Interview with an Event Planner

I have had the privilege of getting to work with Vera Devera, a local event planner here in the Bay Area, on a number of weddings. I've asked her to answer some questions about event planning and specifically, green-er events. Enjoy!

1. What kind of services do you provide couples?

Va de Vie Events specializes in month-of wedding coordination,

especially for brides who prefer planning the major elements but recognize the need for help with organizing the event flow, managing vendors, setting up decor and determining the final details. We also offer partial to full planning, including providing overall event design consultation and selecting and booking vendors.

Andi Hatch Photography (c) 2010

Salvaged lace served as the base for an escort card display (recycled kraft paper that was hand punched) and attached to a wrought iron gate.

2. Why would someone want to hire a planner/coordinator?

A wedding coordinator is like the quarterback between the bride and groom with their vendors and key family members. We act on your behalf to ensure that your vision for the day is executed. The greatest value we offer is our ability to troubleshoot and put out fires. Murphy's Law applies to even the best laid plans and it's our job to make sure you don't even know there was a problem and enjoy your wedding -- after all you have invested a lot of time, energy and money into making it extraordinary!

Belathee Photography (c) 2010

Principal event planner and owner, Vera Devera

3. What kind of advice/suggestions do you give couples who are trying to stay green while planning?

1. Determine how green you want to be. What are your priorities in minimizing your carbon footprint and how does it impact your wedding's look and feel and its budget? For example, when it comes to shopping for a wedding dress -- is the greenness of the material and getting a new dress made of bamboo fiber more important than finding a dress on Craigslist and getting it customized with vintage embellishments? Where are you going on honeymoon and how are you getting there? Are you volunteering together, engaging in an eco-tour or just having a relaxing getaway within 200 miles of where you live?

2. Go local! Where is your venue? Is it near public transit? Does it already have the tables and chairs that you need (or do you need any at all, especially if you're getting married on the beach)?

Greg Raphael Photography (c) 2010

Unbleached cotton market bags printed locally with vegetable dye.

3. Hire vendors who share your values. As you're researching or interviewing vendors, find out if they share your philosophy around being green. For example, is your photographer going all digital and will they post a gallery online for your friends and family to view photos? Find out if your floral designer can make a bouquet that you can plant later (e.g. succulent bouquet) and ask your caterer where their ingredients come from and how it's grown or raised.

4. Consider the season, especially for your food and flowers. It doesn't make sense to eat fruits and vegetables out of season and that have to be flown in from south of the equator for your wedding.

5. Shop smart. Thrift stores, antique flea markets or retail outlets that specialize in salvaged materials are great sources for "found" objects that you can incorporate into the look and feel of your wedding. Or, you can shop online. Our go-to is Etsy.com and we suggest searching for vendors (especially local ones) that recycle or use sustainable materials in their work. Keep in mind that it's best to buy locally -- for example, if you find an amazing antique trunk in New Jersey, it's not cost effective or environmentally friendly to get it shipped out of state.

6. Leverage your existing network and consider the reusability of materials. Can you borrow mason jars as vases from a friend? Can your crafty aunt share scraps from fabric projects? Could your grandmother's treasured brooch be tied to your bouquet?

4. What is your favorite part of planning an event?

Partnering with our clients to find solutions to their needs -- whether it's finding a DJ on a particular budget, determining the best layout for the reception, or creatively communicating seating arrangements to guests -- is one of the most rewarding aspects of our work. We pride ourselves in being resourceful and leveraging our community of talented vendors. And ultimately, it's seeing all the moving parts come together that's the best part of our job. We often work with couples months in advance leading up to the day-of and to see the bride and groom, their family and friends and the beautiful details come together is truly awe-inspiring.

Cake photo at top:

Davina + Daniel Photography (c) 2010

The cake table is a salvaged piece from Mignonne Decor. Also featured are scraps of ribbon to connect vintage letters with a felt heart in the center, champagne glasses (from her mother-in-law's wedding 35 years prior), an antique white milk glass cake stand found at a local flea market and fresh dahlias.

Destination Wedding Minus the Destination

Last year Gorgeous and Green provided the floral decor and design for a wedding that took place locally. The inspiration was a Carribean Island. The bride's fiance is from the Dominican Republic, and rather than send everyone there for the wedding, she chose to bring the island here. And keep the carbon footprint a little lower too.

The bride was concerned about being green and so we included some green practices:

-The bride used non-paraffin candles made from sustainably harvested palm oil which I carry at the G&G boutique

-I chose a few hundred locally grown roses, hydrangea and lilies instead of flowers grown in South America or beyond

-The bride opted to rent many of the vases we used and what she didn't rent, she purchased as gifts for her guests to take home and use.

-I did not use any floral foam in any of the designs, and that was a challenge, especially with the beautiful cascading bouquet she had ordered. In case you don't know, floral foam is made of a type of plastic that has lots of hazardous chemicals in it to make it so nice and spongy! It's bad for the environment, and bad for those who come in to contact with it on a constant basis, so I won't touch it. There are other ways to find beauty in flowers, they are from nature after all.

The colors were reminiscent of the clear carribean sea and peach conch shells. Although it all felt so much like a beach vacation, we were not more than 20 miles outside of Oakland.

All Photos in this post by Lucie XYZ Photography

I guess you can have your island and be sustainable too!

G&G

Local Sweet Favors

Why not go local for your wedding favors? Locally made and sold products cuts down on pollution and you'll know that your giving your guests a little bit of love that will benefit your local economic community as well. If you can, try sourcing organic or recycled products if possible, and add to the positive effect of your purchase.

Here in the Bay Area, we have a plethora of local craftspeople, artists, farmers and food artisans. But I'm sure every local community is known for local goods or art, you just have to do your homework.

I have become well acquainted with two Bay Area businesses who create sweet treats that can be used as wedding favors: Marshall's Farm and Coracao Confections. Both produce wonderful products.



Coracao Confections make lovely organic, vegan and raw chocolate confections. They use superfoods like acai, goji and maca and other tasty treats like almonds and coconut.




They have a two piece box that would act as wonderful treats for wedding guests:

Each box contains a superberry cup (antioxidants) and a caramel. Both look and taste delicious.






Marshall's Farm produces (with the help of local bees) natural and raw honey from various areas around the Bay. Not only is it delicious, but it has some natural allergy relief built in for those who live here. Check out their small 2 oz pots of honey that would look great on each guest's place setting:



They have several types of honey collected from local sites around the Bay, so depending on where you live or are having your event, you can get specific honey.

Supporting local businesses and craftspeople is not only sustainable for the environment, but for your community. The more we learn to depend and thrive on what is in our neighborhood, the healthy our communities will become.

G&G