Sustainable Wedding Inspiration at Evergreen Gardens
Each year, members of Emerald Hour gather for an annual content day to play with new ideas, colors and designs.
Different types of vendors collaborate to create together and provide inspiration for couples and other vendors in the industry. Each design is rooted in sustainability first, showcasing that weddings can be sustainable, wildly creative, and beautiful.
In 2024, the content day was held at Evergreen Gardens, a sustainably-focused wedding venue in Ferndale, WA. The team at Evergreen Gardens prioritizes working with sustainable vendors so that greener choices are at the forefront of all events hosted there. They work hard to minimize waste, recycle, compost, redistribute leftover food, use environmentally-friendly gardening practices, and support local business who are also committed to sustainable business practices.
Our photographer for this content day was Kaitlyn with Skyewater Photo + Film, a photo and video team primarily focusing on eco-friendly outdoor elopements and small weddings. Skyewater makes sustainability a priority, not just by using refurbished, used, and/or locally sold camera gear whenever possible, but also by donating a portion of their profits each year to environmentally-focused non-profit organizations like the Ocean Cleanup.
And last, but definitely not least, our bartender Bryan of Kitsap Bartending created a drink menu that not only looked great in the glassware and overall design, but also tastes great and uses as many local ingredients as possible – and sourcing from sustainable-friendly producers when it’s not possible to choose local.
Bryan created two cocktails for the content day:
- The Elder 75, which is a twist of the classic French 75 but uses Empress Elderflower Rose Gin (Victoria, B.C.), a Washington State sparkling wine, locally-grown rosemary-infused simple syrup, and grapefruit juice.
- Fall is Full of Love, using Applejack Brandy from a distillery using Washington and Oregon-grown apples, a birch-infused liqueur, honey-ginger-sage syrup using local honey and sage, fresh-pressed apple juice, topped with lemon and club soda.
The other vendors from this content day created a few unique concepts, showcasing the variety of backdrops Evergreen Gardens offers, as well as the wide range of ways a wedding can be both sustainable and visually stunning.
Read on to discover what each designer and vendor created!
Sustainable Wedding Concept 1: A Glamping Tent Elopement
Designed by Kiira of Evergreen Event Company, this concept for an elopement utilizing the glamping tents at the venue is a beautiful blend of elegant and modern design with outdoor simplicity. Kiira writes:
“I wanted to showcase an elopement because celebrations with lower numbers of guests and participants are more sustainable. For the design I had a vague idea of a modern place setting, but I waited until I met with our florist Lori to decide on a color scheme. Lori had a lot of orange and sunset-colored flowers blooming in her garden, so we used those as an anchor and added in white, black, and gold as accents.
For the ceremony design, the tent itself was a unique backdrop and luckily a rug was already set-up with the tent which was great for grounding the design. We used some items from the venue’s décor garage to create levels under the flower and plant pots.
For the tablescape, we decorated the table with ceramic vases from a local potter and also used candlesticks, votives and vases from Lori and my collection of event items. I did not have a rental vendor to work with, so I bought all plates, glasses, and silverware secondhand from Goodwill. I wanted a pop of color on the black plate so I dried an orange which is easily compostable after the event.
The theme of the day was finding items that we already had access to through our own collections or borrowing and creating a design that brought all of those pieces together.”
Lori of Flori Flowers focused on seasonal flowers and foliage, all grown by herself, chemical-free. The only purchase she made was the potted ferns, which will keep living on and be able to add some greenery to future events. All other items used, such as the containers and other floral mechanics were either reusable or compostable, such as the waxed hemp cord used to secure the greenery to the tent doorway frame.
At the end of the content day, all items were either reusable items to wash or places in a bag of compost – no glue, tape, or wire, which are typical florist staples. Lori says, “Does it take more effort to be a sustainable florist? Yes, but I love the challenge and I love nature, so it is worth it.”
