New Years Resolutions for 2016

It's that time again, the time of year when we all contemplate our New Year's Resolutions.  What will it be this year?  Promises to lose weight, go to the gym more often, or to quit smoking, usually top the list of resolutions every year for a lot of us.  We try to do our best but every year we take on more than we can handle.  This year can be different, and this resolution can increase your well being and happiness as well as those around you.

BUY YOURSELF MORE FLOWERS!! Europeans have done this for years, they stop by a florist or flower cart and buy flowers for THEMSELVES.  Flowers are not a luxury, they are a staple, just like air and water.  A study done by Rutgers University found that having flowers in the home triggers happy emotions and have a long term positive effect on mood.  Not only do flowers visually stimulate us, they also induce memories through our sense of smell.  A beautifully scented lily wafting through the house does more to alleviate anxiety and depression than one would believe. 

If you don't feel comfortable picking up flowers for yourself, then buy flowers for others.  Nothing gives me greater joy than seeing the faces of people who are receiving a flower delivery.  Receiving flowers is a joy but it is a joy for  the giver as well.  Studies have shown that senior citizens who receive flowers suffer less confusion, less depression and feel a greater sense of community.  What a powerful gift!

So, go out there with your NEW New Years Resolution, adding flowers to your daily life or the lives of those around you!!

Luan M. Kurriger, Manager
Bank of Memories & Flowers Pewaukee

Make it Merry!

 Hosting a holiday gathering for family and friends this Christmas?  Looking for some inspiration to make your table sparkle?  Check out these dazzling fresh designs, sure to impress your guests!

This rustic wooden box overflowing with fresh pine and bright holiday blooms creates a stunning focal piece for any room.  Sprinkle a few pine cones or ornaments around for the prefect finishing touch.  When the holiday is over, the charming wood box can be re-purposed as a home decor accent!

Decking the halls with a touch of cranberries!  Deep reds and bright whites with winter greens are the perfect colors to accent a vase full of floating cranberries.  Add a few keepsake ornaments and you're got a custom flower arrangement that can create a rich look to your home for the holidays.

TULIPS in December?!  Yes, it's true.  Bank of Memories & Flowers has holiday tulips in vibrant red and bright white, sure to warm your heart on a cold winter day.  Let us help you get inspired this holiday season!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!

Krista Roskopf
~Manager, Menomonee Falls

The Poinsettia - A Bit of Holiday History

When we see those big, bright red blossoms, we can't help but think of Christmas!  But how did these Mexico-native plants that grow larger-than-life end up in cute little pots in our homes in Wisconsin?  Let's step back in time, all the way back to 1828, when Joel Roberts Poinsett brought the first Cuetlaxochitl plant from Mexico to the U.S. for propagation.

Poinsett was the son of a French physician and an avid botanist.  He was appointed as the first Ambassador to Mexico from the United States by President Madison. While visiting Mexico in 1828, he was amazed by these bright blooms and immediately shipped plants to his South Carolina greenhouses.   There, he grew small versions on the large tree-like plants, and gave them to family, friends, and botanical gardens.

The Cuetlaxochitl plant blooms in the winter months in Mexico, when it cools down, which coincides with the Christian holiday of Christmas.  With it's large vibrant blossoms and blooming season, the Cuetlaxochitl plant, now widely known as the Poinsettia, named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, has become the official plant of the Christmas season, and an important botanical crop, creating more than $250,000,000 in annual wholesale revenue for the industry.   The poinsettias we carry at Bank of Memories & Flowers are grown right here in the Milwaukee suburbs in greenhouses!

Today, December 12th is celebrated as National Poinsettia Day, marking the anniversary of Poinsett's passing.  We continue what Poinsett started so many years ago, giving the gift of an amazing plant as a way to spread joy and cheer throughout the season!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Wendy Kaye Walker
Floral Designer
Bank of Memories & Flowers

Erin & Travis

Ceremony:  St. John's Northwestern Military Academy-

                    Noble Victory Memorial Chapel, Delafield

Reception:  Golden Mast, Okauchee

Florist:        Bank of Memories & Flowers - Pewaukee

Month:        October

Erin and Travis didn't want to have the "typical" October wedding of fall colors and flowers.  They chose instead to use bright colors to match their fun personalities.  And they chose to be married in one of our favorite churches, the chapel at St. John's Military Academy.  It's English Gothic stone interior and beautiful rose window makes the chapel a beautiful ceremony location.

