13 Tuesday Dec 2011
12 Monday Dec 2011
Tags
Bridal Expo, collin college, collin county, Dallas, denver, DFW, Dream Green Theme, east Texas, eco-chic, Eco-friendly, Emerald Certified Seminars, emerald events & weddings, environment, Fort Worth, girl power, Green, green certification, green dallas, green denver, Green Events, green new york, green parties, Green Parties Melissa Wagner, green weddings, Melissa Wagner-Gens, Unique venue, vintage, wedding planner, weddings, women
24 Thursday Nov 2011
Posted in Uncategorized
17 Thursday Nov 2011
Tags
collin college, collin county, Dallas, DFW, east Texas, eco-chic, Eco-friendly, Emerald Certified Seminars, emerald events & weddings, girl power, Green, green certification, green dallas, Green Events, green new york, green parties, Green Parties Melissa Wagner, green weddings, Melissa Wagner-Gens, sustainable catering, Unique venue, wedding certification, wedding planner, weddings, women
of the year??
Hello my party princes and princesses,
I find myself doing something I swore I would never do, mentioning the name Kim Kardashian on this blog. Ugh!! But I feel I must! Whether you’ve wanted to or not, we’ve all been dragged along for the ride that I like to call “Kim Kardashian’s Krazy Konnubial Khaos”. (My apologies to spelling teachers everywhere)
Not only does it irk me that she treats weddings and marriage with such irreverance (I’ll save that for another blog post), but I cringe at the very idea of spending 20 million dollars on a one day event for 500 people. Now I love a great wedding, don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t be in this business otherwise, but there is no need to spend anywhere near that amount to make it fantastic.
As a wedding planner and recent bride, I’m appalled at her wedding costs, especially since the marriage lasted barely longer than the honeymoon! My own fabulous wedding (eco-chic, of course) was two years ago so I’m putting my wedding up against Kim’s in this chart. Today I get to play with the idea “What would I buy, besides my dream wedding, with 20 million dollars” Here’s what I would purchase with that amount of money!
Which wedding packs the bigger "Wow" factor?
These charities and ideas are all very near to my heart for one reason or another.
and that, ladies and gents, is how yours truly would spend 20 million dollars!! Any thoughts, questions, concerns? Any bored billionaires looking for a great and meaningful way to make a difference? I’ll let you have my list for free! =o)
Until next time, Wishing you “Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever After. . . .”,
Melissa
Melissa Wagner-Gens, PMP
Owner & Chief Chica Verde
Office-972-202-9950
Emerald Events & Weddings
Developer & Producer of
Emerald Certified Seminars
Be Brilliantly Green; Be Emerald!
08 Tuesday Nov 2011
Tags
collin county, Dallas, Dream Green Theme, eco-chic, Eco-friendly, emerald events & weddings, environment, Green, green dallas, Green Events, green new york, green parties, Green Parties Melissa Wagner, green weddings, Melissa Wagner-Gens, Photo by Eleonore, strawberry, Unique venue, vintage, wedding planner, weddings, women
Hello my party princesses.
Have you heard about Pinterest? We decided this new thing of pinning your
favorites like a virtual bulletin board, inspiration board, interest board was
too irresistible to pass up. Pinterest, you’re hot!!
Many of my perky planners, vivacious vendors & cute as a button couples have joined
Pinterest and are pinning their favorites from wedding hair ideas, to green bouquet ideas to DIY
wedding favors. They share them with me and I am able to see their fun stuff.
Its great!
We would love it if you started to follow us too. You can find us at http://www.pinterest.com/ecopartygoddess/
Happy pinning!
Melissa
21 Friday Oct 2011
Tags
collin county, Dallas, Dream Green Theme, eco-chic, Eco-friendly, emerald events & weddings, environment, Green, green dallas, Green Events, green new york, green parties, Green Parties Melissa Wagner, green weddings, Melissa Wagner-Gens, Photo by Eleonore, strawberry, Unique venue, vintage, wedding planner, weddings, women
Hello all of you eco-evangelistas and party princesses!
What does today need? I’ll tell ya. A really rockin’ new green theme for a wedding. Welcome to our special feature I’m calling “Dream Green Themes” These will be monthly party themes which are eco-chic and unique!
One way I try to get my blushing brides to incorporate themselves and their honeybunnies into their wedding is to incorporate items found in their houses already. They love the items and it reduces waste/cost, so why not use them? From dishes to art to jewelry, all can be incorporated into a rockin’ theme which really tie the couple’s personality into the wedding. I was challenged recently to put my money where my mouth was, so to speak. Never one to turn down a challenge, I accepted!
Recently I had the pleasure of working with several amazing vendors to create four new looks for the eco-conscious couple. The first one I’m going to share here is our Strawberry Fields theme. The dishes, silverware, burlap and giant teacups are mine. Everything else is locally sourced and/organic.
