I’m Amy Wurster, the founder of Poppy Belle Event & Floral Design based in Durham, NC.

Tho the name is floral in nature, it didn’t start that way. When I rebranded, I tried to think of a name of which I’d never tire. My oldest daughter’s nickname is Poppy and my youngest daughter’s nickname is Belle. Together they are EVERYTHING. 🙂

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way…

Just a little history on my creative itch… My background is rich, having worked in a variety of fields prior to floral design. I had a “corporate career” in software sales & marketing. yes, seriously, I kept finding ways to incorporate graphic design into those positions because I had to make something pretty! I then dabbled in interior design by gutting, renovating, and selling two unique homes that both set records in their respective areas. I also owned a custom jewelry business, specializing in designing and creating wire jewelry. 

I began my wedding career in 2004, as a wedding planner under the name Knots ‘N Such Event Planning & Design. I enjoyed handling the logistical side of events. but my passion, my true love, was design. It started with custom handmade stationery design. But I’ve always been obsessed with making the event itself beautiful and unique to the guests of honor. So I took the plunge in 2014 and officially added floral Design to my Event design repertoire.

I quickly learned that I needed some serious education to do things right. Doing simple arrangements for parties was one thing, but to excel at providing the most elegant and unique floral design in the area was an entirely different animal! So I’ve invested heavily to gain hands-on experience AND “book” knowledge. I’ve taken classes under well-known designers such as Amy Dunlap, Holly Chapple, Susan McLeary, Hitomi Gilliam, Ariel Dearie, Mikey Putnam, Naomi Demana, Kelly Perry, and many designers who are members of the NC State Florists Association and AIFD. I enjoyed it so much, that I wanted to focus on design full time. So in late 2019, I retired my wedding planner hat to focus on design – totally and completely – and thus Poppy Belle was born.

The covid pandemic encouraged me to pivot my business once again. I started offering “retail” type floral services including every day flower deliveries, subscriptions, and workshops.

My journey has been amazing. I believe that the true beauty of this business (besides the obvious) is that I never have to stop learning. One will never learn it all – nature provides too many options and creativity is endless.

P.S. Photo credits: Poppy & Belle by Kevin of RTP.Studio and Amy by Sweet Snaps by Tara Hodges