Practicing Hospitality Through the Art of Floral Arrangements
By Megan Bratland | Photos by Ashley Krupp
For most people, the practice of hospitality conjures up images of welcoming homes and good conversations. For Ashley Krupp, owner of Denver-based Ashley Eileen Floral, practicing hospitality means creating beautiful floral arrangements.
Ashley’s path to opening her floral shop was not always clear. She recalls always having a deep desire in her heart to create something that was visibly beautiful, but she never took to typical visual arts, such as painting or drawing. She wanted to own a vineyard as she grew older, but she thought it was an impractical dream.
According to Ashley, “(Practicing hospitality is) the exercise and practice of thinking of others and anticipating their needs… to not just be in the present moment, but to participate in it.” Flowers play an important role in practicing presence and hospitality. “The sensory experience calls us to slow down and take everything in,” Ashley explains.
In 2011, her grandfather passed away, and Ashley was tasked with helping to choose the flowers for the funeral. She recalls this event as the moment when she realized that flowers could fulfill that need to create something beautiful and that she could practice hospitality in a tangible way.
Today, she owns and operates her own wedding floral business and continues to keep hospitality at the core of its missionAshley’s favorite part of her work is getting to know a bride and her fiancé and journeying with them as they prepare for marriage. She sees herself as a servant to the couple and offers her work as a prayer for them and their future marriage.
“I’m praying for them… and letting them know that I care beyond just providing a service, because wedding flowers are a visual reminder of what matters most in the world, just beyond our basic needs,” she says.
For Ashley, flowers manifest the beauty of the Lord in a very tangible way. Not only is this beauty attractive, but it welcomes people in and makes them truly feel at home.
Ashley’s Favorite Floral Tips:
Best place for flowers in the home:
The kitchen table
Best ways to keep flowers fresh:
Before submerging the flowers in water, remove leaves from the stems so no leaves are below the water line. Change the water at least every other day and give the stems a fresh snip.
Advice for Amateur and DIY Florists:
Flowers are already beautiful, so you don’t need to worry too much about arranging them to make them more beautiful!
Find more articles like this one in the Summer 2021 issue of VIGIL!
