Recently I met up with Liliana Segal, the founder of Green Chair Events.  She is extremely passionate about the environment and she gave me some insight about her company.

After working as an event planner with other companies for over 18 years, Liliana realized the large amount of waste that was produced from events and wanted to do something about it.  Since she was working for other people, she had no power to change what they were doing, so she decided to start her own company, Green Chair Events.

They’ve been running for over a year now, and their mission is to educate people on green alternatives when running an event.  They want to inform people that a green event can be elegant as any other event, but most people just don’t have the knowledge and resources to know how to pull it off.

So what makes Green Chair Events eco-friendly?  They follow the basic rules of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

-       They minimize what they buy and only buy things that are high quality so they can reuse them for many years. They also create artful pieces from basic recyclable materials, such as a boat steering wheel from old wooden table legs.

-       They make sure everything is handled in an environmentally responsible way.  Left over food is donated to community kitchens.  Leftover flowers are donated to seniors homes and the Flowers For Food Society,  a program where leftover flowers are given to homeless people to sell in exchange for monetary donations.

-       They also provide a carbon footprint report and make comparisons of how big a carbon footprint is when doing a green event vs. a not green event.

-       They created the “Green Dream Foundation” that helps non-profits put on a sustainable event.  They teach volunteers to run an event sustainably, they provide special discounts for non-profits and let them borrow decorations for free.  They also send their green team over at the end of the events to divert the leftovers responsibly.

So what sets them apart from other green event planners?

Not only are they green, they want to teach people how they can be green.  They have an education system in place so people are aware of the possibilities available to them.  Their Green Team goes to every event to educate people; they bring the proper bins so waste can be handled responsibly and stand by the bins so no contamination occurs between recyclables.  Their ultimate goal is that all events in Vancouver are green events.  They are not concerned about their competition, as Liliana’s ultimate goal is to have green events be the norm so we can reduce the impact of events on the environment.  You cannot have a green event without a team, facility, and a plan in place and Green Chair Events makes this possible.

For more information about Green Chair Events, check out their website at http://www.greenchairevents.com/

At this year’s EP!C we were fortunate to participate as exhibitors in the Eco-Friendly Wedding Showcase. The convention was hosted at Vancouver’s green convention centre; a beautiful building which boasts a 6 acre rooftop garden, a rainwater recovery system, and a seawater heating and cooling system.

Weddings

The green wedding showcase debuted at this year’s expo. We are very grateful to Green Chair Events who co-ordinated the showcase.

Some of the vendors that were in the Wedding Showcase included:

• Caroline Calvert Couture – Vancouver local custom gowns, created with natural fabrics.
• Amoda Flowers – Sustainable flower design. Amoda Flowers are fair trade, locally grown, wild crafted or organically grown.
• Sweet Naturally – Wedding cakes and cupcakes created with fresh and natural ingredients.
• Love Green Weddings – Green wedding planning services.
• Evergrow Christmas Trees – Live Christmas tree rentals, very popular for Winter weddings.

And of course there were lots of green vendors that were not wedding related. We can’t list them all, but here are our favorites:

Shirtland Drycleaners – A Vancouver dry cleaning service that uses a non-toxic and biodegradable cleaning solvent. I especially love how they use 100% biodegrable plastic bags that are automatically cut to the size of the garment.

U.S.E.D – A company that designs their products using recycled seatbelts. Their bags are so unique!

EP!C is an annual event, so if you weren’t able to make it this year, make sure to check it out next year May 13-15, 2011.

We first encountered Sustainably Sweet at the Bakers Market in Vancouver. Corinne had bought the Brio Bars – raw energy bars made with all natural ingredients . Our verdict: Absolutely delicious and surprisingly filling. With our busy work schedules, we often don’t have time for breakfast. These bars however, kept as full until lunch. We contacted Stephanie Burlton, the head baker, to learn more about Sustainably Sweet.

Raw energy bar made with all natural, whole foods, free of artificial flavours and chemicals.

Jahzel/Corinne: How did you start?

