Choosing Flowers For A Holiday Party

This year, we’ve partnered with the talented Polish American Founders of It’s By U, Caroline & Christine Strzalka, to throw a warm, cozy, and festive multicultural holiday party.

Curious about how they choose flowers for celebrations, we asked Christine and Caroline to take us behind-the-scenes on how they made their flower arrangement selections. We hope you find inspiration in how their choices add to the atmosphere and meaning of our multicultural party:

From Christine and Caroline: 

We’re Christine and Caroline Strzalka, sisters and the founders of It’s By U (itsbyu.com), the do-it-yourself flower kit subscription company. We send you everything you need to make flower arrangements for your own home – sustainable curated flowers, tools, easy-to-design vases, and streaming video lessons. With It’s By U, you get to know about flowers and can feel proud of the designs that you make. We’re thrilled to collaborate with Twrl Milk Tea and all the other sponsors of this very special holiday party.  

The Significance Of Color

We decided on a gold color scheme for these arrangements because gold symbolizes prosperity and abundance -- what better things to wish upon your family and friends (and yourself) during this time of year! (Of course, it also matches with the vibrant, bold Twrl Milk Tea packaging, and we love that!) Like all of us at this holiday party with global heritages, the flowers in these arrangements come from somewhere else, but add to the richness and bounty of us being here together in America to celebrate the holidays.

Flowers: Origins and Symbolism

On to the flowers! Our yellow rose varietal is called “High & Exotic,” aptly named since it is grown in the rich, lush soil on the side of an Andean volcano in Ecuador. Roses take center stage in “La Fiesta de las Flores y de las Frutas,” a two-week carnival held in the historic Ecuadorian city of Ambato every year. 

Next, sunflowers from Mexico burst into the spotlight in this arrangement. An ornamental and useful flower, sunflowers were used as a symbolic defense in battle, in offerings to gods and for sustenance. 

Then, the white alstroemeria, or the Lily of the Incas, balances out the bright yellows with unassuming grace. Originally from South America and having over 150 varieties, the white alstroemeria was believed by the Incan people to be a magical gift from the God of the Sun that allowed them to become invisible, move at the speed of light, and transform into animals. 

Finally, sprigs of green hypericum berries compliment all these flowers, and actually bloom into little yellow flowers themselves, if allowed to remain on the bush. Also known as St. Johns Wort, this plant has been popular in Europe for centuries, and symbolized superstition with the Victorians. They were placed over windows and paintings to protect against evil spirits. Only good things at this table!    

Vase Selection

Our hand-crafted vase is a modern day tulipiere made in China. Tulipieres originally come from The Netherlands where Dutch royalty would use them to display elegant and expensive tulips in their homes. We love tulipieres because they can show off the beauty of individual flowers but also make it simple to create rounded floral arrangements.

Flowers at your holiday party are not only beautiful and make your guests happy, but also convey so much with their presence. We hope that you enjoy flowers at home and make them an essential addition to your environment.

For more on holiday party planning, read Stress-Free Holiday Party Planning With 5 Easy Tips.