eco bridal salon in LEED certified annenberg beach house in santa monica, ca

rachel from eTTa design with organizer and eco floral designer shrene hulugalle

as an eco-friendly interior designer in los angeles, i felt right at home last sunday when i attended a fabulous eco elegant bridal event produced by sherene hulugalle of wisteria lane flower shop at the stunningly preserved marion davies guest house, part of the LEED certified annenberg community beach house in santa monica, ca.  the event benefitted heal the bay and showcased an elegant array of eco-friendly businesses and services since eco can often be presented in a hippie look.  

one of many eco creations from wisteria lane

in every corner of this beautifully preserved historic landmark were sustainable floral creations by wisteria, the event host.  their eco-friendly flowers are either certified organic or veriflora and are locally grown in a manner that's gentle on the earth and safegaurds the well-being of farm workers, wildlife and the ecology.   

i love the combination of succulents with the soft pink roses!

the first clear example of eco elegance were the plethora of gorgeous and romantic dresses from 2 extremely talented designers.  one of them is hanna hartnell with her sumptious hartnell line of dresses!  first of all, she has a certified green bridal salon in santa monica.  secondly, she has a clear passion for preserving the environment through the many organizations for which she volunteers.  thirdly, she creates stunning dresses for weddings and events and even offers men's attire!

hanna hartnell's dreamy eco silk creations

her dresses are made from silk with the cocoons of sustainable silk worms processed and dyed in a complex dye houses that control and recycle the run-off of dye water.  the water's then treated and reused, thus protecting local waters.  also, by lining the dresses in a different silk color, they become reversible so a bride can easily wear her gown after the wedding!

details of lindee's dreamy dresses

the other devine dress line is from lindee daniel who uses peace silk which means the silk worms grow to moths as opposed to dying after its silk making is spun (the traditional silk making practice).  this organic silk is dyed naturally so for example, the blue dress shown here is made from real indigo!

lindee creating a new dress by draping muslin which she gives to a patternmaker who makes the final dress in the final fabrics (note the pink is also muslin as there won't be any pink in the final dress)

another silk fashion resource was the adorable young designer pinky and her lovely hand painted eco scarves from her lark e designs company.

pinky's precious painted silk scarves

delicious food from great catering resources akasha, including exquisite organic cupcakes, and from patina, decadent parfaits and colorful salads.

akasha's adorable yet elegantly adorned cupcakes plus homemade jams and chutneys, perfect for party favors!

patina parfaits and veggies that pop with color!  

delightful stationery ideas presented from lilikoi with an example of their hand operated letter press machine.  also, they use tree-free cotton papers reclaimed from the fabric industry which is recycled and made in the USA, employ hand mixed soy based inks, reuse suppliers' packaging, and save all test sheets and scrap paper.

so much fun pressing my own stationary from lilikoi!

lilikoi's hand-pressed samples

another lovely paper source is copper willow located in a cool creative cooperative in very hip culver city.  they print only on recycled or tree-free paper, use only earth friendly solvents and chemicals and soy-based inks, and practice conservation in all phases of production.

love these clever copper willow flowers!

there were mini makeovers provided by calibella who uses USDA certified organic cosmetics and brushes and also provides personalized nutritional counseling with organic nutritional supplements.  in addition, the organic pharmacy from beverly hills (based in england) was there with their non-toxic skin care products and free makeup applications and tips.  this is no ordinary pharmacy, but is more like the old-fashioned pharmacies and even better, this one is mixed with homeopathic skills so you can get remedies for whatever ails you!

non-toxic makeup from the organic pharmacy in beverly hills

makeup maven christina cardenas from calibella

of course there were also the photographers and i just loved viewing their photo displays!  they all had such unique perspectives yet captured the dreamy romance of weddings.  i especially love the charm and magic captured by miha matei, the natural photojournalism sytle of b&g photography and the true personalities captured by jennifer kelley lublin photography (who so generously caught my image shown here).

thanks to jkl photography for the sweet snap!

also in attendance were the recycled bride, the world's first eco-resale website for brides and their friends.  you can buy, sell and save on designer wedding dresses, decorations, accessories and more!  plus, to help you in the fitness department, was ana caban, the good life guru with health and fitness products to prepare for the big day!


such perfect timing was the environmentally focused art exhibit in the beach house's main building, continuing their until nov 28th.  eleven artists from topanga canyon gallery exhibit work that reflects the land we walk on and the vistas that embrace us - illustrating the diversity of this experience through different artistic lenses and mediums.