Another Community Center Extravaganza

Last year Gorgeous and Green had the fortune of being able to help decorate a grand affair at the Piedmont Community Center, and the outcome was fantastic. I whole-heartedly reccomend Community Centers for events when a budget is on the line. And when you spend less on the venue you have all the more budget to spend on flowers and decor!

Photography by Amy Ellis

The bride was looking for a vintage inspired decor using a lot of greens and vivid jewel tones. We rented what we could and used as many local flowers as possible.

The bridesmaids wore dresses that were dyed at home, and I was able to get a hold of some of the dyed material to wrap the bouquets and boutonnieres.

Photography by Amy Ellis

Photography by Amy Ellis

The Bride and her Maid of Honor loved succulents and made cute little planted succulent punch glasses as gifts for guests to take home. They went wonderfully with the fern and succulent displays Gorgeous and Green created for some of the table centerpieces.

Photography by Amy Ellis

It turned out very romantic and classy. I love Vintage! Besides the fact that a vintage look is fabulous, it is also a great way to use used and recycled items! Way to be green!

Photography by Amy Ellis

Photography by Amy Ellis

Gorgeous!

G&G

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.

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