Vera Green open house and Arts Goggle

Please join us on Saturday, October 2 from 4 to 10 pm as we celebrate the grand opening of our new design studio that we share with the super talented Heather Essian Portrait Arts. We will be showcasing Blue eye Brown eye Letterpress and Vintage wedding items, and Little Super Hero Capes. And of course expect to see some of our own line of sustainable floral designs.

This will be part of the Near Southside's Arts Goggle event, so bring your walking shoes and visit our neighbors throughout the Near Southside to support your local art collective!



Please bring a canned food item for a chance at a door prize! We will also be offering a special discount for those who wish to book design consults for your next event.

Blue Eye Brown Eye Letterpress, Vintage, and Handmade Goods

(click image for link)

Little Super Hero Capes

(click image for link)

Announcing: Vera Green Productions Mentorship Program

Are you interested in becoming a fabulous designer of weddings and other special events like the classy ladies at Vera Green Productions?  Well have I got a deal for you!

I am currently in the process of incorporating a mentorship program for Vera Green Productions.  This will be a great way for a few great candidates to learn the ins and outs of the industry, and gain some real life experience in the field. 

We are currently searching for three candidates to serve as this year's interns.  We will begin taking applications immediately and will be conducting interviews August 9-13.  There will be one candidate selected from Fort Worth, Dallas, and the Northern Metropolis (Southlake, Grapevine, Irving, or Frisco area.)  These candidates will be committing themselves to attending regular educational workshops and networking events as well as meeting with clients and vendors.  Experience in the industry is not required, however we will only consider candidates who are devoted to a career as an event planner/designer.

In this program you will learn the following aspects of running a successful wedding business:



Industry:


-Ethics


-Networking


-Vendor Relations


-Professional Organizations


-Gaining Experience


-Exposure


Planning:


-Priorities


-Budgeting


-Timelines


-Organization


-Client Relations


-Design

Business:


-Marketing Plan


-Social Media


-Branding


-Sales


-Pricing


-Education


Day of Responsibilities:


-Rehearsal


-Setting Up


-Running the show


-Avoiding disasters


-Timeline


-Organizing People


-Organizing Yourself


-Clean Up


Going Green


-Conservation


-Legitimacy


-Resources


-Recycling


-Purposing


-Green Vendor Standards


-Social Causes


-Giving Back


-Sustainability


-Local Resources


-Incorporating green practices into your event business
Special Matters:


-Fighting Fires


-Difficult Clients


-Etiquette


-Difficult Vendors


-Finance


-Customer Service

Candidates will also receive on the job training through assisting our staff with scheduled events that are located in their corresponding areas, and will be compensated on a contract basis.
In addition to seeking a career in the event planning field the ideal candidate will also possess the following qualities:
Reliable means of transportation,


Networking skills,


Professional appearance and demeanor,


Attention to detail,


An eye for design and industry trends,


Passion for eco-friendly lifestyle,


Punctuality,


Crafty or artistic skills.

Finally, this is sure to be a highly coveted opportunity.  In years past I have received hundreds of applications.  The best way to make your application stand out is to let your personality shine through, and also show that you have done your research in our company and the green wedding niche.

Those who are interested may email their resume to Ashley before Sunday evening.

New Studio, Specials, and Giving Back

I am really excited to announce that we can no longer call ourselves a home based business!  That's right, we have teamed up with the super talented Heather Essian Portrait Arts and are sharing a beautiful natural light studio in the heart of Fort Worth's Near Southside. 


This studio, which is located at 1208 Magnolia Avenue upstairs from Cat City Grill is an answer to our prayers.  I have loved working from my house for the past several years.  It definitely has it's upsides.  I am able to work in my pajamas, and who doesn't love that :) And I have always been against opening a storefront for the sake of just having a ritzy address and a place other than Starbucks or the local wine bar to meet clients.  But this studio for me is so much more. 


Instead of a place where I can just put a computer and a desk this is actually a beautiful studio filled with vintage furniture and life.  I have big plans that includes workshops, networking events, and possibly even a happy hour or two!  Expect an announcement for our open house to come soon.


