Today I am excited to feature Emily Anderson for our Over a Cup of Coffee interview series. Emily is a former event designer at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and the author of the book, Eco-Chic Weddings and of the blog by the same name. I've posted about her book a couple of times (here and here) because it is such a great resource - not only for planning a sustainable affair, but also for getting into the mindset of making socially responsible changes in our own daily actions. Emily is as sweet as she is talented, so I know that you are going to love sharing coffee with her!

Name: Emily Anderson of Eco-Chic Weddings
Location: New York City

Share some fun details about your home life:
I am married to David and I have a six month baby girl, Sydney Lucille. Lucille was my grandmother’s name. I loved my grandmother, and she was a huge inspiration to me. In her own way, she was a very eco-chic. She used to own a wicker restoration business in Virginia. She also designed dresses, sewed, embroidered, and even upholstered. I grew up spending a lot of time with her hitting the yard sales every Saturday and Sunday morning. I am a full-time mom, and I work from home. I get to spend a ton of time with my little girl and that’s how I planned it to be…see, being a wedding and event planner has served me well in all sorts of ways!

How did you get started in the wedding industry?
It’s kind of ironic since I was an English Lit. major in college, and wanted to work in welfare reform. I spent a year living in Costa Rica, and learned so much about environmental issues (this was in the early 90’s). But, like many college students, I came back to New York desperate to find a job. I found my first job in fashion, strangely enough. I’d always loved fashion and style, and design of course. But I never through I would end up in fashion. Then of course I ended up at Martha Stewart, which I absolutely loved. It was really there that I became involved in weddings. I worked with Darcy Miller quite a bit. She’s the Editorial Director of Martha Stewart Weddings.

What was the inspiration behind your book, Eco-Chic Weddings?
I am also a Yoga teacher, and I really wanted to combine both of my passions—style and healthy living. I also wanted to help brides and grooms put the joy back in the celebration of marriage. And of course I was very aware of unnecessary waste involved in the industry (such as favors that will be thrown away, bridesmaid dresses that will never be worn again, etc.)

What aspects of your job are your favorite?
I love working with all of the different wonderful people who work in the industry. I also love inspiring brides and grooms as well as business owners to pursue more positive choices, while still having style and fun!

What is one thing you wish everyone knew about your field?
Planning a wedding, and any event, is very detail oriented. I’ve met many brides over the years who want to become event planners right after they’ve had their wedding. I like to say that event planning is 90% work, 10% of the fun (decorating, food tasting, schmoozing, etc.) More often than not, I ended my night in the kitchen, sitting on a dishwasher grate, eating from leftover food trays. Not too glamorous! I’m not complaining—I love the immediate gratification of knowing your event went off smashingly.

What has been the highlight of your career to date?
Honestly, working at Martha Stewart was such a great experience. I absolutely love that company; there are so many creative, talented people it’s like being around the best of the best all of the time—everyone has the same high-standards and wants to make everything as great as it possibly can be. It’s exhilarating to be in that kind of environment—at least for me it is! I guess I grew up with women, like my grandmother’s, who were very into homemaking, and creating handmade things, and gardening, etc. It taught me to honor beauty, order and
good style.

When you travel, what is one thing you can't live without?
I’m a magazine junky, so usually I have half my weight in magazines. But now that I have my little girl, I guess I would say she is the one thing I can’t live without!

Tell us some of your favorite shops, both on the cheap and to indulge:
I am a total second-hand store junky. I used to live around the corner from Housing Works; I especially love them because they donate to people living with AIDS. I also think they have some amazing designers…their window displays are among the best in the city, in my opinion…move over Simon Doonan!

Let us in on one off-the-beaten-path place we must visit while in your town:
Well, we recently moved to upper Manhattan, also known as Ft. Washington. We are just steps away from Ft. Tryon Park, which is also where The Cloisters are. The Cloisters are a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As many have said, the light truly is rarefied here in the upper reaches of the island.

Another place in the park is the New Leaf Café, which is owned by Bette Midler. It’s all organic fare. The great thing about the café is that it came out of the urban greening initiative, “Greenstreets”, started by Ms. Midler. She has been so influential in creating “pocket parks” throughout the city, places that were once just pavement that have sprung to life as pretty gardens all over the place, just blooming there for anyone to walk by and enjoy. Also, the New Leaf Café is an amazing space for weddings….

Is there anything else we may be interested in?
I wish I could share the joy I have in my life right now with every bride struggling through what might be a stressful wedding planning experience. This is what it is all about, not that one day. Just remember that.

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