Who doesn’t love the juicy red and crisp green of a strawberry? They have always reminded me of summers in my grandfather’s garden. Those little berries grew like wildfire much to the delight of all of us grandkids who made it our personal mission in life to eat as many as we possibly could . =o)
The first thing we needed for our Dream Green Theme was a great location. I was looking for somewhere cozy (less people = less waste & less carbon emissions) and rustic (strawberries, vines, duh! =o>). I found the perfect place in Melissa, TX called the Bird’s Nest. It had room for an intimate wedding (aka 50 people or less) and amazing photos ops everywere including a small red barn and gazebo.
Our blushing bride for this eco-chic wedding was recent bride Lauren. I love this picture the amazing Eleonore from Photo By Eleonore took of her! Lauren & Lindsay (our planner for this shoot) were both styled by the fabulous Karri of Hair by Kar who had her work cut out for her since we shot on a day that reached 108° in the shade!! Oi!! I just loved both of our models’ energies! Both ladies were full of ideas and energetic despite the record heat!
Instead of using a cut flower bouquet flown in from South America or Holland, consider using locally grown flowers, live plants or perhaps a fresh strawberry one. Ours consists of long-stemmed strawberries and parsley.
In this shot, our planner Lindsey shows our bride one of the table set-ups. Our vintage linens were provided by Rent My Dust, a hidden gem in the DFW area which rents vintage linens, china, accessories and furniture! Miss Rita set us up! =o) The berry dishes, 1940′s cakeplate & vintage teacup are from my personal collection. Yes, I know! I rock! LOL
Both centerpieces cost less than $10 to make. To create the tea cup centerpiece, I used a head of ruffled lettuce, a head of cabbage and a pint of strawberries. Editor’s note: No styrofoam or cut flowers were harmed or utilised in the making of this centerpiece. ;o)
I got the idea for the cake stand centerpiece from a 1940′s photograph of a teaparty my grandmother attended. All you need is a cool cake stand and the ability to stack strawberries. =o)
And now onto the yummy part of our Strawberry Fields wedding – The dessert table!! What would a strawberry themed wedding be without make it yourself shortcakes?
Our too-cute-for-words blueberry and cherry pies in the jar came from the Diva of Dessert herself, Tiffany at Haute Mama Dessert Company.
Haute Mama also provided the uber-realistic strawberry cake pops, adorable pie pops and sugar cookies 
decorated in a vintage postcard theme. Look for her other amazingly yummy sweets in our upcoming Green Dream Themes!
I’ve been asked by several people why we did not go with a wedding cake for this theme. The answer is simple. Cakes create waste. An average of 30% of wedding cake does not get eaten on the day of. There are many reasons for this – some guests don’t like the flavors or like cake at all.
Creating a dessert table allows the guests to pick from an assortment of dessert flavors and choices. So for this wedding them, I chose to forgo the cake =o). 
Cafe Mozart provided the deliciously decadent strawberry and raspberry mousse desserts which rounded out our delicious dessert table.
So what do you think? Is this an eco-chic wedding you’d like to attend? I hope so! I loved designing this juicy and fun eco-friendly unique theme! I would like to thank my gorgeously green models and locally sourced vendors for all their assistance in pulling this photo shoot together despite the raging heat of a record Texas summer!! =o)
Remember Emerald Events & Weddings for all your green wedding and event questions!
Photos – Photo By Eleonore
Location – the Bird’s Nest
Makeup & Hair – Hair by Kar
Vintage Linens -Rent My Dust
Desserts – Haute Mama Dessert Company & Cafe Mozart
Tireless assistant to Melissa – Courtney Collyge
Blushing Bride – Lauren Lambert
Perky Planner – Lindsey Crabtree
Event & Photo Shoot Design -Melissa Wagner-Gens – Emerald Events & Weddings
Next month, look for our “I’ll be your honeybee” Green Dream Theme, bringing attention to one of the hardest working natural pollinators & producers out there, the honey bee. =o)
19 Wednesday Oct 2011
Tags
collin county, Dallas, Dream Green Theme, eco-chic, Eco-friendly, emerald events & weddings, environment, Green, green dallas, Green Events, green new york, green parties, Green Parties Melissa Wagner, green weddings, Melissa Wagner-Gens, Photo by Eleonore, strawberry, Unique venue, vintage, wedding planner, weddings, women
Hello my amazing party people,
Season 1 - RWPOCC
Today I wanted to tell you all about my Collin College Wedding Planner certification classes. Three years ago when I was approached to develop and teach this class, I had no idea the profound effect this class would make on the rest of my life. First of all, all certification courses are not created equal!