Stephanie: It’s something (baking) I’ve always loved doing. Especially for my friends birthdays. It made me happy and feel complete. With much encouragement from my friends, I decided to create Sustainably Sweet and to make my passion what I do for a living.

Jahzel/Corinne: Why did you decide to go green?

Stephanie: I don’t think people realize how big an impact their food choices make. It makes a big difference. What I want to provide is the choice for products that are better for the environment.

Jahzel/Corinne: How is Sustainably Sweet eco-friendly?

Stephanie: I am different from many eco-friendly bakers in that I am not fully invested in organic ingredients. I use them, but it’s not my focus. Sustainably Sweet minimize carboon footprint by being completely free of animal products. The amount of resources we use to feed livestock and process meat is staggering, and because of this I felt that it was more important to cut out animal products rather than focusing on all organic ingredients.

Jahzel/Corinne: How do you bake without animal products?

Stephanie: It depends on what animal products you are replacing. For example eggs, if the eggs were originally being used as a binder an excellent alternative is ground flax seed.

Jahzel/Corinne: How else are you green?

Stephanie: I use natural (unbleached) wheat, natural cane sugar, minimize packaging as possible, and use reusable molds for cupckae binders. I am also personally dedicated to living a sustainable life. I do all the basic things like recycling and compost – I bike everywhere!

Jahzel/Corinne: What is the future of Sustainably Sweet?

Stephanie: I defintely want to add cakes and pastries in my menu. In the future I would like to go into catering. I am currently in culinary school to achieve these goals.

Thank you very much Stephanie for meeting with us, we’re excited to have you as our green partner!

100% vegan - a sweet way to reduce your environmental impact

Learn more about Sustainably Sweet - Energy Bars, Cupcakes, Cookies and Treats

This month only we are offering a free wedding website to the first three couples who purchase invitations in June. This promotion includes:

1. A website in the same design as your invitation
2. *Web Hosting up to 1 month after your wedding date
3. Unlimited updates to the information on your website

Check out the 8 Bit Wedding Website for an example.

Check out our store for the 8 Bit Wedding Invitation.

Photo by: John McDonald

We searched the web for the most heart warming, funny, and anti-traditional wedding invitation wording. Here are our favourites:

Informal Weddings

1.
(Bride) and (Groom) are tying the knot!
Please join us as we take our vows,
Drink a toast – or two or three
And dance the night away
on 
(date) 
at (time)
(venue)

2.
We joyfully invite you to our wedding celebration.

On this day we will marry the one
we laugh with, live for, dream with, love.

Please join
(Bride)
and
(Groom)
on (date)
at (time)
(venue)

3.
Boy met Girl.
For the rest of the story 
join us on 
(date) 
at (time)
(venue)
as (Bride) 
and (Groom)
 celebrate their commitment.
Light dinner and dancing to follow.

4.
Love is in the air…
we make a great pair!
You’re invited to attend
our wedding affair
on (date) at (time)
(venue)

(Bride)
and
(Groom)

Fun Weddings

5.
Mr. and Mrs. (Brides Parents)
Along with Mr. and Mrs. (Groom’s Parents)
Invite you to witness the wedding of their children
(Bride) and (Groom)
She’ll vow to do his laundry
And he’ll promise to come home at night
And at the end of every argument
They agree that she’ll always be right.

The honour of your presence is requested
as (Bride) and (Groom) exchange their vows
to be followed by a reception
Where we’ll all get drunk and loud!

Against their better judgment
The parents of the bride and groom
Would like to invite you to the wedding
Although they think it’s way too soon!

On (date)
At (time)
At (venue).

6.
Mr. and Mrs. (Bride’s Parents)
Are delighted to finally give away their daughter, (Bride)
To (Groom), who has no idea what he’s gotten himself into.
Come celebrate at the reception we’ve waited a lifetime to throw:
On (date)
At (time)
At (venue)
Please respond no later than ____.
Don’t look for us after the party — we’re interviewing renters for (Bride’s) room.

