Locally Grown Weddings: Best of 2011

What a year! We were busy until the very end, but we couldn't skip a blog post to celebrate 2011.

 The biggest changes were in our personal lives, as 2011 saw the birth of two locally grown babies! Sadie and Pei-Yee gave birth a week from each other and we all were so excited to meet little Thomas and Leona. Then Aurora and Madeline moved in with their boyfriends and Chef Stephanie celebrated the end of the year by going on vacation for a month. WOW.

The best thing about all this is that Locally Grown Weddings kept going, and maternity leaves, moves and time off didn't stop the growth and success of the group. We are building our community from the inside out, taking care of each other and sharing the tasks and excitement of running a business.

2011 was full of weddings! We loved working with couples who decided to put their values in their wedding and to start their life together by taking care of each other and the earth.

 

If you haven't yet, read our posts from 2011 for more photos and details. This year we are planning on more great posts on green and beautiful weddings.

We also had lots of fun at Bat Mitzvahs! Here are a few images from those events.

And last, but definitely not least, we received our San Francisco Green certification this year! For the past 2 years, we have been working hard to support the local and green economy and it's great to be officially recognized and join this wonderful community of like minded businesses.

We are also happy to announce we are going to have a booth at the SF Green Business Awards Ceremony on January 18th. Maybe we will see you there?

Thank you you so much for all your support and your commitment to making our planet a little bit better every day. We wish you all the best in 2012!

Locally Grown Weddings Members:

Event Planning: Sadie Waddington
Catering: Chef Stephanie
Photography: Aurora Meneghello
Flowers and Design: Madeline Trait
Wedding Desserts: Pei-Yee Woo

Julie and Michael's Wedding Part Three

And here's the last installment of our blog series!

Sadie and her team worked their magic and Julie and Michael's home and studio were transformed for a day.

One Dahlia seed for every year Julie and Michael lived together made a unique and sustainable gift for all the guests.

Julie and Michael wanted to share a unique vegan dinner menu with their wedding guests. They were looking to combine the abundance of the summer season with bold flavors and the highest quality ingredients. Chef Stephanie started the cocktail hour with Golden Beet Skewers with  dill cashew cream, Roasted Peach Crostini with tofu “cheese”, fresh Spring Rolls and Mediterranean Platterswith white bean hummous, seasonal crudités, olives and pita bread. The dinner included 2 entrees: Quinoa Stuffed Roasted Red Bell Peppers with French lentils, sweet potatoes, caramelized onions and a spiced carrot sauce and Polenta Napolean with spiced black beans, zucchini,  tofu “cheese”, tomatillo salsa and fresh cilantro. Right in the heart of heirloom season, another dish was Heirloom Tomato Salad with English cucumbers, basil and white balsamic. The Farmer’s Market Salad included strawberries, plums, pecans and an orange basil vinaigrette. Julie and Michael knew to expect hot weather so we also served some signature cooling beverages at the bar including Lavender Lemonade,Iced Herbal Mint Tisane and Watermelon Agua Fresca.

Typically the main ingredients in a wedding cake are butter and eggs, but in keeping with their values, Julie and Michael wanted their wedding dessert to be free from dairy and eggs.

So Pei-Yee created a trio of yummy cakes to share with their guests, designed to satisfy any sweet tooth! Their cake flavors were:

- toasted coconut cake with mango buttercream

- moist vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream and fresh strawberries

- rich chocolate cake with a peppermint buttercream

Julie wanted something classic and elegant that would showcase her favorite flowers, dahlias, so we prepared a lovely three tier cake, trimmed with gray satin ribbon and accented with gorgeous and vibrant dahlias. And check out the cake topping!

 Oh oh, guess what happens next...

Let's end with a romantic note: sunset photos to close a beautiful day.

Wait...one more! A big hug for Chef Stephanie: her vegan menu dazzled all the guests who didn't expect vegan food to taste...well...so incredibly yummy!

Thank you, Julie and Michael for making our team a big part of the most important day of your life.

Happy Holidays!

Locally Grown Weddings Members:

Event Planning: Sadie Waddington
Catering: Chef Stephanie
Photography: Aurora Meneghello
Flowers and Design: Madeline Trait
Wedding Desserts: Pei-Yee Woo

Venue: Private Residence

Locally Grown Weddings Partners:

Jewelry: D&H Sustainable Jewelers
Rentals: Hartmann Studios

Julie and Michael's Wedding Part Two

Here's Part Two of this wonderful wedding in Penngrove.

Julie's favorite flowers are dahlias, which fortunately where just coming into season for her wedding. Flowers were harvested from a local dahlia farm in Petaluma and were used to adorn the entire event. Small mason jars with dahlia's hung from the ceremony chairs; seven dahlia seeds (one for every year Julie and Michael have been together)  were placed in small envelopes as favors for the guests, Julie wore two gorgeous dahlias in her hair and a bright collection were used to decorate the wedding cake. 

The ceremony took place on top of a hill, with beautiful views of the surrounding fields.

And after the ceremony, the newlyweds spent some time with Aurora, taking photos with family and friends, while everybody else headed to the reception area...but you will have to tune in tomorrow to read all about Chef Stephanie's vegan menu and Pei-Yee's vegan cake.

Come back tomorrow for the third and last part of this sunny wedding!

Locally Grown Weddings Members:

Event Planning: Sadie Waddington
Catering: Chef Stephanie
Photography: Aurora Meneghello
Flowers and Design: Madeline Trait
Wedding Desserts: Pei-Yee Woo

Venue: Private Residence

Locally Grown Weddings Partners:

Jewelry: D&H Sustainable Jewelers
Rentals: Hartmann Studios

Julie and Michael's Wedding Part One

We are getting close to the holidays and we plan on celebrating by posting images from Julie and Micheal's wedding this entire week! You might remember them from the engagement photos Aurora posted a few months ago, see them all over again here.