Erin selected flowers that would pop, since the bridesmaids dresses were a bright pink.  We designed her bouquet to have lots of color and texture which included pink stargazer lilies, orange mini calla lilies, celosia, and pin cushion proteas, magenta gladiola blossoms, purple stock, lime green button mums and hypericum berries finished with seeded eucalyptus.  Her bridemaids and flower girl carried smaller versions of Erin's bouquet. 

The gentlemen of the wedding party wore a single orange mini calla.  Travis's boutonniere featured an accent of a hot pink spray rose and green hypericum berry.  The mothers and grandmothers wore wrist corsages on rhinestone bands with a mix of orange and hot pink spray roses and green berries.

Because the chapel is so ornate, the only decor the couple chose for the church were pew decorations. Hanging vases of white hydrangeas and stargazer lilies lined both sides of the aisle, tied with bright pink satin ribbons.  After the ceremony, we transferred these vases  to the reception hall at the Golden Mast, where we placed two hanging vases into antique sewing drawers for half of the tables.  We added orange and hot pink rose petals to the remainder of the dining tables and cocktail tables.

We had so much fun working with Erin and Travis and were proud to be a part of their special day.  Congratulations from all of us at Bank of Memories & Flowers, Pewaukee!!

Luan Kurriger
Manager, Bank of Memories & Flowers - Pewaukee

It's not a Feast without the Flowers!

Whether you are hosting, or traveling to be with family this holiday, there's no better way to say Happy Thanksgiving to your loved ones then by bringing a festive fall centerpiece to dress the table.

The rich tones of fall add a warmth and pop of color and texture that makes the holiday meal truly festive.  Lovely lilies, sunny sunflowers, vibrant orange roses, and even the amazing giant kale mixed with fun fall textures really make these Thanksgiving centerpieces the perfect gift.

You've got your turkey, the stuffing, and the pie...don't forget your centerpiece, because it's not a feast without the flowers!

I am truly thankful this holiday season for my amazing family, friends, and shop customers I consider as close as family.  You all make the world a brighter place, and we would not still be here at Bank of Memories & Flowers without our amazing customers and our team here at the store.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Krista Roskopf, Manager
Bank of Memories, Menomonee Falls

Rustic Love

Megan & Scott

Ceremony: Holy Cross Church, Menomonee Falls, WI
Reception: Rustic Manor, Delafield
Florist: Bank of Memories & Flowers
Baker: Sweet Perfections
Month: September

After a lovely ceremony at our local Holy Cross Church, Megan & Scott headed to the barn for a rustic reception!

 Megan chose the elegance of a simple white bouquet comprised of hydrangeas, roses, freesia, and stock, wrapped in white satin ribbon and accented with pearls.

 Fall jewel tones were the perfect choice for the bridesmaids bouquets.  Each bouquet was designed in a monochromatic style with an assortment of flowers including roses, gerbera daisies, sunflowers, alstromeria, and stock.  This gave each bouquet a simple, but charming style.

 The reception flowers added to the rustic, yet charming feel with clusters of vintage bottles filled with bright blossoms and slender vases filled with birch branches and gerbera daisies.

 The rustic charm continues with a blossom-covered cake and the bride and groom's initials set up with bright flowers as an accent.  You can just feel the rustic love fill the crisp fall air on Megan and Scott's special day!  Congratulations from everyone here at Bank of Memories & Flowers!

Wendy Walker, Floral Designer
Bank of Memories & Flowers

Eric, Lindsay and Sailing

Ceremony: Zion Episcopal Church, Oconomowoc, WI
Reception: Pewaukee Yacht Club, Pewaukee, WI
Florist: Bank of Memories & Flowers, Pewaukee
Month: October

Nautical was the theme for Eric and Lindsay's wedding day, from the colors of the flowers in the church next to Fowler Lake in Oconomowoc, to the table numbers set in "Monkeys Fist" knotted ropes on the tables at their reception at the Pewaukee Yacht Club.

Lindsay chose a beautiful combination of white hydrangeas, brilliant blue delphinium, coral roses, and green hypericum berries with touches of yellow oncidium orchids.  For her "something old" the bride used a necklace of charms from grandmothers who had passed, to wind around the wrapped stems of her bouquet.  The bridesmaids carried smaller matching bouquets.

