Hiring a green wedding photographer is one more way to have your special day immortalized in memories instead of landfills.

With today’s digital technology, you can immortalize your special day without the harmful chemicals that stick around for decades.

The faded pictures in history books reveal that bridal photography has been around for ages. As early as 1850, photographers were lugging their equipment around to document our joyous occasions. The process has evolved greatly since the days of copper sheets.

While “old-school” film photography is making a comeback (retro is in), it doesn’t have to mean a chemical-filled wedding album for you. There are numerous advantages of going green, especially if you’re also planning to take engagement pictures.

Here are three ways to be sure that your wedding photos won’t harm the environment:

1. Find out if your photographer is eco-friendly.

Many wedding photographers are getting on board with the green photography movement, offering a wide range of services to ensure that you’re getting the best on your special day while staying environmentally conscious.

Find out how green your wedding photographer is by asking them about their equipment, their transportation and their general business practices. A green photographer will be able to tell you which environmentally friendly principles they’ve incorporated into their business. Ask them if they are a member of a green professional association or directory.

2. Go local.

Hiring a wedding photographer who is local to your venue will not only cut your costs, but will also reduce the carbon footprint of your wedding.

A local wedding photographer can also help you find the best locations for your pictures since they’ll be familiar with the area and can scout out multiple locations without extensive traveling. With the boom of wedding photographers in recent years, you will have no problem finding an expert in your own backyard.

3. Request digital proofs.

A good photographer will want to make sure that your final pictures are flawless. They will take more than enough pictures for you to choose from, and will provide you with proofs to review before making your final selection.

Instead of having printed proofs that waste resources, make sure your photographer offers digital proofs. This will enable you to only print the pictures you know you will keep.

Be sure to get digital copies of your favorite pictures so you can share them online with friends. Online sharing also eliminates the headache of having to go back to your photographer when you want reprints of certain pictures for an anniversary down the line. With digital proofs, and the final selection on a bamboo flash drive, you’ll have access to the negatives without having to preserve filmstrips.

Your wedding photography can be friendly to the environment, as well as your wallet, while still capturing beautiful moments that you’ll want to remember forever.

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~ Editors: Lynn Hasselberger/Lara Chassin

Kate L. Harrison, has a JD in Environmental Law and a Master’s from Yale in Environmental Policy. She planned her own green wedding in 2007 and wrote the best selling green wedding book The Green Bride Guide: How to Plan an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget (Sourcebooks, 2008). In 2009, she founded www.greenbrideguide.com to help couples use their weddings to promote social and environmental change and support the local green economy.