San Francisco Wedding: Dolores Park, the Mission District and Civic Center

Styling a faux wedding is always a fun adventure! From developing the concept to bringing all the elements together into one cohesive story, it is such a creative process. For our Mission photo shoot, the vision and design stemmed from a real-life couple, Tina and Travis, who just got married in San Francisco this past July. While their actual wedding was a bit different from the shoot, we were excited to collaborate and find ways to incorporate elements of their real wedding plans into our storyline 

As residents of San Francisco’s vibrant Mission District, it was a no-brainer for the team to focus the shoot around key landmarks in this bustling neighborhood. Dolores Park is an integral part of the Mission landscape and where the couple spends a lot of time hanging out with their friends. It was also the perfect setting for a picnic feast of delicious food prepared by Chef Stephanie. The meal was a combination of seasonal favorites including quinoa tabouli with English cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, minted red beets with goat cheese and herb roasted chicken with artichoke heart pesto. And while we couldn’t bring the Ojai Ice Cream shop into the Mission, we had the next best thing - ice cream sundaes from Bi-Rite Creamery. Yum!

 

 

Tina and Travis are avid cyclists and first met through the Mission Cycling Club on a bike trip through the town of Ojai. For their actual wedding, they chose light blue and tangerine as their colors to honor the “Mission blue” of their cycling club and also the renowned “Ojai orange”, which also happens to be the flavor of ice cream Travis enjoyed on that first bike ride together. Madeline wove these two colors into their floral design, as well as those adorable Toms shoes that Tina and Travis were sporting. We’re all big fans of the magical blend of comfort, style, and social responsibility that Tom’s shoes bring to the fashion industry! 

 

 

 

Adele Weschler provided us with a stunning dress from her eco-conscious collection of bridal gowns. In keeping with Tina’s personal style, we chose something that was sporty and fun, the kind of dress where a bride could say her vows and then hop right on to her 10-speed for an epic ride with her new hubby. Travis got to have a test run of the suit he’ll be wearing this month when he says “I do”.

 

And while most of the day’s shoot was a step or two from their real wedding plans, it was a fun adventure for our lovely couple. We chatted with the couple after the photo shoot and both of them remarked on how the shoot was a fun way for them to step outside of their comfort zones and have a little bit of role-playing for the day. 

 

We wrapped up our shoot where they’ll begin this next stage of their lives together - at San Francisco’s City Hall. It’s a landmark in this gorgeous city of ours and provided a stately backdrop to the fun and playful day we’d built as well as a nod to their real wedding plans. 

The highlights of the shoot? Working with a couple who are in love with one another and their home turf and being able to capture that essence in a perfect, sunny day in the neighborhood.

Locally Grown Weddings Members:

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

Venue: Dolores Park, the Mission District and Civic Center, San Francisco.

Locally Grown Weddings Partners:

Jewelry: D&H Sustainable Jewelers

Guest Vendors:

Invitations: Cherish

Hair: Chava Nieto

A Special Thank You to Adele Wechsler for lending us a gorgeous dress from her Eco Couture Collection. And to Toms for lending us shoes from their Wedding Collection.

Meet Tammy Foxx, Bridal Fitness Coach

We asked out favorite bridal fitness coach to share a little about herself...here Tammy answers 5 questions about herself and her passion for fitness and weddings.

1. How did you become a Bridal Personal Trainer?

Eating healthy and being fit has been a passion of mine for most of my life.  Like a lot of women, when I hit my 30s I gained a few extra pounds.  I decided to do something about it and hired a personal trainer.  It was such a great experience that I decided if I ever made a career change, I would become a Personal Trainer myself.  The experts always say if you want to go in business for yourself, pick something you enjoy doing.  Well, I love working out and like most women, I LOVE weddings.  At the time I was researching my new career, I discovered there was only one other personal trainer in the entire country who specialized in working with brides, and she was in Detroit.  That’s when I decided to launch Bridal Fitness Coach.