Glamping Tent Elopement Vendors:
Venue: Evergreen Gardens
Design + Planning: Evergreen Event Company
Photography: Skyewater Photo + Film
Florist: Flori Flowers
Ceramics: Shelby Bond Ceramics
Cake: James Street Cakes
Hair + Makeup: Jade Madison Artistry
Bartending: Kitsap Bartending
Attire: Pre-owned dress provided by an Emerald Hour member, men’s attire brought by models
Concept 2: Rose Gold Autumn Romance
Everything for the second design featured on this content day was created with sustainability in mind, from the vintage table settings to the flowers – all designed by Susan of Celebrations for Every Season. Her business specializes in luxury vintage party rental company for elopements and small weddings in Washington.
All the dishes, glassware, and silverware are sourced from thrift stores and estate sales. While the linens were originally purchased new, they have been rented and reused for 3-8 years now and Susan uses zero-waste cleaning products to wash everything in her inventory.
The florals and greenery on this tablescape were grown in her own garden with no chemicals, so they’re safe to have on the table, and the dried flowers are all from Seattle Wholesale Growers Market so they come from local flower farmers right here in the Pacific Northwest.
Rose Gold Autumn Romance Vendors:
Venue: Evergreen Gardens
Design, Florals, Rentals: Celebrations for Every Season
Photography: Skyewater Photo + Film
Hair + Makeup: Jade Madison Artistry
Bartending: Kitsap Bartending
Attire: Vintage dress was thrifted, men’s attire brought by models
Concept 3: Floral Fire
One of the great amenities at Evergreen Gardens is the fire pit area, especially for colder evenings here in the PNW. But even if couples opt for a warmer day without the need for a real fire, maybe a floral fire is just the thing to add a unique design for this outdoor lounge space.
Holly of Holly Yee Floral Architecture had a specific vision for this space, and we love how it came to life! She says:
“I first sketched out the idea of a bonfire made out of flowers back in 2019 when I attended a wedding professionals event at a venue with a fire pit. I absolutely love unique, unexpected floral installations, as they challenge me creatively in both an imaginative and tactile way.
I held onto the floral bonfire design concept for nearly five years, before bringing it to life at the Emerald Hour Content Day. Evergreen Gardens has a gorgeous fire pit area on the property and it was the perfect spot to build a large-scale floral installation that fit the space.
The flowers were all sourced from Washington. Most of the blooms came from Flower Farmer Girls in Snohomish. Some came from Jello Mold Farm up in the Skagit Valley and Diamond Day Bouquet in the Olympic Peninsula. And a few came from my lovely florist friend, Sandy, of Verbena Floral. And lastly, a handful came from my own backyard.“
Floral Fire Pit Vendors:
Venue: Evergreen Gardens
Design + Florals: Holly Yee Floral Architecture
Photography: Skyewater Photo + Film
Hair + Makeup: Jade Madison Artistry
Attire: Pre-owned dress provided by an Emerald Hour member, men’s attire brought by models
Concept 4: Live-Edge Dessert Table
The venue has a beautiful live-edge table that they provide to their clients to use. It’s part of a bigger décor closet that comes with the venue rental.
The dessert display was inspired by showcasing this gorgeous live-edge table. The plates and silverware were supplied by Celebrations for Every Season where each piece is thrifted and used many times over. The flowers were hand picked from an organic garden. The cake and macarons from James Street are made from natural and organic ingredients.
Dessert Table Vendors:
Venue: Evergreen Gardens
Cake and Macarons: James Street Cakes
Rentals + Florals: Celebrations for Every Season
Photography: Skyewater Photo + Film
Hair + Makeup: Jade Madison Artistry
Attire: Vintage dress was thrifted, men’s attire brought by models
Looking to connect with sustainable wedding vendors?
Whether you love the idea of participating in our annual content day, our Sustainable Wedding Show, or other member-only events, becoming a member with Emerald Hour is easy and offers plenty of perks for wedding vendors who value sustainability.
Learn more about Emerald Hour membership online, or connect with Emerald Hour on Instagram. Together we can show couples how weddings can be both beautiful and eco-friendly!