Back when I got my online event planner certification, the course I went through did not touch on several topics I thought were necessary to have a successful event planning business in the 21st century- project management skills, greening events, social media & small business skills being the biggest pieces left out. I always said if I ever taught a class, I would include those points. If I am putting my name on this certification, the students will be getting a complete education!
My students put together their wedding business in class complete with a “sticky” name and tagline, 5 year business plan, press release, headshots and public image assessment. I’ve had several come up to me and say it was much harder than they expected but definitely what they needed to know.
Season 2 - RWPOCC
I also said I’d make it fun! Planning parties is hard work but it is also a lot of fun. And no one retains information when they are bored out of their skull, least of all me! So we have learning games I’ve developed like “Survivor:Wedding Edition”, “Bridalpiece Theatre” & “America’s Next Top Planner” which hone their wedding planner skills.
Season 3 - RWPOCC
In the second half of the class, they also get thrown into a real-world wedding exercise where they use all the planner information they’ve been given to plan a local “wedding” where I am the bride and have final say over vendors and details. They have to research local vendors, control the budget & develop the wedding day timeline.
Season 4 - RWPOCC
Each wedding has a twist (just like a real wedding). Past twists have included gluten free diets, flower allergies, theme weddings, cultural weddings & eco-chic weddings. It always amazes me to see how my students incorporate the “Bride’s” demands with their own sense of style to produce a memorable occasion.
I also bring in several of my trusted local vendors to talk with the planners in a section I call “Inside the Vendor’s Studio” where I informally interview the vendor. This allows the students to learn about the person behind the product or service and allows them to begin building their vendor database.
The planners learn how to tell a good vendor from a bad or inexperienced one, hear what drives the vendor to do what they do and what they wish planners and brides knew before coming in. This allows the planner to really understand the concept that vendors are people too and the relationships they forge really reflect on them as a planner. We’ve been lucky enough to have such choice vendors as Chef Pete Catering, Illumination Fireworks, Heartsong Productions, Cater 10, Envision Images, and of course, my amazing friend Photo By Eleonore.
Bridesmaids
We recently had a reunion of the first four seasons of our class and our favorite vendors centered around the wickedly funny movie Bridesmaids, complete with our own awards, the Emeralds (aka the Emmys) that the planners got to vote on.
Thirty planners and the talented Tony Valadez from Flashbox Photography came out to mix and mingle. The awards included “Miss Congeniality”, “Most Improved”, “Favorite Vendor”, “Best Business Name”, “Most Likely to Plan a Celebrity Wedding”, and “the Maverick” award for the “best of the best” of the class-designed weddings. We laughed, we cried, we ate popcorn and sang Wilson Phillips (Bridesmaids reference. lol)
It was an amazing night with amazing party planners and I am so lucky to have come into contact with all of these beautiful, talented women! I hope they stay in touch! They have taken the information I’ve given them and really made the wedding planning world take notice. I look forward to seeing them follow their passion & grow into their own niches of the market.
Wishing you Love, Laughter & Happily Ever After . . . .
Melissa
Melissa Wagner-Gens, PMP
Owner & Chief Chica Verde
Office-972-202-9950
Emerald Events & Weddings
Developer & Producer of
Emerald Certified Seminars
Be Brilliantly Green; Be Emerald!
15 Saturday Oct 2011
Tags
collin college, collin county, Dallas, DFW, east Texas, eco-chic, Eco-friendly, Emerald Certified Seminars, emerald events & weddings, girl power, Green, green certification, green dallas, Green Events, green new york, green parties, Green Parties Melissa Wagner, green weddings, Melissa Wagner-Gens, sustainable catering, Unique venue, wedding certification, wedding planner, weddings, women
Hello all of my party princesses,
I wanted to give you a rundown of our Emerald Certified ™ Seminar - DFW which happened in September! I have developed this class in response because of the number of former wedding planner certification students who were asking me to teach them how to be Brilliantly Green™ when planning their client’s events or wanted to go to the next level of certification in their education. Now I am not a “Mean Queen of Green” and I don’t lecture as one. I believe people retain more knowledge when they are engaged and entertained, so our class was very interactive and hands-on. The students got the chance to create eco-friendly centerpieces and green signature cocktails using organic vodka, locally made tequila, fresh fruit and organic fruit juices. I explained 100 mile weddings and green terminology they needed to know and introduced them to local eco-chic vendors they could use when planning their parties. Our 7 hour seminar just flew by and I know for a fact that I helped these women think differently and sustainably about events and how their business relates to the environment around them.
Some of our wonderful sponsors included Emerald Events & Weddings (of course =o>), ClearSky Climate Solutions, Aspen Ironworks, Wales Manor, Java & Gelati, HeartSong Productions & Chef Pete Catering. Here are some pictures of all the eco-chic educational fun!