2. What do you love most about bridal fitness?

Brides are great to work with because they have a specific goal in mind…LOOKING BEAUTIFUL ON THEIR WEDDING DAY!  They are perfect clients, because they are committed and focused.  I’ve trained brides solo, brides and grooms and brides with their moms.  Training a bride with a partner is especially rewarding because they keep each other motivated.  Also, working out with a partner is a great way to draw closer together.

Before:

After:

3. Why green?

Being a green business in this day and age is very simple to do.  So, why not do my part?  Some of the ways I do my part are to encourage my clients to eat organic foods and grass fed and pastured meats as much as possible.  Also, I try to run a paperless office by generating as little waste as possible.

4. Do you only train brides and bridal parties?

I work with women in every stage of life…single, dating, getting married, already married, young, middle-age, seniors, fit, plus-size, recovering from injuries, etc.  However, 75% of my client base is brides and bridal parties.

5. What is your role in Locally Grown Weddings and how do you work with the team?

I love Locally Grown Weddings! We share the same passion for what we do, commitment to our brides and the environment. As a bridal fitness coach, I enjoy my role in preparing brides (and grooms!) to look and feel their best on their wedding day. I know that Locally Grown Weddings sees to it that the big day is truly unforgettable.

Featured Locally Grown Weddings Partner:

Fitness: Bridal Fitness Coach

Photography by Milena Velez

Sadie and Pei-Yee, Happy Maternity Leave!

Sadie and Pei-Yee are due to give birth a few days from each other and will go on maternity leave starting tomorrow. We can't wait to visit them and to post pictures of the little ones. We will miss you two (but will visit, of course!).

We are all waiting to meet the two little babies on the way...

Here are a couple of images from our last field trip together to Pie Ranch, a sustainable farm in the shape of a slice of pie, whose mission is to help create a healthy sustainable food system. One of the best things about Locally Grown Weddings is that we are building a community of creative experts who share the same values: a strong passion for the environment and a love of romance.

When together, we can do so much more than we can as individuals: we are in sync with each other and that helps us relax and think outside the box.

And of course, one of the perks of being in the same group with Pei-Yee and Chef Stephanie is not only to visit local organic farms on a work day...but the chance to take yummy fresh vegetables home!

Locally Grown Weddings Members:

Event Planning: Sadie Waddington

Catering: Chef Stephanie

Photography: Aurora Meneghello

Flowers and Design: Madeline Trait

Wedding Desserts: Pei-Yee Woo

Make Up Artistry: Angela LaFlamme

Venue: Pie Ranch

Meet D&H Sustainable Jewelers

We absolutely love D&H Sustainable Jewelers, the greenest jewellery store in San Francisco (and the country, we suspect). They are hosting an event to meet Anne Sportun from Toronto, Canada. Her line has a heavy focus on bridal/engagement but she will also be showing her complete collection. Her work could be described as contemporary classic. The show dates are September 23rd 11am-8pm, 24th 11am-8pm, and 25th 11am-5pm. We are going to check it out, join us!

We asked Lindsay to tell us a bit about her company. 

1. How did D&H Sustainable Jewelers start? 

Shawn and I have both worked many years in the jewelry industry. After working together for several years at another company, we began to see a demand from our clients for jewelry that's sourced and made in an ethical manner-- conflict free diamonds and precious metals that were not mined in a way that negatively impacts the environment and social climate.  This was a concept that he and I had both already felt strongly about, so we began to talk about opening as sustainable jewelry store.  We began planning and one year later it all fell into place. D&H Sustainable Jewelers opened its doors in January 2011.

2. What do you love most about working with jewelry?

The obvious answer is being able to design and work in a creative environment. The not so obvious answer is that it gives us great joy to be part of significant moments in people's lives. Jewelry often commemorates an anniversary, an engagement, a wedding and so on.

3. Why green?

Over 20 tons of toxic waste is generated in order to mine enough gold to make one simple wedding band. The technology and resources exist today for us to recycle and re-use precious metals without any sacrifice to quality and design. So, why not?

