August 17th, 2009 · No Comments

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

You’re thinking you should have a green wedding, go local with the food, maybe order some sustainable, um, items….

Truth is, you’re not really sure what a green wedding entails. Local greens for the rehearsal dinner? Elephant poop name plates? Pistachio bridesmaid’s dresses. Argh!

You can go as far as you want, or you can go all out, says green guru Sarah Shewey, founder of Pink Cloud Events, a full-service, LA-based events company that specializes in green affairs.

Pink Cloud is helping introduce betrothed couples to all the green options at a day-long salon of workshops for couples on Aug. 29 at the James Irvine Garden at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in downtown LA’s Little Tokyo. The Soi-Même (French translation: “oneself”) event is aimed at DIY wedding couples who want to have an eco-sensitive nuptials, but need help pulling all the pieces together. It will feature a variety of vendors, from caterers to sustainability experts.

A wedding, of all life’s events, offers people a special opportunity to act on their beliefs and “share their cool green lifestyle with the people around them,” Shewey said.

“In this stage of a couple’s relationship, you’re making a lot of decisions together about your life and how you represent that to the people closest to you. Planning a green wedding just seems to be a natural fit.”

Among those who will be featured or have representatives at the day-long (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.) event:

• Paperless Post – It’s like an e-vite, says Shewey, but with customization possibilities, so your wedding mail and RSVPs can have the “look and feel” of an exquisite wedding invitation. “It’s a really beautiful stationery and can look like letterpress.”

• Large Marge Sustainables – This catering company focuses on vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian foods. They compost all their waste, and throw an elegant, but not super formal buffet or sit-down feast.

• The Green Life Company – This Santa Monica business offers a green registry for brides and grooms that has been set up especially for the Pink Cloud salon. It can help couples identify green home goods, such as organic linens, ceramic pots and kitchen ware with eco credentials. The registry makes it easier for invitees to choose a green gift.

Couples interested in attending the Soi-Même salon can register online at Pink Cloud Events. The price to attend is $25. Brides who pre-register online will get the chance to win a four-night honeymoon stay at one of 14 private villas in the Azulik eco-resort located in Playa del Carmen’s Tulum, Mexico.

“Soi-Même is the place for DIY brides and grooms to find the perfect items they’ve been searching for, pick up expert tips on planning a smooth and authentically green wedding, as well as have a fun time sharing their stories with each other in a serene environment,” says Shewey.

(Pink Cloud  is a full service event company founded in 2006; it’s name refers to that wonderful LA twilight that graces the early evening, lending beauty to the opening of so many nighttime soirees.)

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

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