Washington County Wedding Show

 A big "Thank You" to everyone who came out to the Washington County Fair Park annual wedding show on Sunday, January 31st.  This show is just so much fun for me to participate in because the vendors and attendees are so down-to-earth and friendly.  They gave us wonderful remarks and feedback on our display and wedding designs.

Our booth was filled with gorgeous floral designs and our bridal bouquets were all featured in the fashion show put on by Amelishan Bridal.  It's so much fun to see what colors are trending this season in bridal gowns and attire.

In order to give brides a better way of budgeting for their special day, Bank of Memories & Flowers recommends calling to set up a consultation and meeting with the owner Melissa in our Menomonee Falls location, or at our Pewaukee location, Luan the manager.  You might also want to check out our wonderful website, Pinterest, and Facebook pages for many new ideas that we post everyday!

From the moment you walk down the aisle with a beautiful floral bouquet in hand, to the trendy flower centerpieces on your tables, our flowers will be the finishing touch to your perfect dream wedding!

Krista Roskopf
~Menomonee Falls Manager

A Behind-the-Scenes Peek into Valentine's Day!

It's hard to believe that it's almost here!  That famous day of love...St. Valentine's Day.  It's by far the busiest floral holiday of the year, and you can feel it in the air here at Bank of Memories & Flowers. We begin the Valentine's Day preparation months in advance, from pre-ordering our flowers, to choosing this years specialty containers, chocolates, and stuffed animals.

As we approach the holiday, the buzz and excitement builds here at the store.  Our shop owner Melissa puts together an "Emergency Kit" filled with snacks and goodies for all of us gals and our fearless drivers.  Krista and Luan, our managers, put together contests and challenges to keep us on our toes and make this busy and stressful holiday a fun and light-hearted one.   And all of us workers bring in food for a week-long pot luck, so we don't have to worry about making lunches each day!   And this is just the non-floral prep for this big day!

This week, we will receive countless boxes of roses and other fresh flowers, each requiring special processing and care.  The holiday containers and candies get unpacked and the shelves stocked.  After all of this, we are ready to assist customers with their individual requests.  After the orders are taken, each order is hand-designed by one of our team members, packaged with care, and sent out into the world...to be delivered by one of our friendly delivery drivers!

It's sounds like we are ready for Valentine's Day....ARE YOU?  Give us a call, we're ready to help you make this holiday of love a truly special one!  1-262-253-9111 for our Menomonee Falls store, and 1-262-695-9911 for our Pewaukee store.

Happy Valentine's Day!
Wendy Kaye Walker
~Floral Designer
Bank of Memories & Flowers

Teleflora's Unit President Meeting

Recently, I had the honor of attending the Telefora Unit President Meeting in Burbank, CA. There are 38 Presidents in all, covering different regions like the Big Apple Unit, Minnadakota Unit, Lewis and Clark Unit and the Kentucky Derby Unit just to name a few.  Serving as President for the Wisconsin and Upper Michigan's Unit, my responsibility is to provide leadership to the unit and help organize education programs for florists in my area.

The event was four days long, filled will seminars, breakout sessions, demonstrations, trade fair, new technology and products, even some fabulous entertainment! It was great to pop my head out of my floral shop and see what the top florists in our industry are doing.

Teleflora's amazing team of Education Specialists come from all over to share their knowledge of their years of experience in the floral industry.  They are the presenters at our floral programs.  

The entire event was sponsored by Teleflora to help us educate surrounding florists in our region. They believe in giving back and providing education so we can be successful as florists and grow our businesses.  This was an amazing recharge for myself and my business.  To be able to meet other florists, from all over the United States, who are doing the same thing and share their experiences was priceless.

Thank you to Teleflora, Rich Salvaggio and Lottie McKinnon for this wonderful experience and amazing gift.   Pictured below is Melissa Maas (Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Unit President) with Rich Salvaggio AIFD, AAF, PFCI (Vice President of Industry Relations).

~Melissa Maas
Owner
Bank of Memories & Flowers

Pictured below is Kevin Ylvisaker AIFD, CFD, PFCI, CAFA (Education Specialist),  Melissa Maas (Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Unit President) and Brent Stelzer (Unit Regional Director)

Dance Time Again!

It's dance time again at Bank of Memories & Flowers, and it's not Homecoming or Prom.  For some it's their Winter Formal or Senior Ball.  But for the rest it's Sadie Hawkins, Turnabout or TWIRP. 

