Planning a destination wedding? Don’t forget your swimsuit, toothbrush and photographer
There are a lot of reasons to have a destination wedding: less stress, a more intimate guest list, an all-inclusive travel package and the option to go barefoot at the altar!
Getting married in Mexico, the Caribbean or even elsewhere in the U.S. means you’ll be planning your destination wedding from a distance. You can happily let the resort handle the food and the decorations, but you should hire a wedding photographer who will travel with you.
Here’s a list of 10 reasons why!
1. Resort Photographers. Chances are, the resort photographer is not a wedding photographer. The photographer who shoots all of the resort’s photos (guests at the bar, for example) is often going to be the same person in charge of capturing your wedding day. While that might be fine – the quality and experience in shooting weddings is probably lacking. Why chance it? At worst, you could end up with wedding photos that would have been better shot on your sister’s iPhone. At best, your photos could be missing all the little moments and emotions that made the day meaningful and memorable.
2. It’s not what you think. The portfolio you see is likely not your actually photographers work. Resorts will often collect the best shots over a few years to market their photographer package offerings. Be careful, this generally means you are not seeing your actual photographers work. The photographer who took those images may not even work there anymore but the resort owns the photos so they can use them to market to future brides.
3. Language. Depending on where you ‘re getting married, there might be a language barrier. You may have trouble explaining to the photographer what kind of shots you do or don’t want. Talk about stress inducing on your special day!
4. Hidden Fees. You run the risk of hidden fees. Be wary even if the resort offers to include a photographer for free as part of your wedding package. There might be a big cost to receive your photos after they’ve been shot.
5. You get control. Bringing a photographer with you gives you more control. As with most destination weddings, you’ll be in another country with little to no control over several elements, including whether the photographer will be reliable and how soon you’ll receive your photos. If your photographer travels with you, those worries are gone.
7. No candids. Limited hours on the wedding day are another thing to consider. Most resort photographers only shoot the key moments of the wedding and their packages tend to be limited as they will shoot many weddings that day. Gone are the candid moments with each other. Missed are all the intimate moments with mom, dad, brothers and sisters and your bestie as you are getting ready. Vanished are your memories of kicking back on the beach or dancing in the moonlight with friends.
8. No waiting in lines. Bringing a wedding photographer with you also means lots of unique photos.. You don't have to worry that they are taking you just to the easy photo locations that the resort photographer takes every couple to. It's weird to stand in line with other couples waiting for "your turn". You don't want to look like a tourist with your theme park photos! Your photographer will research and find unique places and capture local favorite spots with a fresh eye exactly in your style.
9. Get what you want. It’s easier to order more prints and albums from a local photographer. Contacting a resort photographer afterward could be challenging, and there’s no guarantee that he or she will keep your photos after you go home.
And finally:
10. Don’t sacrifice your personality. It’s so, so, so important to find a wedding photographer who appeals to your taste, style and fits your personality. Such relationships take time to develop. It's impossible to get to know a resort photographer a few minutes before the ceremony begins. You can get to know a photographer from your hometown, so the by the time your flight leaves you feel completely comfortable and at ease with who you chose.
Destination weddings are supposed to be fun and easy.
Otherwise, people wouldn’t do them! Make sure your wedding photos reflect that happiness by taking a photographer with you. You'll love your wedding photos so much more.
Bon Voyage!
About us
At Morrissey Photography, we are all about our relationship, connection and interaction. We are midwest based wedding photographers that excels in capturing the moments of your life you want to remember and cherish forever so those feelings come back every time you look at a photo.
Contact the creatives at Morrissey Photography before you book your destination wedding, it's not as expensive as you might think.. We’ll talk about how to best capture the special moments of your wedding that you will never, ever forget.