tutorial video.
More about Bloom Culture
Doing your own wedding flowers has never been easier. With Bloom Culture, we set you up with a guided approach and a step-by-step process. We give you flower recipes, a supplies list, a timeline, tutorials and so much more! We are your one-stop-shop for all things DIY Flowers and we can ship the flowers directly to your door! Because with us, DIY doesn’t mean do it alone.
Content designed, created, and written by Alison Fleck of Bloom Culture Flowers