2009 Wedding Trends

As the old year departs and the new year begins, it’s time to check in on what wedding experts think will be hot this year. We’ve compiled some of the more interesting ones along with a link to their respective prognosticators:

Hot Color: Mimosa - according to Nina Calloway of About.com, Pantone 14-0848 TCX, or Mimosa, will be the bright, optimistic color of the year. While she does NOT recommend you use the color for an obnoxiously bright bridesmaid dress, she does offer other recommendations, Click HERE to see her blog post. 

Hot Wedding Dress Trend: A little leg and fashion-forward style: According to Bride.com and several other online resources, showing a little leg is in this year. While this may be too risque for the more conservative bunch, keeping an eye on fashion forward styles should not deter anyone. A comprehensive slideshow of styles is presented HERE.

Hot Photo Trend: The updated Photo Booth - according to The Knot, having your photographer provide you with options for renting a photo booth - complete with backdrops and props - is an up and coming trend. Click HERE to read more tips from The knot.

Hot “Green” Trend: Going Green and staying Green - This one is according to us. Although green wedding options have steadily grown in popularity over the last couple of years, the current economic downturn may seem like an easy time to “cop-out” on going green. It may seem that eco-friendly options are more expensive than conventional ones, but it’s been our experience that this is not true. Be it a green alternative to conventional items such as invitations, albums, flowers or dresses, prices are, many times, comparable.

So, remember to stay informed and stay green. Good luck.

wedding photographer and videographer - dynamic duo

Nikon D90

Stanley Kubrick got me into photography. Already a fan of his films, I saw a documentary on the man and his films where I learned that he started out as a photographer. A lengthy explanation ensued on how his photographic skills (”the eye of the photographer,” as the narrator said) led to Kubrick’s distinct visual style. That’s all I needed to hear - I, too, would become a photographer followed by my big movie idea (an artsy, edgy cross between Joe Vs. The Volcano and Spaceballs). 

Fifteen years later, I am nowhere closer to that movie I’ve always wanted to make, but something very interesting is happening in the camera industry - still cameras are taking video. It’s as if that movie is coming to me, now.

“Hey, dummy, my mom’s point-n-shoot has been doing that for ages,” you might say and you would be right. But, with 720p HD capabilities on the Nikon D90 and full HD capabilities on the new Canon 5D Mark II, you and your mom have never had it this good. Without going into why it’s taken these two companies this long to get video features into their dSLR cameras, it’s obvious that a shift is happening, here - photography and video are intertwining into a hybrid field. Look at Apple’s iphoto or web services like Animoto - they take still pictures and add motion to them to create something resembling a video. With the launch of these cameras, the shift seems to be complete. All this begs several questions:

• Is a still picture just plain boring, nowadays?
• Can a photographer be a videographer at the same wedding?
• Is this a fad?

Westlake Village Wedding Photography

Germein and I photographed a Westlake wedding last weekend; Karen and David had a cozy evening wedding at Mediterraneo at the Westlake Village Inn.

Westlake Village Inn

Now, I’ve been to weddings at the Westlake Village Inn before, this is the first time I saw the property “behind the lens”. Wow. There are gorgeous photographic opportunities here. The Westlake Village Inn is 17 well-appointed acres of enchanting Tuscan style in Westlake, California. They’ve got everything including a golf course, tennis courts, a yoga garden, restaurants, and a dance club. Gigantic iron gates and cobbled roads lead to romantic meandering paths and private nooks. The small lake is gorgeously filled with wild birds and foliage.

Westlake Village Inn’s old world charm is simply irresistible, and for this reason, a very popular place to get married. I watched the wedding coordinator seamlessly juggle three concurrent weddings with ease and even give me an update on the bride!

There are multiple outdoor wedding areas including the idyllic Victorian gazebo overlooking the lake, an intimate garden Tuscan gazebo, and a Romanesque style gazebo. The lighting of the property at dusk is completely magical.

Because the Westlake Village Inn has multiple restaurants including the delicious Mediterraneo, there is no shortage of great reception sites, including the wine cellar that has a great private lookout of the lake.

The Westlake Village Inn has a great map of their property.

A Westlake Village wedding doesn’t get much better than this. I love the idea of having a wedding, reception, and a place for guests to stay all on the same property. The on-site nightclub at Bogie’s Bar is surely an added bonus.