Let's start right away with Part One, and join us as bride and groom get ready for their big day.

Julie and Michael are artists themselves and have an amazing studio space which we adorned with lights and potted lavender and olive plants which could be planted on their property after the event. Sadie helped them take care of all the little details needed for a beautiful wedding.

Choosing environmentally sound jewelry was a priority, so  Julie and Michael picked their rings at D & H Sustainable Jewelers in San Francisco. This is one of our favorite places, as Shawn and Lindsay are deeply committed to changing their industry. You can read more about them here.

Here are the guys getting ready. Gorgeous sunny day for a wedding!

The couple's garden provided the flower girls with all the petals they needed. And the ring bearer helped them fill out their baskets.

Julie and Michael decided not to see each other before the wedding. You will have to wait to see Julie as well, check back tomorrow for Part Two of the wedding!

Locally Grown Weddings Members:

Event Planning: Sadie Waddington
Catering: Chef Stephanie
Photography: Aurora Meneghello
Flowers and Design: Madeline Trait
Wedding Desserts: Pei-Yee Woo

Venue: Private Residence

Locally Grown Weddings Partners:

Jewelry: D&H Sustainable Jewelers
Rentals: Hartmann Studios

5 Questions for Pei-Yee, Baker

1. How long have you been working in pastry and what is your level of experience?


I have been baking since I was a little girl, with my first sweets probably being the chocolate chip cookies you find on the back of a Toll House bag of chocolate chips! I'd always enjoyed spending time in the kitchen whipping up sweet things to share with friends and family, and loved trying out new desserts and sweets, but never considered this as more than just a hobby until several years ago. I received my formal training at Tante Marie's Cooking School, which has a fantastic professional pastry program, and at Patisserie Philippe. Soon after, I started Dulcinea Bakeshop as a way to keep challenging and developing my pastry skills. In addition to my formal and informal training which enable me to make delicious tasting treats, I rely on my background in visual arts to help make them beautiful to the eye as well! 


2. What do you love most about your work?


I love the challenge of taking simple ingredients - butter, flour, sugar, fruits, chocolates, spices and nuts - and transforming them into edible works of art. It's also wonderful to be in a line of work where people are always happy with what you are providing. After all, who doesn't love a little bit of sweetness in their day? 

3. Why green?

As a baker, it's about working with the best possible ingredients, as that makes the finished product that much better. For me, that means sourcing local and sustainably raised eggs, dairy, and produce wherever I can. I also enjoy getting to know the farmers and purveyors who are putting all the hard work into producing these wonderful ingredients. It's great to be able to share with my clients stories of the farmers who have produced elements of what they are enjoying. 

As an individual, it is important to me that the way I live my life helps build a healthy community, where the people, plants and animals, and environment are moving in balance together. And as a new mama, it's even more critical that my actions and lifestyle help support and nurture my little girl and the world she will be growing up in in a positive way.

4. Do you only do weddings?


No, I love to make desserts and cakes for all kinds of events. I enjoy getting to know each of my clients and finding out their ideas for their special day. Whether it's a three-year old's birthday party, a 50th wedding anniversary celebration, or a fundraiser for a local nonprofit, I enjoy the challenge of creating the perfect sweets that will put a smile on everyone's faces.

5. What are you most looking forward to baking these days?


With the holidays upon us, I am looking forward to baking lots of little sweets that can be gifted to friends and family, which also serves as my test kitchen for desserts I'll share with my clients. My friends and family give me great feedback on what's great and what's not. From delicate tea cakes to macarons, to snappy nut brittles and gooey caramels, or just the perfect chocolate chip cookie, the joy is in baking delicious treats that can be shared.

Locally Grown Weddings Featured Members:

Pei-Yee Woo, Wedding Desserts

Aurora Meneghello, Photographer

Gratitude

With Thanksgiving celebrations tomorrow, the Locally Grown Weddings team has been reflecting on all that we have to be thankful for. 

We had a busy wedding season and loved working with all of our couples to create some very unique, creative, and sustainable weddings which we'll be sharing about in the coming weeks. We have also grown our community of Locally Grown partners who not only provide a wide array of services to our couples, but are equally committed to sustainability in their respective industries. Most importantly, we are fortunate to be a team of dedicated professionals who love working together to create beautiful and memorable weddings.

Each of us took a few moments to share what we are grateful for...

Aurora: I am grateful for feeling at home in San Francisco. Living in the Bay Area for the past seven years, I have met so many wonderful people who have helped me grow as a person and a professional. I am surrounded by such an amazing community of people who are working each day to make the world a better place. 

Chef Stephanie: I am thankful to live in a part of the world that produces amazing food for us to enjoy through out the year. As a chef, it is my honor to take the high quality and abundant fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, etc. and transform the ingredients into meals that clients, friends and family can enjoy any time of year. I love my job!

Madeline: I am grateful for all the people I have met this past year who have helped me and my business grow. San Francisco has a strong community of passionate local businesses who are not only dedicated to being successful with their own business but also in helping the community.

Pei-Yee: I am thankful for all things sweet...chocolate, sugar, and beautiful, seasonal fruits...that I can turn into delicious treats that bring smiles to people's faces. Though the best bit of sweetness right now is my little girl, Leona!

Sadie: I'm thankful for our new arrival, Thomas; for the love and support of family and friends; for health and happiness; and for the wonderful group of women I plan weddings with.

Locally Grown Weddings Members:

Event Planning: Sadie Waddington
Catering: Chef Stephanie
Photography: Aurora Meneghello
Flowers and Design: Madeline Trait
Wedding Desserts: Pei-Yee Woo