Amaryllis "Inspiration" for winter/early spring weddings

An unusual but beautiful flower to use for bouquets is the amaryllis. It is a bulb flower and is available in the winter and early spring months, so it gives a very "wintery" look wherever it appears. Most people know amaryllis from the potted plants that are often given as gifts at Christmas time.

Cut amaryllis blooms come in a very crisp white and a striking red color. A single stem usually carries at least 2-3 large, showy blooms. These blooms are comparable in size to an Asiatic or stargazer lily. When used in a bridal bouquet, they are beautiful alone or mixed with other flowers.

The image below is of a simple, white amaryllis bouquet we designed for a photo shoot.

(Professional photo by Gina Kelly, Lace, http://www.laceimages.com/)

Amaryllis can also be mixed flawlessly with other non-seasonal flowers. The following photos are of bouquets we did for a wedding January 12, 2008 for Lisa (Reyes) Grabel. The bride had white amaryllis with peach roses and pearled stephanotis. We took these snapshots during different stages of the bouquet production. The first shot is without the stephanotis, and the second shot shows the finished product.

Amaryllis blooms are a great way to incorporate winter seasonal flowers into your wedding. They give a great bang for your buck!!!

January 2008 Corporate Events

January has been a busy month here at Sisters!! We have had some great corporate events to showcase our floral designs!

The Kemp Auto Museum, in Chesterfield, has quickly become one of our favorite venues! It is an upscale location for parties as well as corporate meetings. This past weekend, we took our flowers to an event their staff was putting on for Gateway EDI. The museum served as a great backdrop for the theme of the party--a 50s diner, complete with poodle skirts, old cars, and a John Travolta impersonator! We helped out with a large arrangement for one of the food stations. Here are Dani and Jaci of the Kemp next to our arrangement.

Check out the Kemp Auto Museum online!! http://www.kempautomuseum.com/

Another fantastic event that we participated in this month was the Edward Jones Annual Partners' Meeting at the Chase Park Plaza. We worked with Basia Najarro at the Chase not only to provide the flower decor for two luncheons, but for the final dinner, dancing, and awards event on Saturday in the Khorassan Ballroom. Even though meetings were held in the same room until late that afternoon, the Chase staff was able to turn the Khorassan Ballroom around and make it a stunning place to have a dinner for 700-- in less than 3 hours!! The staff at the Chase always goes above and beyond and we salute them!!

Our fresh flowers, in warm red, orange, and burgundy, accented the beautiful gold and ivory linens and chair covers provided by Ruby at All Seasons Linen Rentals (http://www.allseasonslinen.com/). All of the color and ambiance inside the room really created a warmth that contrasted the chilly January cold outside.

Every detail, down to the gold edging of the china and the menu cards, was considered and executed perfectly.

Great work Basia and staff for making this a wonderful event! We enjoy working with you! Contact Basia at http://www.chaseparkplaza.com/

Tree Decor

One of the new trends in wedding decor is using natural-looking pieces to create an indoor/outdoor "harmony." Many T.V. wedding shows, especially "Platinum Weddings," have featured large trees for use as centerpieces or focus points for a large space. Well, you're in luck because Sisters Flowers has those trees for your event!!

Our black, wrought iron trees stand 6 ft. tall and have a span of 4 ft. The branches of the tree start about 31 inches up the trunk, leaving ample room for guests to converse across a table. They include ten glass hanging votive cups to put candles or LED lights in. The versatile trees can be modified by adding willow branches and draping ivy, flower arrangements on both the top and bottom, or any combination in between! Also a popular look featured on the wedding shows, strings of crystals or glass beads may be hung from the branches. Imagine these trees at your event!!

(Shown on a 34 inch diameter table, not on a standard 8 or 10 top.)

Extra votive candles can be placed at the base of the tree to help bring the light lower. The ambiance these trees give a room makes them truly unique. They can be used on all or part of the guest tables, the place card table, a bar, to frame an entry way or ceremony location, etc. Sisters Flowers rents these trees for $95 each (includes hanging votive cups and standard votive candles). Willow branches and ivy added for an additional $50 per tree. Flowers as shown $185. Contact us today to see if they are available for your event!

Calla lily "Inspirations"

This is a great inspiration for anyone who really loves calla lilies and wants to use them throughout their entire event!!

These pictures are from one of our brides, Jennifer (Brennan) Thompson, who got married September 1, 2007. Jennifer really loves the look of calla lilies and wanted to really feature them in her wedding decor. Her bridesmaids carried mixed colored mini callas accented with loops of lily grass, which really gave a pop of color against their black dresses. Each groomsman wore a different brightly colored mini calla to match the bridesmaids.

Jennifer's bouquet was all white callas to give a contrast between her flowers and all the others at the ceremony.

Then, for the reception, the elegance of the calla lily theme and the white in Jennifer's bouquet was carried through into the centerpieces. Several large white calla lilies were placed in trumpet vases along with the dark green lily grass to give the arrangement even more of a contemporary feel. This made for a showy, but simple way to showcase the callas that were featured at the ceremony. This gave the entire event a consistent look.

This is just one of many ways to use callas in weddings/events. Whether you use them exclusively or mixed with other flowers, calla lilies are a great way to add simple beauty to an event any time of the year.

Special thanks to Jennifer Thompson for sharing her pictures with us!

There's no place like "Home"

This week, Emily and Shelly went to check out the trendy, new nightclub "Home" at Ameristar in Saint Charles. We were totally blown away at the absolute beauty and luxury that this venue has to offer! It features a lounge area complete with a black onyx bar, private D.J. booth, and lounge seating for 300 that can be rented out for private events and parties. This area is separate from the night club, but gives guests the option of staying after the event to enjoy the club when it opens.

The club itself is just jaw-dropping awesome! It has private VIP tables that can be reserved for groups as well as regular seating and a large dance floor. The club also features black onyx bars, dancing boxes, flat panel screens, and awesome lighting. It has a distinct layout that makes for spacious celebrating, even when at full capacity.

Check this space out!! www.homeguesthouse.com
Thanks to Marianne Moore, Director of Nightclub Catering Sales, for giving us a private tour!

2007 Recap

2007 was a great year for Sisters Flowers! In January 2007, we were delighted to move into our new location, which we've nicknamed "the cottage." It's a darling little 1930s brick cottage in Kirkwood where we conduct our wedding consultations. Brides enjoy coming and meeting with us there, looking at our many magazines, event books, and our rental display room.

From Cory Custodio on January 20 to Amanda Coleman on December 29, (and 126 weddings in between!) we enjoyed working with our brides and their families to help give them their dream weddings!

Sisters Flowers was also busy with corporate events in 2007. We rounded out the year working on the grand opening of Lumiere Place with Taylor Black of Extraordinary Events (an event planning company out of L.A.).

(Here are Holly and Shelly of Sisters with Taylor at the grand opening set-up December 19)

On December28, we were invited to attend the grand opening of Lumen, a new event space on Locust Street. Gorgeous!!!! We ran into our bride and groom, Courtney and Rip, who are having their reception at Lumen on November 15, 2008.

We also ran into Marianne Moore, who recently took over as Director of Sales at "Home", a new, trendy, hot-spot at the Ameristar. Congratulations, Marianne! We look forward to visiting you at "Home" soon!

(Shelly from Sisters and Marianne enjoy the Lumen party)

(Emily and Shelly relax in the Lumen lounge)

Sisters Flowers had a great 2007 and we are looking forward to 2008! Check back often for our "Inspirations" blogs where we'll give ideas and suggestions to make your event special!!