So we covered eco-friendly wedding dresses, but did you know that your jewelry can be eco-friendly too. According to nodirtyGold.org the production of one gold ring produces 20 tons of mine waste. That can’t be very good. The waste can contaminate drinking water, destroy traditional livelihoods, and displaces indigenous communities.

Diamond jewelry can come from conflict plagued areas, where war and smuggling surround the diamond trade.

To buy eco-friendly jewelry look for websites and retailers that specify an eco-friendly process for their jewelry. They should have a mission to provide ecologically and socially responsible jewelry alternatives.

Sites like GreenKarat are committed to offering alternatives by using recycled precious metals in jewelry.

CredJewelry aims to source all its precious metals and gem stones from small-scale artisan mining communities that have a concern for the biodiversity of their local region. They have a policy in place to help ensure that they have eco-friendly jewelry. In order to achieve this we aim to fulfil the following criteria with our primary source partners.

Sumiche Jewelry Company offers both recycled and sustainably mined, fair trade gold and platinum, recycled silver, conflict free diamonds and certified Canadian Goose diamonds and fair trade gems.

If you are looking for something unique as well as eco-friendly take a look at Touch Wood Rings they are a socially just and environmentally sustainable alternative to precious metals and gemstones. David’s wooden rings are meticulously hand crafted, durable, warm to the touch & light to wear. Even in their use of wood they consider their environment by using birch bark which is discarded after the tree has been used for paper production and bamboo which matures in 6 to 7 years.

Remember the policy in eco-friendly living is Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. Keep the three “r’s” in mind when planning your big event. Be inspired to protect our environment.

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Kattia Gordon is the owner of Aleximani Events. As a wedding coordinator she is very passionate about her work.

Check out her blog with more inspiring wedding tips at www.aleximanievents.blogspot.com

You have seen it on practically every wedding photographer’s web page and in bridal magazines. It seems that everyone wants to give the bride and groom advice on how to choose a wedding photographer. Most of what I have read is sound and useful advice, but I thought it might be helpful to write an article that explores this in more detail. So lets look at the mistakes brides and grooms often make in choosing their photographer.

Over the past 25 years as a wedding photographer, I have had the opportunity to speak with well over a thousand engaged couples. I am always surprised by some of the criteria many of them use to choose their wedding photographer. Here are the top 7 mistakes I feel many brides and grooms make when selecting a photographer for their big day:

1. RELYING ON WEDDING VENDOR REFERRALS. This may be the worst mistake of them all. Many wedding vendors trade referrals with other wedding professionals with no real knowledge of the other’s work. And yes, many times it’s an honest referral based upon working a few weddings with one another. But how much can a DJ, for example, really know about the quality of a wedding photographer’s work? Often times this type of referral is just based on the fact that the DJ has worked with the photographer at a number of events and liked him or her. Did the DJ ever see the final result? Did they see the wedding album? Probably not.

2. JUDGING A PHOTOGRAPHER BASED SOLELY ON A “GREATEST HITS” WEDDING ALBUM PORTFOLIO. There is nothing more misleading regarding a photographer’s talent than looking at a sample wedding album that is a compilation of their best shots at 50 different weddings. An album such as this may be useful in understanding just how great an image they are capable of producing, but that’s really all it tells you. Ask to be shown an album of one entire wedding from start to finish. A good wedding photographer should be able to produce a number of complete albums, which will give you a better idea of how your own wedding will be photographed. Virtually anybody with a decent camera can get one great shot per wedding!

3. PAYING TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO THE SALES PITCH. Every photographer can tell you great things about themselves and so they should. But in your initial wedding consultation, look for photographers who are interested in YOU. A good photographer will want to know the types of photography styles you are interested in and what you are looking for in a wedding photographer. A photographer who asks you lots of questions about your wedding and your preferences will probably also be more likely to listen to you and have a better sense of what you
want. If the wedding meeting is just one long lecture from the photographer, move on to the next photographer. Find someone who cares.

4. NOT ASSESSING THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S PERSONALITY. This is a biggie. You will spend the entire day with your photographer. If you don’t get along with him or her, it can ruin what should be the happiest day of your life. Rude and bossy photographers can also cause problems with your guests. Find a photographer who is easy to talk to and who you can establish good rapport with.

