Green for New Year’s Eve….hello 2010 Resolution!

Another year is coming to an end…let the celebrations begin! Throwing a party is a great way to celebrate all the events of the year with friends and loved ones. It can also be an expense to the pocket book and the environment with all the favors and goodies and drinks in bulk. Throwing a ‘Green’ New Year’s Eve party is not just trendy…it’s hot! Make your party ‘green’ and be the envy of all your guests. The design of your social event can still be fresh, modern, swank and sexy – ‘green’ events are no longer captive to hemp linens and rolls of brown paper towels!

We all know the importance of the ultimate New Year’s Eve cocktail. Why not serve your martinis and champagne in real glass rather than paper or plastic cups? Glass is way classier and it’s environmentally friendly. Using glass ensures less trash the next day, and you’ll have collective pieces to accentuate many parties to come! Colored glass is a fresh, modern enhancement to your overall party décor, its eco-friendly, and you’ll get to use them again and again! Fantastic finds  for recycled glass champagne flutes are more abundant than ever and make a great addition to your collection. Atwestend.com offers a variety of beautiful, recycled pieces at affordable price points.

Instead of serving plastic bottles of water, purchase a few beautiful glass pitchers, also made from recycled glass.

Purchasing a set of recycled glassware to go along side the water pitchers makes a gorgeous addition to any party or everyday use (consider it your 2010 green investment!) Clearly, designing a more intimate New Year’s Eve bash is more affordable and offers more focus on ‘green’ party pieces, foods, drinks and dining accessories. Setting a table or cocktail party for 12-20 guests can include more personal mood-infusing touches, such as recycled green glass candles and recycled glass stemless wine glass, and other pieces that will easily become staples in your home and the hit at any soiree you’re hosting!

The stemless wine glasses are oversized and perfect for you collection of unique wine accessories.

Heavy, hand blown recycled windshield glass with occasional bubbles. These glasses are 4″ d x 4.5″ tall and hold about 18 oz! Wow – who wouldn’t want to be a part of your festivities!?  (all above photos via atwestend.com)

If you’re not in budget to buy eco-friendly party essentials…rent them! By using a local party supplier, you’re reusing product that is already made and available and you’re avoiding trash. Rental companies will offer a large selection of plates, platters; stem ware, candles and more. Rental companies can offer modern designs, high-end pieces and décor ideas to suit a small or large event. Being a Seattle Event Designer, I often use Pedersen’s Rental’s for weddings and private parties. I love the bubble bowl, which is perfect for any style of event – the simplicity in the design can work for a modern New Year’s Eve Party or an informal one. Perfect for chips or truffles.

Add some color with bamboo curvy servers courtesy of Bambu, one of Bella’s favorite home stores! Bambu provides design solutions made from renewable materials that excite and delight people about sustainable alternatives for modern living. Simply delicious!!

Skip the paper invites, and design an e-vite that is uniquely your design and matches your event. You’re saving time & the planet!

Look for organic wines and champagnes. Organic wines and champagnes are made from grapes that are sans pesticides or additionally preserved with sulfites. Many organic cultivators also respect biodiversity on their vineyards and grow vines in healthy soil with cover crops planted between rows of vines. Umm…did I mention the best part? Organic wines won’t give your guests a hangover. Skipping the sulfites provides for less headaches…your guests will thank you! Serve up a variety of organic cheeses and locally grown seasonal fruits and veggies on bamboo platters and cutting boards. Modern, simple & eco-friendly!

And, what will every guest need to ring in the strike of midnight and roll into 2010? White Eco-Friendly Biodegradable Confetti in recycled paper cones is a perfect addition to the party. White is a very modern trend in winter parties, so skip the colored silly string and infuse a modern twist that’s earth-friendly.

Don’t forget to toast to your 2010 New Years Resolutions ~ Cheers to a greener New Year and happy party planning!

Selecting the perfect cake design is one of the ultimate first and last impressions you’ll give your guests at the wedding. Yes, of course it must taste scrumptious – but, the cake design is a direct reflection of you & your fiancé. The cake should be decadent to the palate as well as visually appealing. As a designer, and a ‘green enthusiast,’ one aspect of wedding design I love to emphasize is the cake! I cannot stress enough that going ‘green’ in the cake department (using fair trade chocolate, organic ingredients, locally grown fruit, etc…) is such a rising trend – your guests will love your dedication to organic products and a fresh, modern design proves that ‘green’ can be elegant, trendy, modern & aesthetically pleasing! With so many organic options, your guests are sure to indulge on options such as gluten-free, sugar free (made with organic, natural sweeteners such as stevia), organic edible candied flowers, and locally grown produce like lemons & carrots to perfect the icing. So go ahead, offer up a cake that’s good for the earth & nearly guilt-free to enjoy as well!

As a Seattle native, I’ve had many a pleasure of seeing & viewing the artistically crafted, unimaginably delicious, organic cakes offered by Jen Nurse, owner and creative baker of Jen’s Desserts. Jen’s Desserts is a small artisan Seattle studio offering sophisticated sweets, with a flair for design and flavor. Using only high-end organic ingredients, Jen’s Desserts creates design-inspired wedding cakes and desserts, artistically crafted & uniquely designed for each event. We love the simplicity in the design, the modern sophistication of each cake and the crisp look Jen offers in her organic designed wedding cakes –definitely a favorite at any Bella Signature wedding.

