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Flowering Kale at Revival last week
Last week at Revival Gorgeous and Green reused this chemical glass vase. Since the opening is so narrow, I can only put a couple of stems in. This time a little local flowering kale and a nice flowering branch. I love using flowering kale or cabbage, not only because it's hardy and has lovely petals and color, but because it is tied to a good friend of mine. My flowering kale comes from a local grower and wholesaler in Half Moon Bay, Dave Repetto. I have developed a great rapport with him and he is always clear with me about his flowers and his more sustainable practices, including not spraying pesticides on most flowers. Besides the fact that he's local, I know he employs a good amount of local people and he is kind and fair. My local business of selling local and sustainable flowers (and gifts and cards, and...) in turn supports so many other local businesses and people, and the ripples go on and on.
In the big vase I had some lovely flowering branches that had such great movement up and out, I just added a few greens and hanging amaranth as well as one large flowering kale right near the middle.
And for the entrance, one more kale in a short vase with some sprigs and branches.
In Green and Health, G&G
Lovely Local Flowers Delivered...

Handmade Cake Toppers
Top Your Cake with Art
Etsy has so many great gifts and decor ideas for green weddings. They have a ton of handmade items. Handmade can be sustainable because individuals usually use simple methods of creating their products and create less waste doing so. When we buy products at the prices set by artists on Etsy, we are paying a fair price for the item. It's less about getting something cheap and more about what wonderful piece of art we most desire. Plus, everything is online, so it removes our having to drive around to malls to find what we are looking for while wasting gas. The artists don't need to keep up a shop and can keep their costs low and fair. One handmade item that I've seen a lot of lately has been the cake topper. Hopefully, if you decide to use one, you get one cute enough so that it gets reused again as decor or memorabilia in your home. The toppers I've got showcased here are either made out of biodegradable materials and/or made by hand. Check them out:Cake toppers by dandelionland:



Cake Toppers by Littlevale:


Cake Toppers from HeyMiemie:



Green Wedding Registry from The Knot's Green website
A Re-Share of Some Green Registry Tips
I posted a blog on The Knot's green wedding website a few weeks ago about greening your wedding registry. I think that it's a great way to spread the message of a green couple and help folks change their spending habits. Take a look:
Look at this spacious fair trade hammock made of reclaimed cotton by a family owned workshop in El Salvador. The workers are paid above standard wages and receive benefits. Available onwww.globalexchangestore.org
This registry allows couples to register for charities, so guests can donate using their credit card or write a check to your favorite cause in place of a tangible gift. From The Global Fund for Women to Amazon Watch, they probably have a charity you support on their list.
To view the whole blog post go to The Knot's green wedding website where I am guest blogging: green.weddings.com
In Green and Health,
G&G
The Green Festival, San Francisco
Green Weddings and Green People in San Francisco
www.greenfestivals.org And no, we're not all eating granola. I like granola like everyone else, but I definitely don't see myself as "granola" just because I live green or sustainable. Besides, granola isn't a bad word these days. It actually is pretty tasty, especially homemade. Put it into a jar and you've got a great gift or "wedding favor" for your guests. Ok, so what will we be doing at this green festival? Well lots of talking, sharing and looking at new ideas and guest speakers. Check out the Schedule. Online you can download a guide to the festival that gives you all the cool info. It's huge and includes so many inspiring words, visuals and people. Here are just a few of the highlights:- 450+ exhibitors and organizations in the Green Marketplace
- 45 minutes presentations and speakers on the sustainable economy, ecological balance and social justice
- how-to workshops in the Green Buiding Pavilion
- Hemp fashion shows in the Hemp Pavilion
- Music acts
- Food Demonstrations in the Soul Kitchen
- Green Social Media Demonstrations
- Organic food and drink
- Concerts and dance parties after dark: greenbash.com
Here is the dress with all the layers, but you can unzip the last three and make it shorter.
I love the low back and silk ruffles of this dress.
So if your in or around the Bay, definitely come check out the SF Green Festival this coming weekend.
In Green and Health,
G&G
Green sweets and treats
A Hot Chocolate Favor
So it's getting chilly at night these days. The time has changed, the days are shorter, and you've probably switched to flannel sheets like we have. I know, I live in California, but we still get cold here. If you're getting married this winter, you may be considering a winter theme. Maybe you're just thinking about the comfort of your guests on a chilly winter night. Whatever the case, why not help your guests get cozy after the affair with favors of organic and fair trade hot chocolate? I love hot chocolate, hot chocolate with marshmallows, even Mexican hot chocolate. With a few cookies for dipping and a movie to watch, I'm set for the night. There are a few companies out there providing hot chocolate made with organic and (so very important) fair-trade cocoa, but one caught my eye because of their willingness to share with their cocoa growers: Deansbeans.com. Now, their hot cocoa mix is not only well-intentioned, it's also very affordable. Half of their profits are returned to the growers!

