Greater Good Events

12/24/2023

As we transition through the winter solstice and into the new year, we sit with conflict… between the joy of celebrating with loved ones; the heartbreak of observing the relentless devastation and dehumanization of lives and livelihoods in Palestine; the privilege of knowing where home is and consistency of knowing we are safe in our spaces; the gratitude for our communities of collaborators, clients, friends and families; the guilt and fury of helplessness and loss…

And even in conflict we hold closely our belief that a better world is possible. We anchor this belief in our witness of persistence and faith we see around communities near and far who use their voices to stand up for better futures. We anchor this belief in an abundance and celebration of gratitude—for the clients who trust us to plan their celebrations and convenings; the vendors who work alongside us in thoughtful collaboration and trust us enough to refer clients our way; the contractors and team members who give their best so our gatherings shine as bright as their hosts; and the extended community, including family and friends, who support us through the ups and downs of each day and year.

So, as this year ends, we bring to all of you a wish for joy that extends beyond borders and barriers, seen and unseen. We look to Audre Lorde who captures our wishes for the new year perfectly - “Tomorrow belongs to those of us who conceive of it as belonging to everyone; who lend the best of ourselves to it, and with joy.”

With hope, gratitude and joy, Happy New Year - Maryam and Justine

09/26/2023

is near and dear to our hearts. So when we were invited to plan their 2023 Gala, we were over the moon.

The event itself was all about celebrating the incredible year-round community of artists, educators, youth, and collaborators who make the magic of Socrates come to life. This year we felt grateful to be able to honor a few select partners who really embody Socrates’ commitment to public art - ’s Creative Arts Program for their incredible work; Socrates Board Member and SpaceTime guru ; and artist and activist .

This year, the event was held in the private studio of - an incredible gift and gorgeous location to welcome Socrates’ community of supporters. We really wanted to make sure our vendor partnerships really reflected the local community. So in addition to collaborating with their existing vendor partners ( and ), we brought in a few locals too.

That included a cocktail bar hosted by - who custom crafted several delicious libations for our guests. All our beer generously contributed by local favorite . gave us a great deal on all the wine for the event. donated craft liquors for our guests to enjoy. Thanks to , we had some non-alcoholic beers available for guests. And created some perfect custom cookies too!

Entertainment was provided by and local favorite had the dance floor grooving. Florals were crafted by . Friends from were onsite to provide tarot readings.

Additional details included: an ice sculpture by ; paper goods designed by .design.work and ; AV by ; and photography by Queens-based .

The 2023 gala was an incredible celebration of art, public spaces, and our diverse and generous community in Western Queens. Thank you Socrates for inviting .events to be your partners in the planning process!

09/07/2023

We were lucky enough to collaborate with on the 2022 North America Pro Bono Summit. This was a fun opportunity for Co-Owner to circle back to her first career in and . We worked with Taproot to design a content architecture and sessions plan for the Summit - identifying session topics, sourcing speakers, and managing presentation development - in order to bring a robust agenda to engage their audience of corporate practitioners, nonprofit leaders, and volunteers - and advance the practice of .

In addition to content-related work, managed all the logistics related to the two-day hybrid Summit including venue sourcing, participant communications and registration management, and all onsite logistics planning and management.

We’re excited to be invited back to work with Taproot on next year’s Summit as well! Photos by

08/31/2023

For some of our followers, this post is going to feel out of left field. So what you need to know is that recently a “luxury” educational gathering for industry pros announced their decision to host their event in Palmetto Bluff - an area with a deep history of violence, particularly during the Antebellum era when 21 plantations called that area home. The property they selected, while renovated in 2022, was designed to reflect a plantation house. [Even worse when you consider the organizers used language like “return to a bygone era” when they introduced their excitement of the venue…] These choices prompted us as well as others to ask the organizers more about the intentionality behind the decision.

Tl;dr The organizers came back with very hollow responses. After many comments expressing disappointment and frustration, they eventually canceled the program. We won’t get into the details here of why we found their responses to be lacking or why their cancellation of the event isn’t enough to end the conversation. What we *will* get into, is why we’re not over it. [CONTINUED IN COMMENTS]

08/28/2023

Excited that .events / .events was incited to participate in this panel hosted by .nyc about incorporating sustainability into your business. Co-Owner will join the panel alongside amazing colleagues from , and . If you’re in the events industry in nyc, reach out to Rising Tide to get the invite link for the virtual event on 8/29!

08/24/2023

Hey followers, Maryam (she/her) here 👋🏽. I’m one of the Co-Owners of Greater Good Events and am celebrating 10 years of living in NYC this month! As milestones often do, I’m feeling the need to reminisce! So, we’re going to stat sharing more about some of the events our team members have planned over the course of those 10 years (and maybe a few from our previous time planning events in CA too!).

To start, here’s a flashback to 2018 where Maryam worked with IMPACT2030, a 5-year project to get corporations to commit to the ’ Sustainable Development Goals. These 17 Goals outline a framework for collective action to address 17 objectives designed to serve as a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future."

We worked with IMPACT2030 to support the program design, materials design + development, event planning and onsite support, and guest management for a 2-day gathering hosted at the headquarters in NYC.

05/21/2022

It’s official! PRIDE Grows in Brooklyn is back for its THIRD year! And applications are now OPEN to celebrate your love with us (read on for more)!

**What is Pride Grows in Brooklyn?** It’s our way of celebrating q***r love! We’re a diverse group of wedding pros in the NYC area putting together a one-day series of mini-monies for q***r celebrants. That means, we do all the planning, photographing, vendor confirming, etc. so that you and your partner(s) can celebrate your love with maximum joy (and minimal stress!). Oh, and all the vendors are donating their time/resources, so your celebration is $FREE$.

