Small and Simple doesn't have to be Blah

Last year Gorgeous and Green did the wedding flowers for a couple who were having an intimate gathering in the North Bay. The bride had some specifics, like purple veronica and dahlias. Her groom was going to wear an orange bow tie so she wanted some orange pieces. I decided to make the bouquets and centerpieces "wow", with lots of dahlias in bright and mellow oranges and pinks. I also threw a bunch of wispy ferns in and around the bouquets, to give them a lot of texture. They came out looking spectacular and the bride loved them.

Although the wedding was small and the budget was on the smaller side, the flowers added such a nice and snazzy touch. And of course, all the flowers were locally grown and the dahlias and sweet peas were non-sprayed and organic.

As a florist, I read the client right and made an artistic statement that hopefully she will appreciate for a long time. If you are a bride looking for something out of the ordinary, you'll want to pick a florist who can tap into their creative and unusual side. It's also important to share your style and likes/dislikes with the florist and most importantly, make sure you give them space to be creative!

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

Lovely Vintage Adornments

I've mentioned it time and time again, but the best way to be green these days is to reuse what's already been made. It makes so much sense. It's also important to support small business and individuals in an economy that's been so difficult for small businesses. That's why I prefer to support artists and small businesses doing their part to be green. In the coming weeks I will continue to share posts on some green folks I've come across, and will start with a new individual today.

I recently re-happened upon some lovely wearable decor and gifts made my green-eyed girl, a Brooklyn-based designer and fashioner of green and pretty things. Most of her items are made of repurposed or vintage materials. There are some great feminine items to adorn brides or bridemaids, or anyone looking for some sparkle or swirls. Some of her items include these lovely vintage beaded collars fashioned with bows, flowers or little things:

And for the more modern and whimsical bunch, here's a fun necklace made with vintage old-stock zippers:

And a fem ruffly flower belt made of old stock silk:

But my favorite item is this lovely refashioned silk head piece with sweet vintage millinery buds attached:

Her ideas are sweet and green. That's hard to beat.

G&G

Renting Vintage Decor

Renting Decor is a great way to keep costs down and to stay green. By reusing materials and vintage pieces, you can create the ambience you are looking for while staying true to your values.

Gorgeous and Green recently provided the floral decor for a wedding in Moss Beach, CA. The color scheme was navy blue and yellow, with whites. The theme was a rustic vintage. So, you guessed it, I used rented and vintage containers.

We chose to use a lot of rentals to help provide the vintage feeling the bride was looking for, and a good amount of twine! I have these adorable vintage silver champagne cups that I used to showcase a kale bloom or a succulent rosette. I threw in little bits of chamomile tied with twine and plenty of vines. The look was soft and timeless.

The Bride arrived to the ceremony location in a vintage car and her hair was done up with a lovely feather fascinator. Everything looked clean and the vintage touches added the right effect to the day.

Photo by Coco of Martinography.com

Even the flower girl had a vintage flair...

Photo by Coco of Martinography.com

And Finally, the bride's bouquet. I used locally grown/non-sprayed dahias, local roses and locally grown garden roses. Beautiful.

Photo by Coco of Martinography.com

All the details, including the vintage and rented containers helped create a beautiful day.

G&G

Decorating with Jars

On a budget? Looking for something vintage-inspired or just simple? Want to avoid buying stuff for your decorations that you'll never use again?

Many couples are choosing to use canning or mason jars for their decorations. They might choose them because they are vintage looking, rustic, affordable or reusable. Not only are cute but they are recyclable and not made of plastic.

If you are looking for a budget-friendly way to decorate with flowers, finding affordable containers is a great way to keep costs down. Here are some pics from a wedding Gorgeous and Green did just last weekend for a couple who got married at a lovely antique store named the Rose and Thorn, in Sebastopol, CA.





I used all locally grown flowers, most of which were un-sprayed or organic. I also used biodegradable ribbon and leaves to decorate the outside of many of the jars. Some were newly bought canning jars, and others we had collected in preparation for the event.


G&G

City Hall Wedding

As I've stated before, sometimes the easiest way to go green is to stay simple. And simple can be cute too. Gorgeous and Green recently provided the flowers for a couple who got married at City Hall in San Francisco, and the result was so darn cute, I had to share the pics and video provided by Reuben Rodriguez and Vanae Tran. Take a look:

The boutonniere was a simple binding of locally grown yellow button mums, camelia leaves and navy blue grosgrain ribbon.

The bouquet was a hand gathered bouquet of locally grown and non-sprayed white dahlias and yellow button mums tied with yellow cotton ribbon. The Hair piece was also a wired piece of locally grown yellow button mums and camelia leaves.

Click here to see their super darling wedding video. Or just watch here:

It's so simple yet so cute. I avoid floral foam and try not to wire or tape very much if possible. The ribbon is also cotton, so this makes for a biodegradable bouquet!


Thanks Mily and Peter for sharing your day with us!

G&G

Simplify and Stay Green

Finding green solutions to your planning and event needs can be overwhelming at times. One tip: don't over-plan. All the little extras can actually add up to bigger carbon footprint and extra waste, plastic, etc. Figuring out how to stay simple and not over-plan can actually reduce your stress too. Staying simple can help you go green and keep you happy!

I have not had one yet, but I look forward to the day when I have an event where we use just 1 type of flower. Not only would it help keep the planning costs down, we'd be able to source a local flower that might even be organic. We could support a local grower and get all the flowers from them.

Take the daisy for example. This is such a simple flower but still so bright and cheery, some would even say romantic. I recently delivered a lovely all-shasta daisy bouquet for a Gorgeous and Green client and it was very simple and cheerful. Take a look:



Lovely and simple.

G&G