Destination Wedding Photographer – What you need to know

You may have guessed that I love to travel as one of my favorite hobbies is scuba diving and I live in a landlocked state.  I started traveling after high school and my first big trip was to Russia and then later Spain in college.  My mother sent me on a trip that went from Moscow to Saint Petersburg before I went to college to learn Russian as another language.  And then in college my roommate was from Spain and we spent a few weeks with her friends in Seville (Sevilla).   In addition, my husband and I have made numerous, incredible trips to the Caribbean, specifically the Cayman Islands, Cozumel, Turks & Caicos (Providenciales), the Florida Keys, and Bonaire where he proposed.  We honeymooned in the Hawaiian Islands mainly on Maui but making trips for diving off of Moloka’i and Lana’i.  Lastly, I have family and connections all of the US where I take frequent yearly trips to California, Nevada, Texas and Florida so that I can visit and photograph my favorite clients and couples.

Are you envisioning a breezy, elegant chic beach wedding?  Or a stylish, extravagant Parisian reception?  Maybe a charming journey back to your Italian roots to have a romantic, intimate interlude on lovely Lake Como or authentic vineyard?  Lets travel together and let me capture the entire experience!  The great thing about my custom destination packages are they aren’t limited to a certain amount of hours.  I arrive early before the wedding to acquaint myself with family, your amazing location and every detail you have intricately planned.  These are benefits that you would have to pay a great deal extra for in order to have another local photographer capture (like the rehearsal dinner).  Even more than the day of, we also do styled, creative shoots in your wedding attire at spectacular landmark locations to really showcase your amazing destination.

So why not go local?  Oh so many reasons!  First, there may be a language barrier between you and your photographer.  Even if they speak English fairly well, will they be able to make you feel comfortable?  Or give you posing pointers?  Or what if there is just a misunderstanding about what kind of end product you will receive from their services?  The photos may not be what you thought or the package may not include what you were expecting.  In addition, I have seen too many friends take the easy route and chose a “recommended” photographer by a cruise company or resort and the photos were extremely below professional level.  One situation all the photos had a black strip at the bottom of the photo indicating that the photographer didn’t know their shutter speed was too fast for the flash they were using.  The other the photographer over exposed most of the photos from the beach and since it was very bright, the photographer changed most of the photos to a purplish black and white and didn’t give any of the color photos.  The clients were unhappy and emailed the photographers and they did not ever respond to either of the couples.  Of course, fraud can happen anywhere. Many clients don’t know that some “photographers” (more like fauxtographers), STEAL images from other photographers to give the illusion that they can do the same type of photos of the very best.  Take a look here to see what I mean: PhotoStealers …another great article about it was written by Offbeat Bride

Which brings me to, what if you are unhappy, what are you going to do?  What if they just don’t respond to you?  Are you going to fly back to the country and confront them?  Then, what if they still don’t try to make the situation right?  Are you going to sue them?  And what country are you in again?  Do you know that country’s legal system?  Are you protected?  Are you now going to have to hire a local attorney or stay and try to handle it yourself?  You do not want this.  You want a perfect wedding day and not a headache.  By bringing me as your personal professional photographer, you are not only taking less of a risk, but are getting far more value and a better, remarkable experience.  And the fact that you have found an amazing local photographer, you can now continue the relationship past the wedding.  Myself I have dozens of clients that I shot their engagements and weddings years ago and I now am photographing their maternity and newborn babies and later family photos.

So if you are considering or planning a destination wedding for your big day, I hope that you will consider me to gracefully document all of the evocative, resplendent and awe-inspiring moments, people and scenery that you will want to remember for the rest of your lives.  Here is a small list of the places I’d love to photograph one day soon, hopefully at your wedding.

Caribbean Destinations: Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands (BVI), US Virgin Islands (USVI), Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman & Cayman Brac), Cozumel, Curacao, Bahamas (Eletheura, Grand Bahama), Turks & Caicos (Grand Turk, Providenciales), Jamaica, Martinique, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Roatan, Tobago, Tortola, Trinidad

U.S. Destinations: Texas, California, Florida, Florida Keys, Hawaiian Islands (Hawaii, Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Lanai)

European Destinations: Belgium, England, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Scotland, Rome, Switzerland

And More!: New Zealand, Australia (Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne), Bali, Bora Bora, Fiji, French Polynesia, Mo’orea, Palau, Tahiti, Vanuatu

I can’t wait to hear more about your wedding and the amazing destination that will make your dream wedding come true!