Unique centerpiece options

Here are some great centerpiece options that allow you to use less flowers and may allow your budget to go further then just using masses of flowers.

Madison Wedding Guild

Come see us at one the 2008 Madison Wedding Guild Shows:

SHOW DATES & LOCATIONS
Show Times - 5:30-8:30pm

Wednesday May 14, 2008
Best Western Inn Towner
2424 University Avenue■ Madison ■ 608.233.8778

Wednesday July 9, 2008
The Edgewater Hotel
666 Wisconsin Avenue■ Madison ■ 608.256.9071

Wednesday September 10, 2008
Madison Concourse Hotel
1West Dayton Street ■ Madison ■ 608.257.6000

Wednesday November 12, 2008
The Edgewater Hotel
666 Wisconsin Avenue ■ Madison, WI ■ 608.256.9071

Admission is free. Complimentary appetizers and beverages will be served.

Having an Eco-Friendly wedding

Everywhere you look there are people talking about going green, and while many of us are not ready to give up all our creature comforts, there are a few things that you can do you make your wedding a bit more Eco friendly.

1. The Invitations – look for post-consumer or recycled paper for your wedding invitations. Weddings generate a lot of paper…save the dates, invitations, response cards, reception cards, envelopes, etc. There are many elegant recycled paper and tree-free invitation options out there such as recycled cotton invitations.

2. The Flowers – Although I am all about making a wedding beautiful, I do not think that has to mean mass amounts of cut flowers. Why not try to incorporate some potted plants into your wedding. This can be a budget saver and save on waste at the same time. (Below is a picture of hyacinths courtesy of Elegant Bride Magazine.)

If you just cannot bring yourself to use potted flower and you still would like to be Eco conscious, then go ahead and donate your flowers to a nursing home. This will be sure to brighten the day for many and also make you feel good too!

3. The Favors – A great option is to for go a favor completely and just make a donation to a charity. To let the guests know about this alternate favor, just make up a couple cards per table letting them know of the donation and where it was made to.

Another excellent option for a more traditional favor is to give the gift of chocolate. How is chocolate Eco-friendly? Endangered Species Chocolates is an amazing company dedicated to spreading awareness and to make an impact on the growing number of plant and animal species that are disappearing from Earth. 10 percent of the company’s net profits are donated to help support species, habitat and humanity. Check out their website: http://www.chocolatebar.com/index.asp

Hello World!

I have spent many years with my laptop basically attached to me at all times, but yet I have never blogged. I believe it's time for a Beyond Elegant Events blog.

I recently was asked by numerous other wedding professionals to write articles for their blogs, thus making it apparent that blogging is the way of the future. Not one to be behind the times...today we start the Beyond Elegant Events blog.

We are hoping to make this a great place for obtaining wedding/event planning advice and trends.

Come back often to hear the latest and greatest.