Westlake Wedding Photographers,
Jessica and Germein

Choosing a Green Wedding Photographer

Of all the wedding vendors available to you, your wedding photographer is, more than likely, the most environmentally friendly. Not only are most wedding photographers traveling locally to their jobs, but most are also shooting digital, minimizing the use of harsh chemicals used in processing film. Yet, a true “green” photographer should not only go above and beyond the obvious of shooting digital, they should offer you a comprehensive choice of wedding items that are not only beautiful and stylish but “green,” as well.

The Wedding Album

There is no other item like the wedding album. It’s not only meant to present the memories of your once-in-a-lifetime day with elegance but it must also protect them. It’s that combination of style and safety that makes leather-bound wedding albums so appealing. From a green point of view, though, leather is atrocious. Not only are formaldehyde, coal and cyanide-based oils used in the production process of leather, but the tanning of leather is equally damaging to the environment.
Luckily, finding a wedding album that is stylish, sturdy and green is easier than ever – if your photographer knows how. Numerous companies throughout the US provide wedding albums that don’t use chlorine bleach, formaldehyde or other unnecessary chemicals. In California, for example, we’re fortunate to have Cypress Albums in Glendale.
Again, your wedding photographer should always provide you with options that meet a perfect balance between beauty and responsibility.

Wedding Prints

The paper used to create prints in your wedding album and in enlargements, as well, is an opportunity for your wedding photographer to show some green savvy. While it might seem logical to use post-consumer recycled papers for your prints, these materials many times are bad choices for your prints as they contain tree acids. Over a short time frame, your prints would start to show the effects of these acids.
Luckily, there are several sophisticated options available – tree-free fiber paper, cotton rag, and bamboo paper – that are readily available. Because these options are tree free, they are naturally acid-free and lignin-free so your art prints will look good hundreds of years from now. Best of all, these options are, many times, no more expensive than conventional options. Should your photographer not provide you with these options, suggest the following:

1. Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper - Fiber paper is usually a mix of fibers from cotton, hemp and banana leaves. Fiber paper gives art prints a distinguishing texture, weight, and remarkable surface quality. This is the premier photo paper for many photographers because of its remarkable contrast and sheen.

2. Hahnemuhle Bamboo 290 Photographic Paper - This is the first fine art inkjet paper made from bamboo grass fibers. Bamboo is a great choice for photo paper if the bamboo forest is FSC certified (waiting for a reply from Hahnemuhle on this one). This paper has a beautiful warm tone since it’s naturally white. A bonus is that a portion of the revenue is donated in supporting environmental projects.

3. Crescent RagMat - Rag matboard, used in the matting of prints, is made from cotton fibers and has an extremely soft texture. RagMat is the only matboard guaranteed safe next to prints and it meets museum conservation standards. The only other more green option for matboard is recycled matboard, but it’s not recommended for preservation. We love the look and feel of RagMat so much that we print our business cards on it!

The Green Philosophy

We realize that finding the right photographer is hard enough without the added burden of finding one that is also eco-friendly. But it’s precisely that ability to provide professional services while being mindful of your needs and the needs of the planet that make a green photographer the right choice. There is no compromising or no shortcuts - there’s just getting it right. On your wedding day, you want that philosophy working for you.

Eco-Friendly Wedding Invitations

I am loving these earth friendly seedling wedding invitations from Invitesite. The invitation holds cosmo seedlings and the whole tree-free packet can be planted.  If only I could plant this whole stack of friend’s outdated wedding invites that are sitting on my desk, I would finally have my backyard landscaped!

Invitesite is THE local source for green wedding invites in Southern California (Pasadena, to be exact, but they do have an online store).  Their handmade eco-friendly invite line includes using 100% post consumer recycled paper and post-harvest fibers, such as mango, sugar cane, and grass.

Helen and Scott are fine letterpress artisans that have been specializing in green wedding invitations since 1995!   Helen is a true inspiration, writing about Green Weddings from her extensive knowledge base about paper, and earthly tips on locations, food and decor.

If you are thinking about going green for your wedding, using tree-free paper is a major positive impact that is a no brainer.  Choose eco-friendly papers for your “save the date”, wedding invitations, RSVP cards,  dinner placement cards, wedding programs, and thank you’s.  Guests will surely comment on how gorgeous they are, then “rock ‘em, sock ‘em” with your choices on being sustainable!

