Green Weddings

I read an article today about Green Weddings - which got me thinking how environmentally friendly can / should a bride & groom be and also how environmentally friendly can photography be? In the old days we shot on film (excuse me whilst I wipe a nostalgic tear away - film was lovely - the whole alchemy of capturing and processing an image on film is magical - its a real shame that digital process is so soulless in that regard) (but I really don't understand pro photographers today making a virtue out of capturing images on film - its the 21st Century - get a life!...but thats another story!). I guess by today's standards, film wasn't desperately 'green' and so digital capture has improved things there. But from experience, we still print almost as much as before. So that's one tick in the 'green' box and one tick in the 'nothings changed' box!

One aspect is with so many more suppliers in all aspects of wedding planning, their is a temptation to meet lots of people - decisions become harder to make because there must always be a feeling that there is someone better / cheaper / different around the corner. Personally, I think too much choice can confuse rather than help. So save the miles and start with on-line research. Find five photographers whose style you like, because style is so individual and much easier if you can find someone whose pictures really engage you from the outset. Then call them and from the conversations check availability and decide who sounded most interested in your day and who gave you most confidence, because these are key factors too. Armed with this, pick your three favourites to meet - in the unlikely event that you don't like any you have two reserves to come back to. Meet all three close together and make a decision. Efficient, low mileage, low stress and - trust me - you will end up with the right person. Don't even bother with wedding fairs - the concept is great, the experience today has become awful unless you can get to one of the boutique events (ie at Bibury Court the experience is a real pleasure). So miles saved equals a greener approach another tick there!

Finally (for this post), go local. We have probably a dozen quality venues within a 15m radius of the studio but we are just as likely to be shooting 50 miles plus away from base. If everyone went local, imagine how many miles would be saved...

But when all is said and done, from experience I can report that my wedding day was the best day of my life and for those of you planning your big day, do enjoy it and don't get too side tracked meeting the agendas of others - you should have the day of your dreams and not someone elses!