4. Do you only sell engagement and wedding rings?

Though our business focuses largely on bridal jewelry, we also carry necklaces, earrings, and bracelets in a variety of styles. We feature the work of fifteen different jewelry artists as well as pieces that we design and make in house. All items are carefully crafted using recycled precious metals and ethically sourced gemstones. 80% of our designers are local artists.
 

5. How do you work with the team of Locally Grown Weddings?

Both the wedding and jewelry industries traditionally come with a certain level of environmental impact. I see the partnership between Locally Grown Weddings and D&H as a way to expand the new philosophy of sustainability in business. Both companies work hand in hand to promote our ideals in fun and meaningful ways. Be it through photo shoots, happy hours, or wedding workshops, we all work to get our message out to as many people as possible.



Featured Locally Grown Weddings Members:

Photography: Aurora Meneghello
Flowers and Design: Madeline Trait

Featured Locally Grown Weddings Partner:

Jewelry: D&H Sustainable Jewelers

Leah's Bat Mitzvah

Did you know we don't just do weddings? In fact we love other events that are meaningful to families and individuals. This summer, we had the pleasure of working on Leah's Bat Mitzvah.

Aurora spent the day with Leah's family, starting at Or Shalom where the service took place. As soon as they all arrived, she set up to take pictures of the details, as everybody was busy getting ready and greeting guests.

Here's Sam, Leah's brother, getting ready with the candies. If you don't know what these candies are for, wait and see...

A year of study and preparation goes into a Bat Mizvah's talk and it often tackles serious and contemporary issues.

Right before the cut off time for the use of flash, Aurora took a few family portraits at the bimah.

Some synagogues do not let photographers in during the ceremony at all. Or Shalom required Aurora to stand in the back, without moving. So right before the actual ceremony, she worked with Rabbi Katie to be able to take a few close ups of Leah reading from the Torah.

Aurora documented the entire ceremony. She chose to share with us only a couple of pictures from her favorite part, the parents' blessings. So moving! This reminded us all why we work with families and couples: these are the people and the moments that make a difference in our lives.

And here are the candies: at the end of the ceremony, Leah and Rabbi Katie got to ran as everybody threw candies at them. Fun! Can we do this at weddings too, please?

And this is the very last part of the ceremony, the blessing and sharing of the bread, or kiddush.

After the service, everybody headed to Forest Hill Clubhouse for Leah's party!

Chef Stephanie started out the evening serving a strawberry coconut elixir as the signature mocktail and the appetizers included stuffed cremini mushrooms with truffled white beans, polenta wedges with Fontina and fresh chives, kalamata olive crostini with sundried tomatoes and chickpea puree.

Leah wanted the florals to be white and incorporate lilies so Madeline came up with a simple and elegant combination of florals that incorporated decorative cabbage, dusty miller and white lilies. To add more ambiance and drama to the venue, she added string lights to the interior railing, votive candles on the tables and lanterns to illuminate the courtyard.

Dinner was an updated and seasonal pasta bar featuring penne and rotelli pasta and three sauces, including a simple red homemade sauce, Tuscan beef ragu and a cheesy butternut squash sauce. The baby spinach salad with pink lady apples, walnuts, berry vinaigrette and artisan bread were the delicious side dishes.

For Leah's cake, Pei-Yee prepared two tiers of delicious cakes covered in a sweet cream cheese frosting. At Leah's request, one of the cakes was chocolate, and the other a tangy lemon, and they were decorated with some of Madeline's florals, as well as some fresh strawberries and golden raspberries from Pie Ranch.

And after dinner, Joe Nelson Productions started the music and the dancing!

 He brought fun props, including glowing sticks, sunglasses and tiaras.

The party came to a close with a game of hula hoops, after fun games, catchy songs and lots of laughs and hugs.

We all left feeling this was the best party ever. Congratulations, Leah!

 Locally Grown Weddings Featured Members:

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


Venues: Or Shalom Jewish Community and Forest Hill Clubhouse

Guest Vendors:

DJ: Joel Nelson Productions