jillhiggins

I'm not sure how much time you have booked with your photographer - but maybe you could squeeze a few photos in before you slip into your dress. I know I wouldn't mind doing that so maybe your photographer wouldn't. I wouldn't expect a full length session by any means - but maybe you could spend about 10 minutes or so getting some great cool in whatever you are going to be wearing under your wedding dress.

Those are great - I would totally love those for the plane ride back...or sitting in the airport!

It really is gorgeous - I can't wait to see a wedding there!

Hmmm... U.S. (of course!) Canada Germany Italy Switzerland Austria Bahamas Belize Guatemala Mexico Jost Van Dyke (British Virgin Islands) Canouan

Quote: Originally Posted by COFPhoto I'm curious - where do Brides want their DW Photographer to be from? - Do you want them to be someone who lives at the location? So if you're getting married in Cancun, you want them to be based in Cancun and familiar with the area etc. - Do you want them to be someone from your area? - Or do you not care where they are from, even if they're not from the destination or your own location? I'm just curious for a few reasons. First it would seem a little scary to hire somoene who you've never met, and don't have the opportunity to sit down with in person before your wedding day. Also because it can be difficult and tedious to view photos / place orders etc. after the wedding is over if you're 2,000 miles apart. If they are from your own town, you may be able to view the photos in their studio, making the ordering process much easier. So I'm just wondering what Brides think about this? Thanks for your input. =) Hey, You will probably find as you do more destination weddings that people are less afraid of hiring you. It is rare that I talk to anyone who is concerned about it. If anyone has a concern - I tell them they are free to choose any random client from my blog to contact for a reference. That says a lot and makes them feel at ease. Viewing/ordering photos is actually easy - there are online labs that make it a a really simple process. Pictage is the lab I use. I upload all of my photos, and people can view them quickly and easily no matter where they are. I can also provide them with a disk of images for viewing on the on computer if they prefer. Even though I often become friends with my clients and enjoy seeing them after the wedding - they seem to appreciate not having to schedule a time to come in to see the photos b/c they are so busy trying to catch up after a wedding. Plus - I often have the photos up before they are even home from the honeymoon. Local photographers do have somewhat of an advantage in knowing cool places. But it can also be an advantage to not be familiar with the place if your photographer is confident and creative. Personally - I LOVE shooting in a brand new place - it is great to have a fresh perspective. I find that when I shoot in the same place over and over and over again - it is really challenging to make it unique and true to the couple. Local photographers are sometimes less expensive - but...sometimes destination photographers can be less expsensive. I know that some of my destination clients have paid less for their package than my local clients. It all depends on the time of year and if I can work some vacation time into it.

Hi, Welcome to the board! The fee sounds very reasonable. I have photographed a wedding before that Ajua coordinated, and they did a fabulous job! The bride is a member here, and she really liked them too. Where are you going to be married? It is really fun to have a mariachi band lead you through the streets if you are going to be downtown.

That cake is so cute! And great butterfly capture!

RAW rocks!

Ohhhhh....awesome....can't wait to see the pics! Welcome to the board!

Hey girls, I wanted to tell you about a fabulous place that I checked out a couple of weeks ago. It is called Ocean Lodge, and it is on St. Simons Island, GA. They can accommodate intimate ceremonies up to 325 guests. This is not for those who are looking for a large all inclusive resort - it is for those who are looking for an exclusive, boutique hotel experience. Julie is the person you would speak to about weddings. Her phone number is 912-638-2100 and her email is julie at oceanlodgessi.com. You can see lots more about Ocean Lodge (and photos!) on my blog: Jill Higgins Photography Blog