Please visit Heather's Blog for photos of this amazing space!  I just couldn't feel more lucky to call this mine.


So to celebrate this wonderful new space I just feel like I need to share the love.  So to celebrate this huge step for our little design company I would like to offer some great deals for the bride's out there. 


We would like to invite future clients to enjoy a $200 discount off of ANY wedding coordinating package.  That's right, day of or full service no minimums here folks. (As a point of reference our day of pricing starts at $900.)


OR


Since the main purpose of our new studio is to showcase our lovely eco-friendly designs we have to give our floral clients some love as well.  So I would like to offer a FREE BRIDAL BOUQUET (sorry, I hate all caps, but that's a big deal) $150 value when you purchase the rest of your wedding party's flowers with Vera Green Designs.  I want to specify that I actually mean the flowers that the bride carries not the smaller toss away bouquet (we already throw that in for free :) 


PLUS


Since giving back to our community has always been a super important part of business for Vera Green Productions and Designs we are keeping that going with a summer supply drive.  For every wedding that we book until the beginning of the school year, no matter how big or small, we will be donating a backpack full of eco-friendly school supplies for children in need.


*Note discounts can not be combined.  To receive these special rates weddings must be booked with a 50 percent deposit by July 31.  The Summer School drive will run until the beginning of the 2010-11 school year.

Floral Focus

Back to inspiration! I can't believe it's already May, and it's so close to a busy wedding season for us here at Vera Green Productions. We're very excited about our weddings coming up and the warmer weather and flowers popping up everywhere has me inspired by color. Summer weddings are perfect occasions to include beautiful splashes of color, as you can see in the inspiration board today. And a great way to incorporate an eco-friendly twist is creating colorful flowers out of paper that will last! The tulip favors are a great example of that. Enjoy!

For image credits, visit this board at Style Me Pretty

Earth Week Excitement!

Every day is Earth Day at Vera Green Productions and Designs, but we still love any excuse to celebrate our planet and encourage others to do the same! Earth Day is this Thursday, April 22 and to celebrate we have some exciting offers and specials for the eco-savvy couple. Also, keep your eyes out, because the Vera Green crew is kicking it into high gear this week with some special activities around town.


Earth Week happenings:

Check in on the blog for a daily retrospective from Ashley Paz, founder of Vera Green Productions, on her mission as a pioneer in planning socially conscious weddings and special events. As well as unique wedding and green living tips.

Thursday the Vera Green Productions team will be out and about spreading the word with local vendors about the green wedding industry. And their day will end at The Safe Haven Women’s Shelter in Arlington to help plant flowers for their Safe Haven Young Professional Group’s Earth Day event.  If you are looking for a way to give back on Earth Day they will surely need additional help.  You can contact them via their website.

We are so excited to celebrate our planet this week, and encourage others to do so as well!

Go for the Gold

Sorry I've been MIA on my inspiration boards of late. But I'm back this week with a board that was inspired by...the Super Bowl! I was watching the big game last night and thought that it would be fun to feature a board that showcases gold accents in honor of the New Orleans Saints. I love gold and think its exudes a sense of elegance. Special gilded touches can make your wedding shine! I especially love the gold groom's shoes, don't you?

All photo credits can be found here.

Simple, Chic, Natural

I was perusing Once Wed last night seeking some inspiration when I found this lovely Los Angeles wedding. Filled with handmade details from the accessories to the bride's dress, I thought this was such a subtly elegant affair. Drawing inspiration from it, I created this board which exudes an au naturel feeling. There would be so many ways to incorporate eco-friendly elements into this wedding as well. Wildflowers, recycled material for invites and fashion, repurposed decorations, oh the possibilities would be endless!

All image credits can be found here.

Inspired by Pantone Turquoise

Good Monday morning everyone! I'm here to bring a little inspiration your way. This past week I learned that Pantone had announced it's 2010 color of the year: Turquoise.

It's a lovely color, and perfect to incorporate into your wedding. As far as mixing turquoise with other colors, Pantone says, "Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens." As for me, I'm using the color in my own wedding paired with orange! So here's an inspiration board for you featuring the color of the year, enjoy!

For image credits, click here.

