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Opening a sustainable retail shop

The Green details of a Green Wedding
More green in a Summer Wedding
Over the summer I worked with Meredith and Ben on their outside wedding at a local community center. I just recently posted some great details of how they infused green and sustainable into their event on The Knot's Green Wedding Website. Take a look:Event and Floral design by Gorgeous and Green Events
Photography by Sean Donnelly Photography
In Green and Health, G&G
In-Between green posts
Some bouquet and centerpiece illustrations
I wasn't able to post earlier today and I have a feeling I'll be pretty busy tomorrow with the start of the SF Green Festival, so I'm doing an "in-between" post. I promise I'll have some great green food for your soul next week. Here are some samples of illustrations I use with clients so they can see what flowers and ideas I want to use for their bouquets and boutonnieres, centerpieces, etc. I like it because I can draw and email them my vision without having to waste flowers doing mock arrangements. Another way I try to stay green with my business.Floral decor for an Asian-inspired Wedding I did over the summer, if you follow my posts you might recognize the real thing.
Sketches from the centerpiece and bouquets for the Kensington Wedding over the summer.
These are from the orange and brown wedding I did in September at the University Club. I ended up not using callas, but a lot of dahlias and chocolate cosmos.
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
Behind the Scenes
The work that goes into those lovely flowers...
Over the summer, things got so busy with green weddings for Gorgeous and Green Events, that I asked my good friend and fellow florist Danica from Heavenly Gift and Florist, to come and help. Here are some shots from that weekend, lots of beautiful and locally grown flowers and artistic talent crammed into my home studio. Thanks Danica for your help! In Green and Health, G&GVintage, Antique and Reused
Reusing Vintage Vases in Weddings and Events
I've started collecting vases for Gorgeous and Green customers interested in renting vintage collections of vases for their wedding or event. It takes some time and dedication, but so far I have almost two collections ready to go and a couple in progress. Here is my current collection of white milk glass vases:
There are some really cool designs. So far my favorite is the bubbled vase that actually doubles as a candle holder.


This collection is actually two-toned, a slightly brighter kelly green and a darker grass green.
My favorite is the long stemmed dish on the right, so delicate.
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
A Garden Party Fundraiser for... Gardens!
Green Gala
a Garden Party at the UC Berkeley Botanical Gardens
Sunday, June 28th 2009 from 2-5pm If you live in the Bay Area, and especially if you live in the East Bay, you should definitely come and check out the Green Gala at the UC Botanical Gardens in Berkeley for their garden party fundraiser on Sunday June 28th, 2009. First off, the gardens are a lovely place and are beautifully located in the Berkeley hills. There are hiking trails nearby and a lovely view of the Bay. But most importantly, this event is a fundraiser that will be directly benefitting the gardens themselves.
The University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley is pleased to announce our Garden Party Fundraiser green gala to be held on Sunday, June 28, 2009 from 2pm-5pm. This year’s fundraiser will highlight the critical work we do to educate the public on the truly amazing relationship between plants and people. We will present a fashion show of sustainable, local designs that will be held in our stunning Redwood Grove Amphitheater followed by festivities in the Garden. A bamboo garden structure and displays of wood and other fiber and dye plants included in the Garden’s acclaimed collection will be in the entrance. Guests will taste seasonal, organic and delicious creations from Devoted Catering by Amiee Alan. Enjoy live music and biodynamic wine from Quivira Vineyards. A silent auction of green and gorgeous items will help raise much needed funds to support the Garden’s living collections.
And, guess who's providing some donated floral and design displays! Yes, Gorgeous and Green is in charge of floral decor and design for the Redwood Grove, where the fashion show will take place. I'm going to play on the natural elements of the gardens and on the lovely organic and sustainable designs of the clothing showcased in the show. I may even include some recycled fabrics of my own... from my own sewing collection. It should be a fun and festive event. I hope to see you there! I will of course, provide some pics of the designs I create, in case you can't make it. G&GSustainable Floral Design: a definition
The Definition of Sustainable Floral Design or, Just Sustainable Design for that matter.
If you haven't tuned in previously, you may not know that the reason I'm in this green floral and event business to begin with is because I myself was looking to plan an event sustainably. And because there was so few resources at the time, I ended up learning a lot trying to work it out on my own. So now, almost 3 years after I started planning my first sustainable wedding, I am looking around and seeing a lot more green. But, I'm not sure it's all what it's cracked up to be. Something I've heard lately is: "green-washing". The idea that with a few elements of eco-friendly products or some organic materials, a new product or service can be called "green". Then people are tantalized by the words and regretfully miss that the product or service isn't altogether that green or sustainable. Kind of like new condos, built to look like an old warehouse or loft with some recycled iron and bamboo floors. It may look from the onset to be "green" but in reality, you may come to find out that virtually all housing developments are using recycled iron these days and the warehouse/loft look actually comes with a hefty heating and cooling bill to control all that extra air space. So, I go into green floral design knowing that if I want to call myself truly green and sustainable, I better do the best job I can or else... Or else my conscience won't be able to take it. And this leads me to the definition. What exactly is sustainable floral design anyway? Well, I couldn't find much talk about it, but I did find plenty that mentioned sustainable design and found some ideas I think fit the bill. In an interview and story by David Carlson that was highlighted on Treehugger.com, designer Satyendra Pakhalé gives some thought to it. He says "the best way to make sustainable design is to concentrate on quality, both concerning design and material. To produce better products. Mass consumption and sustainability doesn’t go very well together" and I agree. Taking a look at floral and event design through this lens shows us that when we work on a smaller scale, when artesans, designers, growers, bakers, candy makers and printers are involved at the local and small business level, then we are working more sustainably. But of course, this also means that those small businesses should also be getting their materials and services at the local level. This can be hard to do, if not impossible. What materials have solely been produced in your 50 mile radius? Yes, those flowers were grown here but where did the seeds come from? And what about the truck that delivered the flowers and what about the diesel that fired up the engine of the truck? Yes, it's difficult. But it's not always impossible. With information and education, consumers and businesses alike can learn more about where their stuff comes from and ask themselves, is it really needed? What can I find that's locally produced that will do the job? Will it cost me more in the long run to buy the well-made product, or the throw-away? And so I move toward a second point by the writer of this story highlighted on Treehugger.com and davidreport.com: David Carlson. He says: "given the growing bounty of choices available to us all, it's more important than ever to simply think about our personal interactions with our stuff and where it comes from. It's not about sustainability for the sake of calling it "green"; it's about making meaningful connections with the things that surround us, and interacting with design and products accordingly." And so, why not think of sustainable design and even sustainable floral design as the production of materials and services that are rendered with a full heart. Taking ownership in the quality of the design, knowing the people who printed the cards and hence knowing that they do their best to use biodegradable inks and recycled paper. Ordering the flowers from a local grower who can tell you how they grow their flowers and how they too hate pesticides. Avoiding cheap materials that may provide ease, such as floral foam, styrofoam, or plastic and instead going with wire, recycled paper boxes, glass or metal and knowing that spending the extra money will add quality and longevity to the product. A lesson I've learned in my own life about sustainability is that I can create my own replenishing world of food and flowers around me. So, I've started growing my own vegetables, flowers, fruits and even some greens I can use in my floral designs. It's taking time and some energy, but every time new growth shows it head or new flowers show me brilliant colors or when I get to harvest some vegetables from the earth, I remember why I do it.

Silk or Artificial Flowers are not the option
"Silk" or artificial flowers are NOT a
sustainable or eco-friendly option


