Florrie de Havilland’s story has been anything but ordinary, her career encompassing the worlds of engineering and calligraphy. But the business owner argues that her two professions have more in common than you might think. 

de Havilland Memories creates beautiful wedding invitations, signage and keepsakes with the art of calligraphy at its core. We chatted with the talented Florrie de Havilland about the inspiration behind her business, how she’s striving for a more sustainable future and why more and more people are turning to traditional stationery. 

Florrie, your background in engineering is fascinating. How did you transition from the space sector to becoming a renowned artist and calligrapher?

Working as an engineer was incredible—I was the first woman in Europe with my job title. I was not just working as an engineer, but was working in the space sector, which was just amazing. I loved my role as a test manager, testing satellites and their components before they were launched. 

While the technology and people I worked with were fascinating, I have a chronic illness that sadly meant I had to leave my job. The high-pressure setting was great for getting my adrenaline pumping, but being on call so often meant that my physical health was declining—and I had to put myself first. 

At this point, I’d already started de Havilland Memories [Florrie’s calligraphy business] but was in the early stages. I had no customers, but I wanted to get a feel for the processes involved in setting up and running a company while taking online calligraphy courses. 

Once I left my engineering job, I worked part-time in a local, family-run print shop in Munich, where I was living at the time. Here, I learned how wedding invitations are created and printed, and from there, I could put my skills into practice when I moved back to the UK and set up de Havilland Memories.

The name ‘de Havilland Memories’ carries a lot of personal significance. Can you share more about how your family history has influenced your journey in creating this brand?

I’ve always heard many stories about my famous relatives but could not meet them. The main two who would come up in regular conversation were Sir Geoffery de Havilland and Olivia de Havilland, both known for two very different reasons! 

Knowing that I come from a long line of so many interesting individuals inspired me to forge my own path. I would say that Geoffery had a particular hand in this (along with my father), as I knew at quite a young age that I wanted to be an engineer. 

While pioneering aircraft wasn’t for me, it set me on a path to logical thinking and the ability to act well under pressure—skills that were very transferrable to the art world and taking on commissions. 

It’s inspiring to see your commitment to sustainability. What motivated you to prioritise eco-friendly practices in your work, and how do you maintain this ethos in every aspect of your business?

I try to be environmentally friendly in my personal life, so it also made sense to use this in my company. I’m (perhaps a little too) aware that we only have one planet and need to act now to protect our Earth. 

I think having had a bit of time to work out my company’s processes and really be able to take the time to choose suppliers who align with my values has helped immeasurably. I’m working towards accreditation from the Sustainable Wedding Alliance, which is also an incredible resource for suppliers and couples alike.

This means looking at my entire supply chain and working out my sustainability policy and how far I would like to take this aspect in the future.

Your workshop in East Grinstead sounds like a creative haven. Could you give us a glimpse into a typical day at de Havilland Memories and the atmosphere of your workspace?

My workshop is still a bit of a work in progress, but it’s very exciting to have the opportunity to dedicate a large space specifically to my work. 

I’m very good at sticking to deadlines, but I’m no good at sticking to a routine when I have to be creative, if that makes sense? If I’m not in a creative mood, I struggle to design or write my blog or newsletters, which means that my days tend to flow a bit more than being fully regimented. 

As an absolute night owl, my mornings are typically quite slow and involve organising my emails. After lunch is when I am best at writing, and in the late afternoon is when I am most creative. Sometimes, though, it hits me in the evening, and I just have to start sketching or planning out the next commission there and then. 

Usually, if it’s been a few days and I’m still stuck on a design, it comes to me as I’m just about to drift off to sleep and then I have to remember the idea again in the morning!

Traditional calligraphy is a timeless art form. What drew you to specialise in traditional scripts, and how do you continue to innovate within this classical style?

I love the quote: “By all means, break the rules, and break them beautifully, deliberately, and well,” by Robert Bringhurst, as it sums up perfectly how I feel. 

This is where some more of the engineering side comes into play, as I love to learn the rules, get a real feel for them, and then use this knowledge to bend them. Traditional calligraphy has so many rules, which means there are so many different ways to experiment with them!

Your vintage Heidelberg Platen printing press, Penelope, must hold countless stories. What inspired you to incorporate such a beautiful piece of machinery into your craft, and how does it enhance the quality of your work?

Penelope embodies my love of heavy machinery. I used to have a cherry picker, forklift, and crane driver’s licence! 

I’ve always loved getting stuck in and getting my hands dirty, so this, paired with the mechanical side of a 1960s Heidelberg, was a match made in Heaven. Penelope is such an amazing piece of machinery and works beautifully.