5. CHOOSING “UNCLE BOB” TO SHOOT YOUR WEDDING! With digital cameras now in practically everyone’s hands, there seems to be a lot more “wedding photographers” out there. The fact that a friend or relative is good with his new digital camera does not mean he can handle a wedding. And what about file backups? Does your family
photographer know how to do a correct backup, or even have the proper computer hardware to do it? In my business, I bring a portable hard drive to every wedding and the images are uploaded and checked on the spot. When I get back to my studio, the images are uploaded to my main computer and then backed up on an external hard drive. Once that is complete, 2 back up DVD’s are burned. Only then will I erase the cards I used for the wedding. You don’t want your memories to go up in smoke along with a burnt out hard drive.

6. CARING ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHERS TYPE OF CAMERA EQUIPMENT. In this day and age, a photographer can make great images with any medium to high quality camera. Wedding photographers who spend an inordinate amount of time discussing the type of equipment they use may not be the right person for you. What you really want to know is what type of images they can produce and if they can show you plenty of samples. It’s the final result that matters. If you are happy with what they show you and everything else checks out OK, you can assume their equipment is adequate for the task.

7. CONFUSION OVER PRICING. If you can’t understand the pricing or packages, keep looking. Package pricing, if flexible, is the best way to go. It allows you to have a better idea of what your final bill will be. Ala carte pricing can confuse and be misleading. You may assume that something you though was included in their coverage costs extra. Like a wedding album! However, a photographer who only offers strictly structured packages should also be avoided. Ultimately, you want to find someone who will work within your budget and give you exactly what you want. If you don’t see a package that fits your needs, ask the photographer to let you design your own.

This list was not intended to intimidate people in the market for a bay area wedding photographer. It should, however, help you understand what’s important. Find a photographer with a style you prefer and who shows you images that you love. Use that initial consultation as a way to get to know your photographer and develop rapport. Talk to some former clients to get a sense of how the photographer behaved at the wedding. If everything looks good, you are ready to make your decision!

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Mike Dubnoff

Dubnoff Wedding Photography

www.dubnoffphotography.com
(925) 686-4960

Word of advice to those who are on a budget and are struggling to find the right venue: Try to pick a venue that offers the tables, chairs, tableware, & linens in the rental fee. This way you can avoid the stress and chaos of trying to coordinate with a bunch of different vendors and you end up saving a bunch of money! Not to mention the time it takes for the setup and breakdown! Your day can be elegant and stress free even on the smallest budget so shop wisely my friends.

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Sequoia at the Bee-Bennett House is a full service restaurant located in a newly remodeled 10,000 sq. ft. Victorian mansion in the heart of Placerville, Ca. All of our room rentals include tables, chairs, linens, tableware, and servers. Check out our blog to see pictures of our recent events!

When the date is set, and the venue, entertainment, and photographer booked, the little details for the big day start to add up. Brides should have 2-3 friends they can depend on to follow through on those little details, when given the instructions. So you (the Bride), can be stress free and have less to think about in the preparations. One thing you do NOT want on your wedding day is to have tension and stress on your face for those timeless portraits captured. Delegate as much responsibility as possible. If it is in your budget, hire a wedding planner to fulfill your wedding day dreams! When the day arrives, relax, breath, and take in every moment, because the day will fly by, and before you know it, your looking at your wedding portraits, and trying to remember the day you dreamed of all your life!

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Let us at Name Your Frame & Photography, capture the day you’ve been dreaming about. We have two photographers at every wedding. Your own your images on DVD. All our wedding couples, are glad they chose us to capture their wedding memories. Check us out at www.nameyourframe.com and let us hear your dreams.

The most important thing you can do as the bride to ensure great wedding photography is to have a photographer you feel comfortable with! Having fun on your special day is paramount to relaxed and “real” images that you will enjoy for years to come. If the bride is relaxed and having a good time, everyone in the wedding party as well as family members will enjoy themselves, too.

Before the wedding, have an engagement session and a bridal, if possible, with your photographer so you will have a personal relationship with her. Wearing your dress during your bridal will help avoid those last minute “OMG, the zipper won’t close” panics that have and do occur! The practice session with hair and make-up will all play a role in your comfort level during the wedding and reception.

See your groom before the ceremony and get all the photos finished so you and your groom can go to the reception and have fun!

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Authored by Gretchen Birdwell.  Gretchen Birdwell is a wedding and portrait photographer located in the Birmingham, Alabama, community of Helena. Gretchen B Photography is a husband-wife team with many years experience in both film and digital photography. Gretchen has studied with a variety of international wedding photographers. She and her husband consider their style to be “freestyle” in that they blend photojournalism, illustrative, and classic photography styles. Her website is gretchenbphotography.com.