Fairytale Weddings

7.
In the spirit of the magic
that brought us together
we, (Bride)
and
(Groom)
invite you to join us
for a fairy tale wedding —
the beginning of our “happily-ever-after”
on (date)
at (time)
(venue)

8.
Hear ye, hear ye…
it has been proclaimed that
on the (date)
(Bride) and (Groom)
will be united in Holy Matrimony…
your presence is requested
by the parents of the bride
Mr. and Mrs. (Bride’s Parents)
to join in this celebration of love
at (venue)

For formal weddings, take a look at our post on Wedding Invitations Etiquette, Rules & Formatting.

For more fun wedding invitation wording check out:
Wedding invitation wording that won’t make you barf – Offbeat Bride
VerseIt.com

What do you get when you combine an animal activist, make-up artist and eco-conscious photographer? You get Linda Mackie of Dandelion Pictures.

We met Linda Mackie over tea and brownies at T – Tea Room in Vancouver. She’s a lifestyle portrait, commercial and wedding photographer, one of many with whom we met during the Grassroots Wedding Fair. We selected Linda to be a green partner because of her philosophy towards photography and sustainability.

She told us about rebranding as a sustainable business, “I decided to rebrand as Dandelion Pictures because I’d already been running my business and home in a compassionate and green way for a long time. I really connect to the relationship between animals and the sustainability of the natural world and wanted to show this connection in my brand.” Linda works exclusively in digital, uses natural lighting, and provides eco-friendly options for printing. Her personal green practices include the use of compost, rechargeable batteries, transit and Zip cars.

She talked with us about her two year old son, “as a mom, I understand all too well the importance of preserving special moments with our loved ones in an authentic light.” Because of this understanding, Linda focuses on a journalistic approach to photography to capture natural moments. And with 13 years in the wedding industry, initially as a make-up artist, she knows the ins and outs of a typical wedding day and knows just the moments to take that perfect shot.

Check out more of Linda’s photographs at Dandelion Pictures. Make sure to check out her animal photography!

Specializing in Eco-Friendly wedding planning, Brilliant Eco Events is a Vancouver based wedding planning company run by Yoona Hawkins.  With a passion for living sustainably, being organized, and detail oriented, Yoona decided to go into wedding planning, while focusing on the environment.

So what makes Brilliant Eco Events green?  The vendors she uses are all environmentally friendly, their office practices are green by using things like recycled paper and recycling wherever possible.  She also encourages couples to make greener choices, and even calculates their carbon footprint for their wedding day.

Not only is Brilliant Eco Events different from other wedding planning companies because of their commitment to the environment, but they are also different as Yoona adds her own personal style to every event she plans; she likes to keep things new and fresh and  is constantly on the lookout for new wedding trends.  Her goal is to make the couple feel happy, confident, and relaxed right from the beginning of planning until the end of the wedding, while still making sure environmental goals are met.

Visit their website at http://www.brilliantecoevents.com/ to contact Yoona and see how your wedding can make a positive impact on the environment.

For a couple as sweet as peaches and cream, this design is perfect for those with a corny sense of humour.

During the Grassroots Wedding Fair we met Michael Rendulic, a very talented videographer based in Port Coquitlam B.C. We jumped at the chance to interview him to find out more about his company, AVinhouse Event Videography.

AVinhouse Event Videography is a professional video production service that specializes in capturing family memories. Michael describes his service as, “the perfect solution for restoring and producing family heirlooms, tributes and corporate events.”

The video style that Michael creates is what sets him apart from other videographers. With a background in audio, he is able to combine both visual and audio to create elegant and at times, a dream-like state in his videos.

When asked how he was eco-friendly, Michael replied that he very much lives in the digital world and emphasizes this fact by showing us the interview notes he had been taking using his iPhone. Along with his no notebook rule, he also exclusively records in digital rather than tapes, and uses the newer Macs that are built to be eco friendly.

My favourite video of his is the Grassroots Wedding Fair tribute.

The Grassroots Wedding Fair from Michael Rendulic on Vimeo.

Check out more videos from AVinhouse Event Videography.

Celebrate a fresh start to a new year and your new life with this New Year’s themed card.