This means that I can do all of my letterpress printing, embossing and die-cutting in-house, giving me full control over the outcome of my work. As soon as I first laid eyes on a piece of machinery like Penelope, I knew that was what I wanted for my business.

Winning the Finest Calligrapher of 2024 award from E2 Media is an incredible achievement. Can you tell us about the journey leading to this recognition and its significance for you and your team?

Thank you! I’m so honoured to have been awarded such an amazing prize; it was so unexpected! 

I was notified that I’d been nominated, but I never found out who by. Around the same time, I also won the SouthEast Times Award for my Commitment to Excellence 2024. 

It’s so lovely to be recognised for my hard work, especially so early in my career as a wedding stationer and calligrapher. It encourages me to keep pushing further and to show our customers that de Havilland Memories provides award-winning customer service, which has helped me no end.

As a multi-cultural individual, how does your English-Icelandic heritage influence your artistic vision and the designs you create for de Havilland Memories?

Honestly, I’m not entirely sure how to answer this question. I’ve saved it until last because I feel that they’re both so embedded into who I am that I don’t think I would know any other way to express myself. 

I’m just very lucky to have had such a supportive family. Even my parents, who aren’t really creative at all, always encouraged me to paint, draw, play music; everything!

Celebrating wins, big and small, seems to be a core value of your brand. How do you infuse joy and celebration into your work, and what role do your furry and scaly friends play in this?

Working in the wedding industry means I’m always working towards a big and happy milestone in someone’s life. This, in turn, makes me want to celebrate too. 

My two geckos, Arien and Lola, don’t play as much of a role in my work life as they tend to sleep mainly during the day. But my cats, Sophie and Ophelia, absolutely love to be in the background of everything I do. 

And sometimes in the foreground, too—which is especially annoying when I’m on a business call! They’re both very good at letting me know when I need to take a break to cuddle them (or top up their food bowl!)

Your commitment to using sustainably sourced materials is commendable. Could you share some insights into the challenges and rewards of maintaining eco-friendly practices in the stationery industry?

The events industry tends to be less environmentally friendly. And the stationery industry is the same, making it extra challenging. 

As I mentioned, working with the Sustainable Wedding Alliance has opened my eyes to the possibilities of reducing waste and carbon footprints. However, even before I joined, I was very conscious of my suppliers’ values. 

The work I produce is a luxury item. Therefore, I have no intention of reducing the quality of the materials to be more sustainable, so I needed to find the right suppliers. 

Finding wax seals and envelopes that are as carbon-neutral as possible has been the most challenging part—I’m still looking for these suppliers! However, paper wasn’t a problem at all. 

I contacted a local paper company that also values sustainability, and they showed me so many incredible alternatives to the usual wood-pulp paper, such as bamboo paper, recycled cotton rag paper, and 100% recycled and unbleached wood-pulp paper. 

From here, I was next able to find a printer that aligns with my ethos, and now I’m on to the next step—envelopes. While finding exactly what I’m looking for is challenging, I think I’m on the right track by using small, local businesses and then doing a lot of research (when I have the time) to look into more sustainable companies. By starting locally, I can reduce my carbon footprint while looking for other suppliers.

The use of apple blossom to honour your grandparents adds a deeply personal touch to your brand. How do you weave elements of your family history into the designs and aesthetics of de Havilland Memories?

My family, especially my grandparents on both sides, were so much a part of my life growing up that I still think of them and miss them every day. Each of them brought a different creative aspect to my childhood—my mother’s father would create new board games out of all the ones with missing pieces. 

My mother’s mother would sit and paint with me and taught me how to sew. My father’s mother was the one who taught me to cook and create with the fuse beads you iron together, and my father’s father taught me how to garden and woodwork (in year six, we built a bat box together, which I still have!). 

All of them, being creative in their own way, helped broaden my mind and allowed me to experiment with different creative outlets, from logic puzzles to watercolours.

With your experience living in different countries, how has international exposure influenced your artistic style and the way you approach creativity?

Germany and Britain are very different in many ways, and artistic style is one of them. I think that if I had originally had the idea for de Havilland Memories in England, I probably wouldn’t be so free with my designs. 

Being in Germany, where the style was very different, even from what I would normally go for, allowed me to go all out in the way that I wanted; it allowed me to create unique artwork. 

If I had stayed in England, I probably would have been more influenced by what was around me instead of experimenting with what I wanted to do.

Creating a stress-free experience for your clients is a noble goal. What strategies do you employ to ensure that every couple feels heard, valued, and supported throughout the design process?

At de Havilland Memories, we only take on a limited number of customers per year. This ensures that each of our couples receives the time, dedication, and attention to detail they deserve. 

This means we can reply to all questions or queries our clients may have within one working day. There’s no such thing as rushing an order and making silly mistakes, and we can have a higher standard of quality control of our products.

