Coast Wedding, Downtown Milwaukee

Coast, a Zilli Restaurant in Downtown Milwaukee was a great place for Shelly to have her perfect wedding day.  What I love most about this venue is that it is set up like a restaurant; the dinning areas are on two different floor levels.  There are so many different sizes of tables that you can be creative with your seating chart.  The views aren't too bad either, your guest can gaze out into Lake Michigan during cocktails and during dinner!

Shelly flowers where abundance of white hydrangeas, creamy roses, white freesia and sleek calla lilies.

-Melissa Maas
Owner

w

 

 

Purple Wedding Flowers

Now that we are going into Fall, a favorite color by our Bank of Memories & Flowers bride are shades of purple.  Here is a wedding we did that show a soft approach that would be amazing with Plum, Eggplant or Grappa bridesmaid dresses.

This bride has white hydrangeas, green hypericum, purple lizzy, plum calla lilies and lavender freesia.  The bridesmaids had all Iceberg Gerberas with a dark black eye.

Thank you to Jessica Lauren Photography for theses amazing Photos!

Think Green! Buy Local Cut Flowers

Everyday when we get to work we walk in and are flooded by beautiful flowers and fragrant smells. Jealous? Don't be, you can have these colors and smells in your home too! At the shop we are always trying to buy as many locally grown flowers as we possibly can.   

Handpicked flowers are almost always superior to flowers that have been shipped from far away. At Bank of Memories & Flowers we feel that supporting local growers goes a long way in keeping our hometown economy alive and our outdoor spaces green. We find that when blooms are just picked and handled with care by small growers shortly before they reach your hands, they last much longer. We purchase locally grown flowers from a local farm called Windswept Acres located in Cecil, Wisconsin. 

MaryLee and Reed Johnson are the owners of this wonderful farm.  They started Windswept Acres in 2002, producing everything that can be grown in Zone 4 (which refers to what plants can survive our cold winters) or can be grown in their greenhouses. During Fall they bring us unique and exciting flowers and greenery not available elsewhere, such as colorful zinnias, stunning dahlias, ornamental grasses, celosia, many varieties of sunflowers, native prairie grasses and much more!

Their 20+ acre flower farm and greenhouses offer home-grown flowers and a large selection of field-grown, high quality, fresh cut flowers and bouquets from June through frost. Windswept acres supplies us with enormous sunflowers this time of year, not to mention many other different types of blooms and greens sure to make your next arrangement that much more special.  

 

Sue from Bank of Memories & Flowers is pictured processing some of these magnificent sunflowers. Windswepts flowers look amazing in any type of arrangement! By buying local grown flowers you are helping to maintain a healthy environment, vibrant community, and a strong and sustainable local economy for you, your children, and your grandchildren. 

 

Pictured is owner, Reed Johnson by his flowers.  Reed personally delivers his flowers in a refrigerated truck on different routes throughout the week from Green Bay to Milwaukee.

Be In A Magazine!

Hello My Bank of Memories & Flowers Bride,

Do you feel you wedding was a perfect fairy tail or just amazing in your own way?  

Now here is your chance to show the world and be in a magazine.  

Wisconsin's Wedding Magazine Veil, is looking for your story!

Veil Magazine is one of my favorite magazine that I can find inspiration, beautiful flowers and new trends right here in Wisconsin.

After being at your wedding or seeing your photos that you have sent us, we need to show your wedding off!

To win, submit a 100 word or less word document on why you should be featured in Veil Magazine.

Winner must provide a photo release from their wedding photographer.

http://www.veilmagazine.com/engaged-enter-win-your-love-story-featured-veil-magazine

We hope to see you in print and your very own two page spread!

Meet Our Designer, Carissa!

This week's spot light is on one of Bank of Memories & Flowers floral designers, Carissa Russell.  She has worked at both of our locations for the past 6 years and loves everything about flowers.  Not only does does Carissa love designing beautiful arrangements, but she also is the talent behind our beautiful giftware displays.  

When Carissa is not working at the shop, she is busy doing landscape design and maintenance during the summer and early fall months.  Her botanical background is very helpful at the shop because she has a knack for remembering the names of many plants and flowers, both cut flowers and outdoor plants. "I can't explain how or why I can remember the latin names, but they somehow stick! I know plants names and characteristics the same way you would recognize a person."

Like many of the other girls at the shop, Carissa admits to being a crazy cat lady!  She has her own kitty, but also enjoys hanging out with our shop cat Chloe. She also is minorly obsessed with her reef aquarium that includes a variety of corals, shrimp, crabs and of course, colorful fish.

In Carissa's spare time, she and her husband enjoy being outdoors and using their kayaks in different lakes and rivers around Wisconsin.  We couldn't ask for a better designer and friend!

Tips and Tricks to Make Your Flowers Last Longer

You grab some fresh flowers while shopping....
You just had wrapped flowers delivered to you...
How do I make them last?

Here are some tip and tricks that we use at our flower shop, Bank of Memories & Flowers.

Loose fresh cut flowers need water within an hour, anything longer will die or have a shorter life expectancy.  Sometimes we have a few guys that stop in the shop to pick up some flowers for their wife.  We ask if they will be getting their flowers in water within an hour.  They say" The flowers will be ok if I put them in the fridge till tomorrow or in the cool basement, right?" Even if loose flowers are in a refrigerator, they still need water.

Tip Number One:  Have fresh, room temperature water ready in a clean vase. Add a few drops of bleach to the water.  This will slow the process of bacteria growing in the water.  

Tip Number Two:  Remove all foliage/leaves from the flower stem that will be under water.  Having foliage/leaves under the water level will result in fast bacteria growth.  Leaves will be come mushy within days. 

Tip Number Three:  All flowers need a fresh cut with a knife or clippers and need to be placed in water SECONDS after you cut them. (Good thing we have our vase ready!)  Cut the stems on an angle.  At the bottom of the flower stem, you will see it begin to harden and seal up.  The stem does this to protect themselves from the air and to keep the moisture in. Cut, place in water and they will begin to drink.

Tip Number Four:  After you have designed your flowers, do not place your flowers in a sunny area, draft, on top of a TV, near a heating vent or left in a car.

Tip Number Five:  If you really want them to last (this means the difference between 5 days and 2 weeks)...replace the water (like Tip One) and re-cut the stems every other day.

Give this a try and tell me what you think.  You will be amazed! Some of my customers have reported that their flowers have lasted 3 weeks or more.

*Note: Some flower variety last longer then others.  Carnations, daises and altroemeria are naturally longer lasting compared to gerbera daises and dahlias.

Where Do Our Flowers Come From?

Ever wonder where we got all our beautiful flowers?  

It is amazing to think of all the places:  Antique Hydrangeas from Holland, Bells of Ireland from California, Gerbera Daises from Mexico, Protea from Hawaii, Roses from Ecuador, Orchids from Asia.  But there is a few months out of the year that we can shop local.  Yes, right here in Wisconsin!

One of my favorite places to find fresh flowers is right down the street from my Menomonee Falls location, at the Farmers Market.  Every Wednesday at 8am I grab my list, head down the street and select the finest Sunflowers, vibrant Gladiolus, and unique Coxcomb; just to name a few.  These flowers are then created and designed into beautiful arrangements that some of you might have right in front of you!