Destination wedding... the planning
Firstly, if you are planning a destination wedding, congratulations!
Like any wedding planning, there’s a lot to sort through. But when it comes to destination weddings, you don’t always need to look at destination suppliers.
Obviously, with some suppliers, it makes perfect sense to stay local to the country, for example catering! But for most, things like dresses, rings, suits etc they are all bought from home.
So why not consider bringing your photographer from home too?
Some couples will not even have considered this as an option. Others just sack it off because they think it will cost the earth. Here’s a few bits of advice that may just change your mind and give you an insight into why having a local photographer to you, is a great idea.
A lot of photographers are willing to travel, so destination weddings are something they can offer. Whilst we don’t all offer the same package or service, invariably, it doesn’t cost as much as you think.
Personally, I don’t add any additional costs on to the package itself just because it’s a destination wedding. The package is the package, regardless of where I am in the world. The additional costs you will need to pay for are travel costs, accommodation and expenses (i.e luggage, food on the wedding day etc).
Again, different photographers have different requirements, but I wouldn’t expect first class travel and accommodation. I’m happy with standard flights and accommodation. The only stipulation is that I need to be within a few miles of the wedding venue.
The benefits
Firstly, there’s no potential language barrier to get past. Obviously, it’s not a given that the photographer won’t speak your language but there is a chance. Even broken English (or whatever your language) can prove awkward at times and awkward is not something you want on your wedding day.
Secondly, you will have met your photographer before the day, probably on a couple of occasions. This enables you to build a rapport with them which is essential to getting relaxed, natural images. You can also opt to have a couple shoot too, meaning you get a practice run at being papped! Meeting the photographer means you also get to take a good look through their portfolio/albums.
Also, contact is much easier with no time differences, language barriers etc. In the very rare event that you weren’t happy with anything, you know your photographer is on your doorstep to resolve.
Finally, receiving images after the wedding is much easier due to locality and you will wait a lot less time for prints/albums to be delivered. The parcel will have travelled fewer miles too, so way less chance of any damage in transit.
One good point to cover is this… having not captured a wedding at a destination before is not an issue. A recce could be done the day/morning before the wedding if needed. Generally speaking, working reactively makes images more creative. Having meet before the wedding means that the photographer would have all the relevant information they need on the two of you and your destination wedding.
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