A Tim Burton Wedding

Good morning everyone, and Happy New Year! It's time to tackle 2010 and set goals for the year. At Vera Green Productions, we're going to be bringing you weekly inspiration based on weddings we're working on and other lovely images and themes that inspire us. Every Monday we'll be posting a new board. If you've got ideas or an inspiration board you'd like to see, we'd love to hear!

Our first board of the year draws inspiration from Heather, our October bride. We're so excited to have her on board with Vera Green Productions. Her wedding will be a true original with a vision that includes words like Victorian, Gothic, Glamour, and Tim Burton. Lighting is of utmost importance to our bride and I can just see candelabras, chandeliers, and candlelight everywhere. It's bound to be a stand out!

Have an inspired week everyone.

Vendor Review: Texas Star Bakery

Texas Star Bakery
499 West Harwood Rd
Hurst, TX
http://www.texasstarbakery.com/

A few weeks back, Lauren and I an excursion to Hurst to visit some wedding bake shops. Our favorite one of the day was definitely Texas Star Bakery at 499 West Harwood Rd. It is situated in a quaint strip of all brick storefronts that is really quite charming.

Upon entering the bakery we were both attracted to their display case full of cookies, candies, pies and cakes. The man behind the sweets is the bakery’s owner, (I would love to give his name, but the staff wasn't so helpful with my questions). Everything in the bakery is his recipe, and he does all of the baking so he can ensure that it is done to his standards.

When you are tasting their delectable treats the attention to detail is really noticeable. It is really amazing how much you can taste the difference between real extracts and that imitation stuff. And these guys are 100% real.

When it comes to weddings, Texas Star is one of the best values I’ve seen. Prices for traditional flavors start at $2.50 per slice. Their specialty flavors aren’t bad either at $3 per slice! I did not try the wedding cake while we were there since they were all sold out of their tasting samples. I take that as a good thing, since I know a lot of bakeries who keep a stock pile in their freezer, so as to never run out. Personally, I’d rather not taste it than to eat something that is frost bitten and flavorless!  I did have a cupcake though, which was quite yummy.

I do however have a few slight criticisms of Texas Star Bakery.  The first is that their work is very traditional, in the way of butter cream roses and fondant swags. Which have their place, but are just very dated designs. Having said that, I believe that they are perfectly capable of creating cakes with more modern designs, or whatever is asked of them. But their portfolio mostly consists of the more dated style which I previously spoke.

Next, their staff and customer service could use some improvement.  The ladies working the front counter weren't necessarily rude, but they weren't quite friendly either.  Now, I don't expect to have the red carpet rolled out for me just because I'm a wedding planner.  But I would expect for a business to be willing to answer questions with detail to someone who comes in WANTING to bring them business.  I wasn't asking for secret family recipes, but the owner's name?  I have also read several reviews online echoing similar experiences.  I think that if they were to offer their customers a bit more of a personal experience they would have more repeat business.

Finally, being an event planner who focuses on the eco-friendly aspects of this industry I have to comment on the "greenness" of this business.  Which it isn't very.  I can't comment on the ingredients, but it is safe to assume that they don't use organic or much local.  I'm basing that assumption purely from the fact that their prices are so low.  I could be completely incorrect on that fact.  And their frosting is clearly made from crisco, which isn't a bad thing.  They don't claim anything otherwise, so you can't fault them.  Having extensive experience in the fine art of pastry, crisco frosting has it's place.  It does hold up better than butter in icing, and it spreads much easier to create smoother lines.  But I do have a problem with calling crisco frosting "butter cream" because it isn't made from butter!  And it takes a delicate hand to prevent crisco frosting from tasting greasy, which I think is an art Texas Star could work on.  But their cupcakes are pretty good, and the cake is clearly not from a box which makes up for the shortning in their icing.  Aside from ingredients there aren't any areas that I feel require the eco comments on.  But I would love to hear input from other patrons of this business that could provide insight on things that this bakery does to improve the environment or to help the local community or charities.
All in all, I will happily refer this bakery to any of my brides who are looking for a delicious cake from an experienced bakery. 

Click here for reviews of this bakery on Yahoo! Local