In a world where digital communication dominates, what do you think draws people to the tangible beauty of letterpress printing and handcrafted stationery?

Having something handwritten physically in your hand is becoming rarer and rarer, which is why so many people love the idea of having something that will last forever. 

The wedding stationery we create isn’t just an invitation but artwork that many of our customers frame or, at the very least, keep in their photo albums as a keepsake. This, with the additional tactile nature of letterpress printing, leads to a beautiful blend, mixing art and writing.

Your dedication to learning new calligraphy scripts is inspiring. Can you share some of the challenges and joys you’ve experienced while mastering different styles?

Sadly, the most annoying part of learning new scripts is something completely avoidable – me being too impatient for my new tools/nibs to arrive and trying to learn without the proper equipment! I genuinely think anybody can learn calligraphy if they put their minds to it. 

All it takes is a lot of practice. I have pages and pages of individual strokes, letterforms, letters, and then, finally, words, and I have invested countless hours into learning this craft. I believe this is the only true way to become good at calligraphy – time and being able to look back at past work critically and use this to learn where to improve. 

I think the main joy of calligraphy is that you’re so focused on each stroke that you forget to think about anything else. This, combined with achieving a new skill, such as learning a new script, is a fantastic feeling!

The de Havilland family has left a significant mark in various fields. How do you carry on their legacy through your work, and what lessons do you draw from their achievements?

I think that whilst the mark we leave is inevitably different, it’s left more on the individuals we work with. 

Being a part of their special day and knowing that whenever our couples look back on their wedding day and their photos and stationery, they will have a moment of joy when thinking of their time working with us. The lead-up to their wedding is full of both excitement and stress, and we would like to be remembered as something they were looking forward to. We have had two of our couples cry with joy when receiving their wedding invitations, and hearing these stories is what really makes a difference to our work. 

We love to be able to include loved ones in the designs, especially if they can’t attend the wedding. With one such customer, we included a teapot as a little nod to the bride’s grandfather, who had sadly passed away before their wedding. 

This is something we can do when creating art in this way, as the illustrations we produce are of whatever our couple would like, giving them the freedom to really express themselves.

As the owner and creator of de Havilland Memories, what does success look like to you personally, and how do you measure it in your professional journey?

I think success looks like a happy family home. Being able to enjoy work while taking time off and relaxing—I think I am quite good at finding that work-life balance, but it could definitely be improved!

What advice would you give aspiring artists and entrepreneurs navigating the intersection of creativity, craftsmanship, and business?

As someone who undertook a big change in their career, I think it’s worth telling aspiring artists that it’s worth taking the leap. It will be scary, but it will be worth it. I honestly feel that if you’re a creative individual, you can’t be happy doing anything other than creating, whatever your version of that may be. 

Being able to invest time in your company whilst still working is paramount. This way, you can build the connections and back processes you need without worrying as much about money, but you also need to trust yourself to make the leap to full-time when you’re ready. 

Also, don’t judge where you are based on other people’s journeys. If you start your company at the same time as someone else, you won’t necessarily have the same milestones. You need to keep your head down, focus on yourself and not compare yourself to others.

Looking ahead, what are some of your goals and aspirations for the future of de Havilland Memories, both artistically and in terms of business growth?

I’ve recently become accredited by the Guild of Master Craftsmen for my calligraphy, which is a huge milestone for me, as I love to have certificates and seals of approval! 

Knowing that I’ve been able to get into such a prestigious establishment based solely on my work is incredible and not just a massive boost to my confidence as an artist, but also for my company. 

Now I’m turning my focus back onto becoming more sustainable as this is a key goal for de Havilland Memories. We were finalists for the Sustainable Wedding Awards 2025, Sustainable by Design category, and so continuing our work towards becoming accredited with the SWA will also be a big success!

Our readers love to travel, what destination is at the top of your bucket list?

This is an incredibly hard question! I’ve just returned from my honeymoon in Tobago and would love to go back there, but if I could only go on one more holiday ever again, it would have to be either India or Iceland. 

Usually, when we go to Iceland, it’s for shorter times to visit family, but for a longer holiday, I would love to explore India more—especially the tea gardens!

Finally, if you could describe the essence of de Havilland Memories in three words, what would they be, and why?

Elegant, timeless and polished.

I would like to think that everything we create, coming from a traditional style, will have a timeless elegance, even if it has a modern twist. With our attention to detail and high-quality materials, we pride ourselves on consistently producing perfectly polished stationery without fail.

Where can people follow you and find out more?

Website: dehavillandmemories.com

Instagram: @dehavillandmemories

Facebook: facebook.com/dehavillandmemories

Pinterest: pinterest.co.uk/dehavillandmemories