TWIRP, which stand for The Woman Is Required to Pay, originated in the 1930's.  The dance started out as Sadie Hawkins Day, named for a spinster character in the L'il Abner cartoon strip.  In the comic dated Nov. 15, 1937, Sadie's father, tired of her not being married, declared Sadie Hawkins Day, a day when unmarried girls were in a footrace with the town's bachelors.  If Sadie (or the girls) caught her bachelor, they would then be betrothed.  That comic was a hit and within 2 years, high schools and colleges across the United States held Sadie Hawkins Days, which then morphed into todays Sadies dances.

The Sadie Hawkins dance (or Turnabout or TWIRP) was a chance for young ladies to take the initiative and ask a young man to the dance.  It was empowering for the ladies of the '30's and was one of the first examples of women's liberation.

Today, high school girls dream up fun ways to ask their dates to the dance and are traditionally required to pay for the festivities of the evening.  Of course, the couple can bend the traditions to fit their situation.

Everyone at both locations at Bank of Memories & Flowers is here to help each couple choose everything needed for their corsages, boutonnieres and hand tied bouquets.  We are fully stocked with pretty wrist bands of beads, rhinestones and pearls, fun rhinestone or beaded accents, colorful ribbons and fresh flowers.  We also have garters that can be personalized to match your flowers.  

Whether a dance or a ball, Bank of Memories & Flowers is your one stop shop for all of your floral needs.

Luan M. Kurriger

Manager, Pewaukee

Bank of Memories & Flowers

Krista's Pick for Winter Bloomers!!

Winter can be a cold and dreary time of the year here in Wisconsin, but I've got some great blooming plants to brighten up this chilly season!

Cinerarias have many little daisy-like blooms and come in many bright shades including magenta, red, purple, blue, and even white!  They do well in the winter months because they thrive in cool temperatures around 45-55 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cinerarias prefer bright, indirect sunlight and like to stay moist at all times.

Kalanchoes are one of my favorites because they are so easy to care for.  They prefer bright direct sunlight and like to dry out between waterings.  They come in a variety of vibrant colors including red, orange, yellow, and hot pink!

Phalaenopsis orchids are just so elegant!!  Many people think they are hard to care for, but actually, they are quite simple.  They will flourish indoors with moderate, indirect sunlight and only need about 2 ice cubes per week.  My only suggestion is to make sure you don't over-water orchids.  They do not like any standing water in the bottom of their containers.

Cyclamen are sometimes called the poor man's orchid.  You can find them in a variety of shades of pink, red and white.  They prefer bright, indirect sunlight and moist soil.  Their vibrant blossoms and interesting leaves make this plant a popular indoor blooming plant choice.

African violets come in many varieties with flowers ranging from white and light pink, to violets, blues, and purples.  Foliage varies from dark green to lighter variegated leaves, and most have a deep purple tone underneath the leaves.  They enjoy indirect bright light and a slightly moist soil.

So stop in and brighten up someone's day with a colorful winter blooming plant!

Krista Roskopf
Manager, Menomonee Falls

A Wonderful Wedding Show!

Wonderful World of Weddings
State Fair Park
West Allis, WI
January 9th - 10th, 2016

It's hard to think of summer wedding flowers in January, but yes...it's time...time to start prepping and planning for those warm weather nuptials!   Bank of Memories & Flowers was proud and excited to be a part of the 2016 Wonderful World of Weddings show last weekend at State Fair Park.  Our booth featured a wide selection of stunning wedding bouquets, from simple and elegant, to over-the-top wildflowers with an abundance of colors and textures.

If you didn't get a chance to attend the show and visit us at our booth...here's what you missed!

Congratulations to everyone who recently got engaged!  We look forward to meeting you and helping make your wonderful wedding dreams come true!

Wendy Kaye Walker
Floral Designer
Bank of Memories & Flowers

A Winter Wedding Wonderland

Jaclyn and Jason

Month: December
Ceremony and Reception: Rotunda, Waukesha
Florist: Bank of Memories & Flowers
Photographer: Cream City Weddings

With the spirit of Christmas around them, Jaclyn and Jason said their I Do's on December 12th.  The smell of fresh pine was in the air on this perfect winter wonderland day.

The groom's daughter was beaming with excitement.  She personally wrote her chalkboard sign that she carried down the aisle, announcing the arrival of the bride.

The couple incorporated winter details like a picture kissing booth under the mistletoe, wooden mugs to do their toasts, and holiday cheer around every corner.

The blinged out bouquets had deep red roses, fresh cedar, gray brunia, cream roses, red ranunculus, seeded eucalyptus, scarlet berries and angle hair twigs. Sparkling rhinestones where added to some of the roses and the handle was covered with a band of rhinestones.

Thank you Jaclyn and Jason for letting Bank of Memories & Flowers be a part of your special day.

~Melissa Maas
Owner
Bank of Memories & Flowers