Santa Barbara Weddings

As Santa Barbara Wedding Photographers, we had the honor of working with some great folks a couple weeks back at a truly remarkable Santa Barbara Wedding venue.

King and Rachel Williams run the Channel Cat Charters . Their history with the luxury sailing 85ft. catamaran is a captivating fisherman’s tale. King built the boat in Florida for Charlie Munger (partner of Warren Buffett) and made the 7,300 mile journey around Panama and through the Santa Barbara Channel, where it currently resides. Rachel and King book as many as 200 events, such as Santa Barbara weddings, each year on The Cat and you can tell their hearts are into it. The Channel Cat has a majestic presence in Santa Barbara Harbor and the view from The Cat of the beach was so beautiful. King entertained guests in the control room during the reception. The gracious Rachel flawlessly coordinated the event. If you are interested in a unique Santa Barbara wedding venue, the Channel Cat Charters are “King”.

We were very excited to meet Santa Barbara wedding caterer Brian Congdon of Duo Catering and Events after hearing rave reviews. Ashley Transki and Brian create organic, locally grown artisanal meals that are sustainable and memorable (the groom is STILL talking about the squash ribbon “pasta” dish). Duo’s tasty menu focuses on the freshest seasonal ingredients from the Central Coast, and only the highest quality makes the mark. Certainly this is a niche that Duo is filling in nicely.

For a Santa Barbara wedding, consider Channel Cat Charters in combination with Duo Catering and Events…you really can’t go wrong for the quintessential Santa Barbara harbor wedding.

Alternatives to Wedding Flowers

Recently, I’ve noticed a trend in alternative wedding flowers and wedding bouquets. It’s a great idea, especially since many flowers are notorious for not being eco-friendly. They carry a high carbon footprint from being shipped from overseas in heavy packaging, dyes/preservatives are added to increase shelf-life, and they are loaded with pesticides.

Why not do something different?

The Offbeat Bride has some great ideas including a gorgeous peacock feather bouquet and origami flowers. Princess Lasertron creates one-of-a-kind flower button bouquets that are witty and fun. Imagine throwing this in a vase for dinner party centerpiece, long after your wedding day?

A great alternative for reception centerpieces are custom wire topiaries by Living Art by Brenda. Guests can take home a topiary that would grow long after the party. She also does interesting bride and groom cake toppers. So cool!

Still not convinced? Go-local. Search out a flower farm in your area, the farmers market is a great resource and undoubtedly, they know of a florist that can arrange the exact bouquet you have in mind.

Hello!

Welcome to our blog. We are Germein Photography and are green wedding photographers and wedding videographers living in California. Most of our weddings are located in the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara areas but we’ve travel up to San Francisco and the Bay area as well. We hope this serves as a resource for brides by discussing wedding vendors that we love. We’ll talk about all our efforts going green too!

Germein and Jessica

Eco-friendly Photo Papers

There’s quite a bit of opportunity for photographers to go green.  A direct contribution can be made by choosing an environmentally friendly option from the currently available papers (for photos and matting). There are several sophisticated options available that will make you change your mind about being green. Some tree-free options are fiber paper, cotton rag, and bamboo. Because these options are tree free, they are naturally acid-free and lignin-free so your art prints will look good hundreds of years from now.

1. Epson Exhibition Fiber Paper
Fiber paper is usually a mix of fibers which can include cotton, hemp, and banana leaf. This is number one for us for our enlargements. Fiber paper gives art prints a distinguishing texture, weight, and remarkable surface quality.

2. Hahnemuhle Bamboo 290 Photographic Paper
This is the first fine art inkjet paper made from bamboo grass fibers. Bamboo is a great choice for photo paper if the bamboo forest is FSC certified (waiting for a reply from Hahnemuhle on this one). This paper has a beautiful warm tone since it’s naturally white. A bonus is that a portion of the revenue is donated in supporting environmental projects.

3. Crescent RagMat
Rag matboard is made from cotton fibers and has an extremely soft texture. RagMat is the only matboard guaranteed safe next to prints and it meets museum conservation standards. The only other more green option for matboard is recycled matboard, but it’s not recommended for preservation. We love the look and feel of RagMat so much that we print our business cards on it!

Click here for the “Green in Print” pdf published by The Nature Conservancy.