The groom wore ivory spray roses, green hypericum berries, and a blue delphinium blossom while the groomsmen, ushers, and ring bearers wore coral spray roses and coral hypericum berries.

At alternating pews hung white hydrangeas and at the alter, we designed two tall arrangements with white hydrangeas, bright blue delphinium, coral roses, and yellow oncidium orchids with tall curly willow branches reaching from the center.

A full van = lots of tables!  Each table at the reception featured a short cylinder vase with white hydrangeas, coral spray roses, full-size roses, coral hypericum, and accents of seeded eucalyptus.  The cocktail tables featured smaller versions of the main tables.  The tall arrangements from the church served double duty and were featured at the buffet tables.

All of us at Bank of Memories & Flowers, Pewaukee wish Lindsay and Eric smooth sailing for their future together!  Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day.

Luan M. Kurriger, Manager
Bank of Memories & Flowers, Pewaukee

North Hills Vintage

Amanda & Chad

Month: September
Ceremony & Reception: North Hills Country Club, Menomonee Falls, Wi
Flowers: Bank of Memories & Flowers

Amanda & Chad tied the knot at North Hills Country Club, just down the road from our shop in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.  A little lace, burlap, and some soft blossoms was all it took to transform a simple brick patio into a charming vintage setting just perfect for a wedding.

Mason jars and vintage bottles filled with hydrangeas, soft peach stock, and charming little spray roses were used to give this wedding its vintage feel.  They adorned the chairs down the isle and hung from the gazebo.

The same feel was used inside for the dinner tables, using a cluster of jars and bottles with burlap tags for the table numbers.  The floral clusters were set on vintage-looking silver serving trays, which were sprinkled with white rose petals.  All of these elements came together to create a simple, elegant feel.

Simple, soft blossoms were also used to adorn the cake, which was placed on a vintage silver cake stand, adding to the vintage decor.

Congratulations Amanda & Chad!  It was a pleasure to be your personal florist and decorator for your special day!

~Wendy Walker, Floral Designer
Bank of Memories & Flowers

A Rustic Pritzlaff Wedding

Katlyn + Kevin = LOVE

Ceremony:  The Big Red Church, Calvary Presbyterian 
Reception: Pritzlaff Building
Florist:  Bank of Memories & Flowers
Rentals: Canopies 
Month: October

Katlyn (Kate) and Kevin where married on a gorgeous autumn day in October when the leaves were just beginning to change.  Their "I Do's" took place at the historical Big Red Church in downtown Milwaukee on Wisconsin Avenue.

Kate was stunning in her vintage inspired wedding dress adorn with lace; her bridal veil was a sweet birdcage veil covering just a part of her face.  Her lips were a bright pop of red.  Her flowers were inspired by wild flowers.  The bouquet was filled with garden fresh plum astilbe,  delphinium, seeded eucalyptus, and fragrant ivory garden roses.   For her "something borrowed" and "something blue" she used a special heirloom lady face brooch.

For cocktail hour, guess arrived at the Pritzlaff Building near the 3rd Ward.  This amazing and historical space has high ceilings, cream city brick and exposed beams.  The couple carried the rustic and vintage theme right into their reception.

Mason jars filled with wild flowers sat on top of cut slabs of tree wood.  The other centerpieces gave some height, tall branches towering over the tables.  Each branch had hanging glass votives with flickering candles and the cylinder vase was filled with white garden hydrangeas.

Thank you Kate and Kevin for letting us be part of your special day!

Melissa Maas
~Owner

Custom Funeral Flowers

Flowers are a perfect way to pay tribute to the deceased at the service.  They provide a voice for many people like myself who have difficulty finding the right words of consolation during a time of loss. 

I truly love designing funeral arrangements.  It sounds a bit strange, but I feel that flowers can play a role in the grieving process.  Many times when I am at a funeral, flowers are what brightens a sad and somber environment.  Floral tributes create a topic of conversation and have a soothing quality.  Sympathy flowers show that you cared about the deceased or his or her family.  Looking back when my grandpa passed, it was very comforting to see an abundance of floral arrangements at the viewing.  It made me feel very loved during a time of sadness.

If you are looking for custom arrangements and expertise, please do not hesitate to stop into Bank of Memories & Flowers.  We would be honored to help in any way we can.

Krista Roskopf, Menomonee Falls manager