A busy Summer of Sustainable Weddings
Weddings, Green Weddings!
Like most florists and wedding coordinators out there, I've been busy. So busy, I haven't been keeping up on my blogs. So sorry. But, I hope to have some wonderful pics from wedding photographers in the coming weeks to show you all that I've been up to. First though, a sneak peak at a few of my concoctions. A few weeks ago I had a wonderfully organic wedding in Lafayette, Ca. The bride trusted me to develop a plan for her day and we came up with a plan for collecting recycled cobalt blue vases for her centerpieces. She wanted pink and since there was so much blue, I added a few touches of yellow, namely from some beautiful sunflowers that were in season. All her flowers came from local growers, and about 75% of them were organic. Thankfully, a local grower had an abundance of rose colored mini callas. So I used them wherever I could. I must have had at least 2 dozen just in the bride's bouquet. Take a look:And I added plenty of those callas in the bridemaid's bouquets as well. I also added some orchids that yours truly had grown. For some reason I have good luck with orchid plants. Nock on a tree.
I just had a lovely wedding in Kensington at the community center, and the bride was not a big fan of flowers. She wanted fruits and vegetables instead. So I worked some magic with some locally grown fruits and veggies and created some beautiful centerpieces. Here are some mock centerpieces to give you an idea of what I did:
I just love getting creative with what the local earth has to offer in it's abundance. As you can see, it's dahlia season and I couldn't help but add some locally grown organic dahlias into the mix.
All the centerpieces I've been doing, whether flowers, veggies or branches have included some key elements of sustainability. All the vases we used in these two wedding ended up getting reused, either in to my collection or into someone's home. That feels so good!
In Green Weddings and Health,
G&G
Silk or Artificial Flowers are not the option
"Silk" or artificial flowers are NOT a
sustainable or eco-friendly option



Green Wedding in Santa Cruz
Local, Sustainable and Organic
In November, we did a wedding for Heidi and Dave, who had chosen to do local and sustainable flower design for their wedding. The wedding took place at the Chaminade, very close to their home in Santa Cruz. I don't live in Santa Cruz, so I stayed at a local beach cabana with my husband under the guise of a surf weekend. We brought our dog and all the materials I would need to craft 21 large table centerpieces of orchids, some cocktail arrangements, a table card arrangement and the wedding party's flowers. Heidi originally wanted orange and purple flowers, but when we talked with Dave about his needs he asked that we not use very much purple, as in his Italian culture it was considered bad luck. So out went the purple and in came the green, white and orange color scheme that I suggested. I had seen some beautifully decorated rooms where the floral designer used potted orchids as the centerpiece, so I suggested we do the same because the plants could also be used as gifts for those who wanted to take one home with them. I used willow branches, moss and glass vases with rocks to pot the orchids, and they looked beautiful in the room. Around the centerpieces I added some moss and branches I had found from the sea and that had dropped from trees in the mountains. We decided a slightly mountain-y feel would go well for where the Chaminade is located (in the Santa Cruz mountains). The ceilings were bare and we needed some height in the design, so the tall orchid centerpieces did the job wonderfully.



