Active Lifestyle

On August 29, Pink Cloud Events is excited to hand over the tricks and resources in our goody bag of green wedding planning to newly engaged indie brides and grooms at “Soi-Meme: the independent eco-bridal salon.”
At the request of your lovely co-hosts at ydt, is a quick peek under the veil of Soi-Meme, showing the work behind green wedding planning that you can easily do yourself! The staff at Pink Cloud whittled down our top five tips to get started planning your own green nuptials.

1.    DIY doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do every single thing yourself. Come up with a list of what you need to do, and then divide the list into things you can do alone, activities where you will need help from friends, and stuff you’d rather pay a professional to handle.

2.    Start an RSS feed. There are so many great blogs out there written by brides, planners and companies that have rightfully owned the title “Bridal Porn 2.0.” Start using an RSS reader so you can subscribe to all of them at once and get the benefit of a host of full-time wedding brains at your service.

3.    Sharpen your green research skills. Understanding what questions to ask a vendor about its environmental practices is crucial to determining if the company is as green as you’d like it to be. Local, handmade products are at the top of our charts compared to items that travel overseas from invisible corporations—a big no-no. We suggest talking to your local green storeowner to learn more about his/her sourcing checklist. Scott at The Green Life in Santa Monica is great for this, and while you’re there you can sign up for his green wedding registry!

4.    Come up with a budget and stick to it! There are so many things you’ll want to buy and do along the way, and the great equalizer winds up being the dollar. Rather than following formulaic budgets from some wedding magazines, we suggest that an indie wedding is all about the priorities as you define them. So, come up with a dollar amount you feel comfortable spending and then take that list you made from #1, and divvy it out. So, for instance, you have $10,000 to spend. You want a big party and care less about the ceremony than the reception, so you decide to spend 70% on the bash, 30% on the ceremony. Then, break down the reception into priorities and commit to giving at least 50% of the reception budget (or 35% of the total budget) to your top three wedding items.  Trust me, the rest will take care of itself. Once you’ve made your budget, stick to it! Most businesses are willing to negotiate pricing with you, and if not – then, back to Bridal Porn 2.0!

5.    Determine who is coming. OK, so aside from the simple truth that fewer people equals less carbon footprint (don’t forget to offset!), we think the number of people who are coming to your wedding is not really as important as WHO is coming to your wedding. Are they old people, young people, localsor out-of-towners? Although the wedding day IS your day, don’t forget it is a day you are sharing with people whom you care about and who are happy to care for you the rest of your lives. A great, bubbly wedding usually comes from a bride and groom who know the needs of their guests and cater to those, in their own unique style of course!

We hope this was useful for you, and that you’ll come by Soi-Meme on August 29. We’re bringing together a group of passionately green wedding product and service vendors at the JACCC in Little Tokyo from 11- 4 p.m. to exchange ideas and offer help in planning your big day while you have an eco-cocktail and nibble on fabulous local and organic hors d’oeuvres by Good Gracious! Come and meet the sassy gals of Wiley Valentine, or the innocently beautiful up-and-coming sustainable wedding gown designer Lindee Daniel of Puridee, and many more (See them all online at our website.)

The tickets are only $25, and we guarantee you’re going to have a great time! AND if you register online before August 28, you will get a chance for a free four-night stay at Azulik, a private eco-villa resort in Mexico with only 15 villas on the property, champagne, spa treatments and transportation from the Cancun airport. Second honeymooners are also able to win,– so invite your friends and join the Pink Cloud party!

Tags: DIY Wedding, DIY wedding tips, Eco Resort, Eco-friendly Weddings, Green Honey Moon, Green Weddings, Pink Cloud Events