The entrance piece with brush thistle.
This piece is very wide and tall, probably 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide
This piece is constructed in a metal soup pot. Kind of hard to work with but looks fun.
As always, we try to stay true to the season and use locally grown flowers, and during spring, summer and fall months use locally grown organic flowers. This last week we were able to get some lovely magnolia branches and lots of other green things.
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.
Orange, Chocolate Brown and Creamy White
Photos of locally grown dahlias, chocolate mums, pincushions, rose hips and recycled glass vases. Courtesy of Lucie XYZ Photography featuring a beautiful bride, Kelly and a darling flower girl.
Wool Flower Satchels
I made these from some recycled fabric pieces from a local clothing designer. I used them to decorate the Berkeley Botanical Gardens for a Fashion Show fundraiser, actually featuring the designer who gave me the material!
Veggie and Fruit Centerpieces
I loved coming up with the design scheme for these fruit and vegetable centerpieces for a Gorgeous and Green wedding. Local and organic fruits, vegetables and flowers of course!
Top photo courtesy of seandonnellyphotography.com
The others, my kitchen counter!
Fuchsia pink, yellow and blues
Bouquets from a Bay Area local green wedding in August:
Bridesmaid bouquets with blue hydrangea, yellow sunflowers and stock.
and the lovely bridal bouquet:
Bouquets made of local dahlias, sunflowers, blue hydrangea and stock.
Pics made possible by seandonnellyphotography.com
Greening the Fireplace
Here’s a sneakpeak of a beautiful mantelpiece I created for an all white brick fireplace. It’s almost decadent, but it doesn’t always have to be this full and plentiful. Adding just a few leaves, vines and blooms can really draw attention to the fireplace, whether it has a fire or not. Ivy always works well, and is often plentiful and growing like a weed, so harvesting it from the backyard or asking a neighbor for some cuttings is feasible without wiping the plant out.
And the full piece:
The ABC’s of finding your seat
When it comes to events with sit down breakfast, lunch or dinner, I love the idea of the seating card and finding a way to present the cards in a way that is fun and exciting. I have many ideas in my head, but one that I can always lean back on is hanging cards from branches. Not only does it add a festive element, it’s clearly natural and biodegradable and lends an organic design element to your design. To make it even more green, don’t forget to use organic flowers (like those shown in the pictures) and use recycled paper or tree-free paper if possible. I also used hemp cord to hang the cards on the branches.
I recently saw some paper at a craft store that I just had to use to make table seating cards with. The paper is a vintage alphabet design, with a short sentence featuring a word beginning with the letter of the alphabet that’s being shown in the picture. It kind of reminds me of those Dick and Jane cartoons. Anyway, take a look at how I used the alphabet for people’s last names, so they know where to find their seating card.
Here are some up close pics of the design (provided by Cavallini Paper Co. a paper company right here in the Bay Area):
Enjoy!
In Green and Health,
G&G
www.gorgeousandgreenevents.comMy latest creation: Eco-friendly favors for an event or wedding
These favors are not only sustainable oxygen producing gifts, they are beautifully wrapped in eco-friendly papers and bags. If you’re interested in ordering them wrapped up and tagged, contact me at pilar@gorgeousandgreenevents.com or head to my website for contact info.
Organic seeds and a compostable pot all wrapped up in a mini recycled paper bag with reused netting:
Tree in a box wrapped in a piece of compostable burlap cloth, reused ribbon and tree-free paper tag:
Tree in a box is available to order online at: www.treeinabox.com
Cute tree idea! I might use this for a baby shower.
Love your ideas. They are so creative, chic and best of all, earth-friendly!