Susan & Geoff - e:session

It all started in a bar. Geoff saw Susan sitting with several of her friends (or as he claims - he saw her legs) and just sat next to her to introduce himself. The next day Geoff decided to text Susan as he was watching a Bears game and as it turns out she was watching the same game and knew all the football terminology! The rest was history!
In February they tied the knot in gorgeous Zihuatanejo Mexico and it was SO much fun to get to know them better as well as their family and friends. I was really glad Susan and Geoff decided to have a little e:session the day before the wedding - they were a hoot to work with! I am so excited to share some of their images with you. Here is a little sneak peak of Susan and Geoff...

eco tips - paper goods

I know my blog has suffered under me going MIA. In the last two months I have shot in NY, Mexico, Nevada and Oregon. Some has been for weddings and some has been for personal work for my nature portfolio. So yes, there are some blog posts a coming!

As promised, I will be blogging more about the entries I received for the green wedding contest. This one focuses on how they were incorporating paper for invitations or lack there of....

- We will be doing e-vitations – all of our communication, RSVP etc. will be through a website at www.wedsimple.com.

- We are sending out a Save The Date card, but we are buying 100% recycled content “seed paper” in bulk and printing them ourselves using soy-based ink. The SaveTheDate card can be planted and (native only)wildflowers will grow from it.

- We are using American Printing for invitations on recycled paper (one of the first printers in the Bay Area to use recycled paper)

- We will ask our guests to RSVP via a website instead of mailing in a separate card

- Stationary is another potential source of waste and pollution. We’ll use post-consumer recycled and/or tree-free paper for our invitations. We’re using vintage (re-used) California postcards for our Save The Date cards. Most of the information – maps and the like – will go on our wedding website to save paper and mailing costs.

- I will make origami cranes from recycled seeded paper as favors for guests so they can plant them and grow flowers when they get home (we were also thinking of having a fun photo booth and sending guests their photos afterwards as a favor/thank you -- we love the idea of giving memories rather than stuff that people may not use

- For our invitations and response cards, I am planning to design them and have them printed locally on recycled cotton paper. The Mercurio Brothers studio in Berkeley, which is our current top choice for printers, uses Strathmore 100% cotton paper that is manufactured using wind power from recycled materials with no chlorine-bleaching.

- All other paper goods (e.g. envelopes, programs, thank you cards) will be printed or hand-written/calligraphed by me on recycled cotton or part-cotton paper. To reduce waste, we will print fewer programs than the total guest number since many of our guests are coming as couples. Similarly, we will just have one printed menu per table. All paper goods that aren't taken as souvenirs will be collected for recycling after the ceremony and reception are over.

If you are doing something creative and eco-friendly feel free to comment or email me so I can share with the blog-stalkers!

Of course I cant leave the blog without an image so here is a sneak peak from the Mexico shoot. There will be much more where this came from, so stay tuned!

and the winner is....

CONGRATULATIONS REGINA & TIM!!!

Regina and Tim have won a free photo package thanks to their commitment to include eco-friendly details into their wedding.

First off - I would like to thank all the entrants for taking the time to submit their great ideas (I will blog more on them all this month, so keep checking in for cool inspiration!) I wish I could photograph all of these weddings - it was truly inspiring to see so many people trying to incorporate green ideas into their wedding planning.

I loved Tim and Regina's entry - the location they picked and the type of wedding they decided to have, truly reflects who they are, their passion for nature and to highlight what really counts - their friends, family and their love for each other.
Plus this is the very first wedding I'll actually get to camp out for - always up for an adventure!

Here is part of their entry (they had a lot more information on their blog but to ensure their privacy I will not post the link here)


I am thrilled to participate in your contest. Not only because of the opportunity for free photography (which we were going to have to forgo due to budget constraints), but because my fiance and I are so proud of our eco-friendly wedding!

My fiance and I both work for non-profits (not environmental focused ones), but general consciousness about the world around us, is a value we share. In these economic times it was important to us to still have a wedding where we can celebrate with a lot of our family and still be respectful to the environment and those who aren't as fortunate as us - so lavish, expensive and over the top, just wouldn't be the right kind of wedding for us.

We are going to be having our wedding at the largest natural lake in Mendocino County, Leonard Lake (10 miles north of Ukiah). Leonard Lake has five beautiful houses on the lake, all of which are completely off the grid. The houses are heated in the winter by wood stoves, and all electricity and water are off grid (I assume solar powered, but I can check and get back with you). Lake Leonard has compost bins in all the houses, and sorts recycling, and makes the garbage requirements and sorting clear to all guests upon arrival.

One of the reasons we love Ukiah (in Mendocino county) is because any of the restaurants we have eaten at all serve local, organic, seasonal food. It is like the proof that food that is good for the environment and people can be affordable - and amazingly delicious.

Okay, I'll stop babbling and get to the details:

* My engagement ring is a vintage family setting with lab created sapphire and moissonite because my family ring was important to me, but we just couldn't wear something that was detrimental to the environment or humanity.

* Our caterer is going to be using all local, organic seasonal foods (in fact we can't know all the details of our menu until a week before the wedding). Our catering is going to be extremely inexpensive (by wedding food standards).

* Our wine and beer will all be organic and local - we're in the middle of wine tasting at this point (poor us), but our beer will be from Ukiah Brewing Company (one of the first certified organic breweries in existence).

* I will be picking up the flowers from a local farm the day before - we found them at the Ukiah farmer's market and we'll be ordering in advance, picking up, and arranging ourselves. We won't actually be using too many flowers for decoration, but the ones we do use will be put in the guest houses for the days before and after the wedding, so everyone can enjoy them and we can get a full life out of them.

* The primary decorative element (other than the stunning views) will be soy candles in mason jars. We're using mason jars collected from former brides and from thrift stores and melting our own soy wax flakes into them. Soy candles contain no chemicals and burn clean!

* All of our vases have been collected from thrift stores and garage sales and will be donating again or using ourselves after the event.

* We are encouraging all of our guests to commute to the wedding to reduce carbon emissions.

* Over half of our guests will be camping (not sure if this is actually eco-friendly, but it is really fun).

..and here is a picture of the lucky couple!