A handmade organic sugar flower from Jen’s Desserts…

From sleek square tiered designs, to more traditional round cakes, there is an increasing trend to use organic ingredients in every aspect of cake design. A ‘green’ cake no longer has to only be a rustic carrot cake, it can be a stunning, four tiered square concoction with sleek icing and modern designs if that’s what your heart desires.

At Bella, we’re happy to incorporate a personal design for your wedding cake, ne of our services is to work directly with the cake designer to help them design the cake to fit in with the overall wedding design…a I love everything to do with weddings – and the cake is such an important aspect of the design; I’m always happy to work with the artisan to create the perfect cake, uniquely yours.

Photo by Life Mosaic, Cake by Jen’s Desserts

This fabulous cake was created by Jen’s Desserts, using a pattern we used throughout this fun and modern wedding at Januik Winery.  It rests on one of our custom cake stands!

Another local favorite is Blackbird Bakery, who designs anything from rustic to more polished design, many of which are available gluten free, organic, etc.  Many couples seek out this small, wonderful bakery on Bainbridge Island to do their wedding cakes, and they are always exceptionally delicious.

What organic or green bakeries do you like?

I love it when I find something that has beautiful style AND is eco-conscious!  Double-whammy!  Always on the look-out for such finds, I was happy to come across True Blind Faith’s website and see their sparkly, beautiful bridal accessories created out of vintage jewelery.  There are fabulous combs to insert into your bridal-styled locks, sparkly vines that  wind through your hair, and of course, effervescent tiara’s.  I truly think that you would wear these piece again! (or maybe turn them back into a necklace or bracelet?)

This one is called “Glinda”  from the OZ collection – okay, I’ll wear this one right now, bride or not!  (I think everyone should wear a little bling now and then!)

True Blind Faith states that their goal is to “help brides define their personal style on their wedding day.  We believe that every bride should be adorned with original creations to allow her own unique style and personality shine through.  New designs are consistently born into our collections which include various styles of tiaras, headbands and combs.”

What I love about True Blind Faith’s Pieces, beside their beauty?  All the pieces are previously loved vintage jewels and findings that originally began life as brooches, bracelets, earrings or other adornments.  They are hand selected with a vision in mind with the finale resulting in a one-of-a-kind treasure.  A self-taught artisan, Susan uses her passion for beauty, vintage jewelry, fashion, and design to re-birth these vintage pieces into new, trendy hairpieces.  Creating since 2000, Susan finds inspiration in the world that surrounds her, letting every vintage piece communicate something of its own, each uniquely transformed with the creative flourishes of Swarovski crystals and freshwater pearls.  New Jersey born, Susan has collected styles from each place she has lived; a self-described nomad residing outside New York City, Silicon Valley and the Monterey Bay areas of California, Scottsdale, AZ, and currently Atlanta, GA.

I love that there are various collections, and that Susan takes the time to explain her inspiration behind her collections on her blog.  Love love love!

Daniela

Eco-Friendly, Ethically Sourced Diamonds?

We all go into marriage with expectations of honesty, and ethical beliefs – in fact it’s safe to assume that ethics are a pretty darn good-sized chunk of how marriage comes about…or at least we hope! The there is the RING (one of my favorite parts – I do love good bling!) Yet…have you ever thought about where the beautiful rock that’s glistening on your finger came from? It’s SO easy to get caught up in the moment and about the style of the ring (and size of the diamond), and worrying about uncompromised ethics in diamond mining is probably not in the forefront. Yet, if you are still reading, it may be one of many things to consider (and for some, the only, or main, issue).

With all the hype of ‘green’ trends – weddings have moved full speed ahead with going green – it’s the hottest trend in the industry and diamonds are a part of that trend. Ethically sourced, conflict-free, fair labored diamonds show a commitment that extends into your marriage and future. There are other ways to go green with your engagement ring or wedding bands – why not pair your ethically sourced diamond with a recycled gold or platinum band?

Brilliant Earth offers a fabulous selection of Canadian mined and Namibian diamonds. Brilliant Earth has amazing design techniques and a wide selection of bands, diamonds, sapphires and recycled gold and metals. Plus, they honor only 100% fair labor and eco-friendly practices, and 5% of profits are donated to help local African communities.

Brilliant Earth uses environmentally responsible precious metals, including recycled gold, silver, and platinum.

Why choose conflict-free diamonds? Conflict free diamonds are guaranteed to originate from ethical and environmentally responsible sources. Conflict free diamonds are free from violence and human rights abuses, and are produced with minimal environmental impact. What is a Conflict Diamond? Conflict diamonds have funded devastating civil wars in Africa, ending millions of lives. These conflict diamonds, also known as “blood diamonds”, are associated with rights abuses, and environmental damage.
With so many ethically sourced, conflict-free choices these days, it seems only natural to do your homework before making the purchase. If we all do our part, maybe we’ll make a healthy impact in an industry that has too long thrived on violence, abuse and unethical practices. Know that the symbol of love you’ll cherish for a lifetime was a product of a fair trade industry. What a great way to celebrate the commitment of marriage!

Kudos to Brilliant Earth for their commitment to the wedding industry, ethics, and charities. Fantastic design, exceptional values and a commitment to the environment make Brilliant Earth our green pick of the week! Check out their site for beautiful pieces! I’ll take a few myself!