With weather temperatures dropping in Canada and the US many couples opt for a sunny destination wedding and start their search for the perfect destination wedding photographer. Beach hair and warm sand in your toes, a destination wedding is such a treat! After all the preparations, searching for a perfect venue, orchestrating the vendors and planning your Big Day away from home, it’s only natural that you want to feel confident in your destination wedding photographer choice. With over 12 years in the wedding industry, we’ve been there and seen it all. We have had our fair share of destination weddings and today I wanted to share some wisdom to aid you in your search.
I always encourage my couples to ask as many questions as they need. As a rule of thumb, the more communication between us the better! Here are Top 4 frequently asked questions that I think are pretty important to ask your potential destination wedding photographer:
1. What are the destination wedding photography fees and costs?
What is included in the costs (accommodations, tickets, and meals)? Who is responsible for planning your photographer’s itinerary? The communication about travel expenses with your destination wedding photographer should be as clear as possible so there are no surprises at the end. Here at Mango Studios, we made the whole destination wedding experience and photography booking process super easy so you could just sit back and enjoy your dream wedding. We offer a fixed rate destination package that includes our photography services. Everything else such as travel expenses, flights, accommodations, meals, and transportation are in addition. This way you have more control over your expenses and you have a chance to find the best deals to get your photographer from point A to point B.
2. What is your timeline?
I always recommend flying your destination wedding photographer at least two days in advance of your wedding. This way they will have the time to get over jet lag, scout your wedding photo locations and get ready for your Big Day! This is also a good time to do your pre-wedding photo shoot and capture your rehearsal dinner. Your welcome dinner, the morning on a beach, a night out with your guests – there are a lot of moving parts in orchestrating a destination wedding and I’m sure you’d like to have all of the important moments live in photographs!
3. Do you have a plan B if it rains or something happens?
There is no coulda, shoulda or woulda. We take any wedding very seriously as we understand that having beautiful, quality photographs of one of your happiest days to date is VERY, VERY important. When it comes to a destination wedding, we are traveling for work. We know exactly what we can carry onto the plane to make sure our baggage doesn’t get lost and come to the airport fully prepared. We also make sure to bring additional equipment to be ready for any scenario. Rain or shine, your wedding will run its course and you can rest assured that we will make the best out of our surroundings.
4. Have you shot at this destination before?
We LOVE to travel. We’ve been to almost every continent on the globe. New locations inspire us to be creative and force us to look for the best photo locations, light, and textures. We’ll give you the in’s and out’s of making the most of your wedding location and even help you to plan the day! Our extensive experience helps us to be ready for any situation, lighting condition, and humid climate and we can easily adapt to new environments. Regardless of whether we shot there before, every wedding is unique and there are so many factors that go into shaping your day. Your destination wedding photographer needs to be able to foresee any situation and have the best eye to see beauty in unfamiliar places.
I hope these questions will help you hire the best destination wedding photographer. Did you know we have our own photographers in Mexico and offer great rates for any other destination? Contact us here and let us show you the MANGO experience. Get on the plane, sit back, pop some champagne and take off!