Quote: Originally Posted by msasfraz thanks for the info...........whats a reasonable price for destination wedding photographer.. let's say working an hour or two for rehearsal dinner, 5-6 hours wedding day, and 2-3 hours for trash the dress pictures the next day....? Hey, It's hard to give a rate. It depends on so many things. For example - April and May are my busiest months. Those weekends are in high demand - I would have to charge a LOT to make what I would make staying here. But...if somone contacts me about a wedding in my slower months: late fall, winter, or months that are super hot here like August - then I can hook them up with a good deal. I think most photographers are like that. If you contact them about a wedding in their slow months - they have a lot more flexibility. It also depends on how much "down" time they are going to have. Spreading work out over three days really takes away the "bonus" of working a little vacation into it. Even if you only need them for a few hours each day - there is a lot of work behind the scenes (backing up files, charging batteries, cleaning equipment, etc). One way you can save is to have a friend cover the rehearsal. Honestly - the pics are not usually that exciting anyway. You will have the "real" pics the next day - and as for the dinner - people don't usually want images of themselves eating. With me - $3500 might cover a simple package (up to six hours of wedding day coverage and maybe a trash the dress session) and maybe a disk of images. But that is only in a month that is super slow for me. That is what my local clients pay for the same thing (actually...they pay $3800). In high demand months, the same thing would run about $5800 and up. Another factor to consider is airline costs and lodging. Prices fluctuate wildly which makes the photographer's price fluctuate as well. I'm sure some photographers would offer a package for less if they are trying to get a start in destination weddings. Hope that helps.

All great points! I always think it is important to see complete weddings - and not just the best of shots. Another good question is to ask them what they will do if their flight gets cancelled, airline goes bankrupt, etc. I recently knew of a photographer who ran into problems when an airline cancelled all flights the day they were to travel. The photographer couldn't afford to buy tickets with another airline. That is a risk you take as a DW photographer - you have to be financially able to do what you need to do to get there.

No - my email address was not listed - just an 800 number. I have just heard some people say before that they contacted a photographer, etc and never heard back from them and I hate for them to think that I am the type of person to not contact someone. Yeah - I could probably sue them - but for some reason I am at peace with it. I think there is a reason for big things like that.

#2! Simple, clean, classy.

I discovered something really horrible a couple of weeks ago...my contact page on my website did not work for seven months. If you sent me a message - I did not receive it during that time period. What stinks is that the people who submitted the contact form got a message that said that I had received their message. But I never got it - nor did they get a message letting them know that I didn't. I switched web hosts last fall - and they screwed something up in the transfer. I noticed that my bookings slowed down - but I moved to a new state so that was expected. The contact inquiries that I receive from my blog look just like the ones that I receive from my website so I didn't notice. I finally figured this out a few weeks ago. So...if you happened to contact me...I am sorry. Just wanted to let you know that I am not a snob. It totally stinks b/c I have a slow fall and winter b/c of their mix up. But at least I caught it in time to not miss out on the 2009 bookings that are coming in.

Your photographer might appreciate a little bit of down time - and nobody wants photos while they are eating. If you are close to a place where he/she can get some food from the buffet - maybe give them 45 minutes to go eat while you all enjoy your meal.

Welcome! I have a photographed a wedding there. Feel free to ask any questions.

Just a couple of questions... How many hours coverage will the photographer be providing? How long will they be staying after dinner? Maybe since it's AI, you could say that you will give them a break during dinner so they can go grab something to eat. But...even that break should be factored into their overall time...not deducted from.

I recently made this blog post on seeing each other before that some of you might be interested in... Jill Higgins Photography Blog Almost all of my clients choose to see each other before. A lot of photographers email me to ask about it, so the post is geared to photographers, but it might have some helpful information.

I heart chandeliers at weddings.

Hey, My suggestion would be to be married on Ambergris Caye. Ambergris is touristy - but you can go to a more isolated location. Victoria House is my favorite place for a beachfront ceremony in Belize. They have lush, tropical grounds. It is very quiet and private. Even if they are booked at full capacity - the guests would be unobtrusive. Victoria House is on the south end of the island, so once you are actually on the island you can get there by taxi. But...another great place is Mata Chica. Their grounds are quite as lush - BUT - they have a beautiful beachfront. And their interiors remind me a lot of the website that you provided. Mata Chica is on the north end of the island so once you are on the island you need to take a boat to get there. Feel free to email if you have any questions about the island or Belize! I would be happy to answer them.

Welcome! You will definitely be able to read lots of great reviews here and see photos too! What type of place are you thinking of? Beach/Europe/Other and are you looking for all inclusive or a boutique type hotel? How many guests do you think you might have?

Hi, Sounds like a wonderful, fun location! I have a friend that plans weddings internationally and I bet she could help you out. Send me an email if you would like her contact information, and I bet she can help you out. Jill

That is awesome!!! Congrats!

Yeah - that sounds nuts that she would buy something without asking. Is there any chance your FI could have told her they were going to wear white and maybe she ran with it? Either way, I agree that it would probably be best if he handles it. Good luck!