**When and where is this happening?**
This year’s event is taking place on Sunday, June 12th at Brooklyn Grange (at the Brooklyn Navy Yard). Each set of LGBTQIA+ marriers will have 90 minutes for their ceremony and celebration.

**Who can participate?**
Any members of the LGBTQIA+ community who want to make a commitment to their partner(s) in a more formal fashion. We’ll be selecting up to four sets of celebrants from the applications in the hopes of selecting diverse couples with compelling stories to share. (Oh, and you’re welcome to invite 6 of your nearest and dearest as your guests to celebrate alongside you!)

This is all planned and executed by a group of socially-conscious and committed wedding vendors at *NO COST TO YOU*. We’ll share more about the awesome collective of magic makers behind this event in a post tomorrow!

**How do I participate?**
Applications are open NOW and will only be open for a few days, so get your applications submitted before 11:59pm EST on Monday, May 30! We’ll be reaching out to selected participants by Saturday, June 2 to get you confirmed and all the final details rolling. Apply now at bit.ly/PGIM2022 [yes, the link is case sensitive!].

A few fine print details:
- QTBIPOC couples to the front
- All bodies, all abilities, all love is celebrated here!
- Must be 18+
- Must be available on Sunday, June 12th
- Must have your own wedding/party attire
- Must sign a model release and agree to public sharing of your pictures

***rwedding ***rlove

05/19/2022

We’re just a few weeks out from our favorite month of the year (which coincidentally hosts our favorite event of the year)...

Can you guess what we’ve got up our sleeve? More details coming SO SOON!

ccing our dream team: ; ; ***rofficiant; ; ; ; .events; ; ; ; ; ; :

05/05/2022

⛺️ Looking for ways to dress up a tented wedding? Adding greenery 🍃 in the form of arrangements and installations or live plant rentals like the photo above adds life and lushness to the space.

✨ More to come from this cutie wedding ✨

Photographer & Videographer:
Coordinator:
Venue:
Floral designer:
Dessert: &
DJ:
Makeup:
Hair stylist: .hair
Photo booth:

05/02/2022

co-owner Maryam was a guest at a wedding this weekend 💃🏻 and spotted this cute sign instructing guests how to take flowers home at the end of the night 💐 What are y’all’s ideas for how to spread the wedding floral love?

[Image description: flowers & sign that reads “These flowers have plenty of stamen-a” & instructions for taking home floral arrangements.]

03/03/2022

Looking forward to convening with our wedding industry community today to talk sustainability & intersectionality in events at . Maryam and I (Justine) will be joined by , , and Claire from . It’s not too late to snag a ticket!

02/09/2022

Press Alert! We were mentioned in the Year of the Wedding article "It’s a Boom Year for Brides and Grooms" by Tammy La Gorce this past Sunday, Feb 6th.

If you're planning a wedding in 2022, you've likely heard about the Wedding Boom. Roughly 2.5 million weddings are expected to happen this year, the most since 1984. Venue availability is limited and vendor costs are rising, particularly in industries whose supply chains have been disrupted by the pandemic (floral design, for example.)

While these changes are posing new challenges for vendors and couples - financially and logistically - our invitation to couples right now is to focus on the meaning behind your event, and the form will follow. For some couples, that might mean scaling back a guest list, booking an unconventional venue, or choosing to wait on their celebration until 2023. As Maryam put it in the article, "We’re seeing a shift where couples want to convey a sense of gratitude and meaning,” Ms. Mudrick said. “Not pomp.”

As sustainably-minded, ethically-focused wedding and event planners, this is our specialty: Working with our couples to rewrite tradition and create gatherings that are high on meaning and personalization while scaling back on unnecessary waste.

Check out the link in our bio to read the full article, and let us know in the comments how you're approaching the wedding boom - as a couple or vendor.

12/13/2021

At Greater Good Events we are always seeking out ways to reduce waste and incorporate practices like "food rescue" into our work as much as possible. Why? Because approximately 40% of the food produced in the United States is wasted, yet one in eight Americans struggle with hunger. And all the food left at the end of an event can help address that gap.

Whether you're a Greater Good Events client or not, we want to share some guidance on reducing food waste through food rescue at your event.

Read more on our new blog post “How to Reduce Event Food Waste Through Food Rescue” at the link in our bio 🔗

03/22/2021

There's no such thing as being too prepared! Always have a Plan B ✨

As we recently learned living in New Jersey, the weather can change on a dime, anyone heard of a Snow Squall? We hadn’t until just a few months ago! While we prepare for anything, when it comes to weather, it’s almost impossible to make sure we have every one of our bases covered.

03/17/2021

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the GGE team! Reminiscing over this stunning wedding from our pre-COVID lives 😍 Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday 💚

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, (yes, we know we’re a day late), we’re writing about one of our favorite Irish weddings! When planning a wedding or event, nearly everyone has a vision of what they want: how the room should look, what the flowers should be, and the feel they want for the space, ...

03/11/2021

Spoiler alert 🚨 you don't! https://www.greater-goodevents.com/pastblogs/does-my-event-need-to-be-completely-sustainable

A question we get asked ALL the time is; “If we decide to work with Greater Good Events, does every aspect of my event, need to fall in line with the sustainability values of your business?” And honestly, the answer is no. While we always want you to be thoughtful about the decisions your making...

03/11/2021

Make your special day good for the earth with these simple tips 🌱

Read the Blog: https://www.greater-goodevents.com/pastblogs/10-awesome-eco-friendly-event-tips

Learn about some of the fun and easy ways to include sustainability into your wedding day. There are so many wonderful additions, that will make your day even more special.