14 Friday Oct 2011
Tags
collin college, collin county, Dallas, DFW, east Texas, eco-chic, Eco-friendly, Emerald Certified Seminars, emerald events & weddings, girl power, Green, green certification, green dallas, Green Events, green new york, green parties, Green Parties Melissa Wagner, green weddings, Melissa Wagner-Gens, sustainable catering, Unique venue, wedding certification, wedding planner, weddings, women
Hello you perky planners and beautiful brides,
I know, I know!! You thought I got kidnapped by angry anti-environmental antique wedding planners, but that’s not what happened! Well at least that’s not what’s happened yet!
The simple truth is between teaching the Collin College wedding planner certification class, the Emerald Certified ™ green event planner certification seminar, planning brilliantly green events for Emerald Events & Weddings, writing my Brilliantly Green Bride book (coming soon) and being a newlywed bride, life just did not include time to blog. But I am hear to catch you up on all my caffeinated craziness of the last year! We’ll get to all that but first, here’s a wonderful quote that I’m just digging right now…..How cool would it be done in calligraphy for a wedding shower present?
Love This Sentiment!
Talk to you soon! =o)
05 Thursday Aug 2010
Tags
Attie Neil, Brittany Solarzano, collin county, Dallas, DFW, durango, east Texas, eco-chic, Eco-friendly, Emerald Certified Seminars, emerald events & weddings, fort lewis college, Fort Worth, girl power, Green, green certification, green dallas, green denver, Green Events, green new york, green parties, Green Parties Melissa Wagner, Heartsong Productions, local wine, lufkin, Melissa Wagner-Gens, sustainable catering
Greetings, party prince and princesses!
Hopefully this post finds you by a sparkling blue pool with a frosty adult beverage of your choice on the table next to you. Where have I been, you might be wondering…Well this summer has been a busy one for me and Mr. G. Not only have we had to deal with all kinds of illnesses and injuries (Torn rotator cuffs, root canals, and strep throat just to name a few)but we’ve also been busy at work as well. Here are just a few things Emerald Events & Weddings has been doing in the past 4 months.
~We launched Emerald Certified (TM) Seminars, which is our carbon-neutral, in-house green certification class for event planners. The requests for this have been overwhelming and finally we decided to give planners what they want. For better or worse, I have come to be seen as a green event expert and I will be taking my lifelong earth-friendly passion, combining it with common green terms, knowledge & Emerald Events and Wedding’s eco-chic event experience and condensing it into a one day, easy-to-understand fun seminar in major metro cities around the country.
Our first one will be held this year in Dallas, with others to follow in 2011 in New York, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, & Portland. We are also taking suggestions for other seminars locations. The website is www.BeBrilliantlyGreen.com We’re excited about teaching others to be brilliantly green like us!
~Another very exciting development is the first stage of our event planner expansion. The first two satellite offices of Emerald Events & Weddings will be Attie Neil in Durango, CO (serving the 4 Corners area – Farmington, Aztec, Bayfield, Silverton, Wolf Creek, Pagosa Springs, and Ignacio) and Brittany Solarzano in Lufkin, TX (Serving all of East Texas including Nacogdoches, Jacksonville, Tyler, and Rusk) I’ll be introducing their fantastic selves properly in a future blog.
~Another job that’s been keeping me busy is one which has just sort of happened. I’ve been helping a few former students set up their business entities, social media, and advertising solutions. It’s amazing to me the lack of one stop shops for small business set up needs. In today’s society, if you want to sell scarves, in addition to knitting, you’ve got to be a small business, tax and computer guru or your business won’t be successful.
Mr. G is taking over his parent’s design and webhosting business in the fall. We’re seriously discussing turning it into a small business 1 stop shop. For example – You want to sell widgets? You concentrate on selling widgets and leave the small business & social media set up, incorporation, website & logo, name and tagline, and tax & accounting solutions to us. All you worry about is selling widgets. It’s an exciting idea and one which I think will get a lot of customers quickly!
~
The final thing I was working on is really exciting to me! As a Certified Project Manager, I read PM Network magazine religiously as do 300,000 other PMPs in 120 countries.
Approaching an event as a Project with Pizazz is something I firmly believe in and teach my event planning students. Imagine my joy and happiness when they asked to interview me for a story on event planning as a project.
It just came out in July and already I have had another PMP calling to ask me how to get started in the business. I was so happy!
Being interviewed for such a prestigious magazine just really made my my summer! Read all about it here!! pmnetwork201007-8f14e45fce-pp & pmnetwork201007-3026096d26-pp
And that, ladies and gents is the run down on all of the exciting happenings around the Emerald Empire. It’s been crazy busy but I’m loving every starbucks drinking, eco-chic thinking, event planning, state spanning moment!
