Everlasting Vegan Events is a full-service eco-friendly and vegan event planning company that will make your vegan vision a reality. We help plan your event with the well-being of all living beings in mind. Our mission is “NO harm to animals. NO harm to humans. NO harm to the planet”. That means keeping fashion, beauty, décor, and food choices in mind when planning your event!
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced while planning an event and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge at a past event that we produced would have to be the platform we used for our recent Ventura County Animal Services Gala. It was a great platform but we needed more people who understood it. Most volunteers and guests were confused by the process, even though training had been involved.
How did we overcome it? I somehow figured out how to be 5 places at once!
What are 2 trends in the event planning industry that you’re excited about?
I am very excited about working events that are out of the box. We love to see guests be creative with their timeline! You don’t need to follow the specific, traditional ways of ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, etc. We have seen some events have an all cocktail hour feel and some that had their cocktail hour before the ceremony!
Traditions are not for everyone and we want every single one of our guests to feel that they can do whatever their heart pleases! While we are on that topic, this is how we handle our “vegan services”. We are not here to monitor or “police” anyone’s usage or lifestyle. The only thing we require is vegan food to be served at the event. We know that tuxedos are difficult to find without wool and sometimes the bride falls in love with a dress made of silk. There are a lot of ways to be sustainable and eco-friendly and we want to help!
What are some tips for creating an elegant and memorable event on a tight budget?
This answer is different for an eco-friendly, sustainable event. We look to see what our client’s biggest must-haves are. We work with them on figuring out ways to cut corners. If the couple has flowers as one of their least important factors, we help with providing alternatives. This could be not using a florist or “foraging”.
As far as food, that really depends on where the event is, but this can always be modified. We help our clients look for what they want at a low cost and we help them think outside the box! We do recommend, however, to keep in mind that photography may not seem important, but it will definitely be the most important part of your day!
How important are your relationships with vendors and what are some ways that you successfully cultivate and ensure good rapport?
One of my favorite parts about opening an all-vegan company is that we work with all-vegan vendors! Don’t get me wrong, we welcome all kinds of vendors and you don’t have to be vegan to work with us, but it is really great when we do work with vegans because we all have something in common. We are here for more than just a paycheck, we are here to help change the world. Vegan caterers are bringing in vegan food for an event where the guests are likely not all vegan, and this is a great way to spread our message.
Our photographers, DJs, and florists are all low-waste and eco-friendly. They are always thinking of ways to give back with events versus taking more than we need. When we let our vendors know what our goals are as a company, even if that was not their initial plan from the start, they know that when they are working with us we are here to produce a spectacular event but to do that we must be kind to animals and the planet. We work with vendors who compost, recycle, and are more conscious of the detriment events have on the planet.
What’s the most exciting thing on the horizon for you personally or professionally?
We are very excited about a few upcoming events! We have the Vegan Wedding Fair in September of 2020 and the Ventura County Animal Services Gala in 2022. We are partnering with The Kind Bride, an all-vegan wedding blogger, in bringing this event back to Los Angeles for the second year in a row. We are working on more vendors, food, entertainment, and a few more surprises. Then, we will be partnering with VCAS to bring another gala to their community. This non-profit really is something special, they have done so much for the animals of Ventura County. I am also a board member of VCAS, so we are very much excited to keep the collaboration going.
What inspired you to launch your own company in the event industry? How long did it take from initially having the idea to setting up and starting to attract a client base?
I launched Everlasting Vegan Events out of my love for animals, the planet, and the event industry. It was a niche that needed to be filled and with my expertise in the vegan, eco-friendly world and my experience in event planning, it was a perfect fit!
It took a few years to get the idea down and to finally launch, but it has been worth every step.
