Hiring your Destination Wedding Photographer

Typically a destination wedding photographer are local to wherever you want to go. But what happens when you’re looking at a photographer who’s in a different state than you are? Is there a backup plan? What if they can’t make it? A couple’s worst fear is to wake up the morning of their wedding and find out their photographer is no longer able to make it. Below I outline all the things you need to keep in mind when hiring your destination wedding photographer!

Travel fees and what they cover

Sometimes travel fees can seem like a huge unnecessary expense. But when you want the photographer of your dreams, they seem a bit more worth it. What do they actually cover though?

The basics: transportation, food and lodging

Transportation

There’s the obvious: plane flights. Depending on your photographers preferences, they may choose to fly in on Thursday vs Friday to allow for an extra buffer before your wedding. This is especially handy when flying across time zones. Thursday flights also tend to be a tiny bit cheaper than Fridays, (however it will require an additional hotel night). Personally, I tend to love flying in a couple days in advance, so we can snag some eats and finalize the last minute plans for your wedding day!

Beyond the basics of plane flights, even if your venue is easily navigated via public transportation, it’s likely your destination wedding photographer will need their own vehicle. Traveling with multiple bags of gear make public transport a bit of a monster. A car rental will give them the ability to safely transport their gear, without being concerned over a lost bag or stressing about keeping everything together.

Food

Everybody needs to eat and no one likes hangry vendors. Depending on the travel schedule decided upon by your destination wedding photographer, there will likely be multiple days where your vendor will need to buy food. While your location will determine the final cost of food (food prices for most locations in the main 48 states are cheaper than Hawaii’s food prices for example), it’s a safe bet that most days will require between $100 & $150 per day (3 meals and at least 2 snacks at $30-40 per meal). Obviously these numbers will vary based on your individual vendor’s dietary needs as well.

Lodging

Unless you live in a mansion (if you do, please invite me to come visit you), it’s very likely that your vendor will need to secure lodging. If you’ve already secured a block of rooms for out of town guests, adding your vendor into that count will be helpful. But remember, some vendors want a bit of separation and may require the ability to book their own lodging.

Six Important questions to ask your destination wedding photographer:

Is there a backup plan? If yes, have you ever had to use it?
Will the final product still represent your style, if you’re unable to shoot our wedding?
Do you have a refund policy?
How many days in advance will you be arriving to our destination?
Will you require a hotel separate from the block of rooms we’ve secured?
Are there differences in the post processing timeline due to post-wedding travel?

My Answers:

Is there a backup plan?

Yes. I always have a backup plan, even for my in state weddings. You never know when an emergency is going to happen, requiring a substitution. I always network in the area of your wedding, long before I head to the airport. And by long, I mean the moment you hire me I will begin searching my current network as well as making new network connections. This way, I have a list of 2-3 photographer who can match my shooting style and take over in the instance of an emergency.

So far, I haven’t needed to put my backup plan into action. This isn’t to say that things haven’t happened to try and test my backup plans. In 2018, my Gracie broke her arm on July 2nd, and I was scheduled to fly out to Connecticut on July 5th. The concern that I would miss that vow renewal was definitely there! But between my awesome husband and local family, I was able to leave her and make it to the vow renewal on time!

Will the final product still represent your style, if you’re unable to shoot our wedding?

Yes. I’m very picky about the photographers who will step in during my absences, and choose those who have a similar shooting style to mine. Once the wedding day is over, all image files are transferred to me and I take over the final editing and delivery of your wedding day photos. This way, your final product will match what you see in my portfolio. A big part of what you’re paying for is the final product I deliver, and I want to make sure your wedding day photos are exactly what you hoped for.

Do you have a refund policy?

In the very unlikely event that there’s no way I can provide the services I’ve promised, or a replacement photographer for the day, my refund policy will go into effect. For weddings that I cannot perform my services at, I will refund all monies paid minus any previously incurred expenses (including but not limited to booked plane flights, deposits on hotels/transportation, or previously provided services like engagement sessions).

How many days in advance will you arrive at our destination?

For Saturday weddings, I typically arrive on Thursday afternoon in order to do some scouting for locations and make sure I know where I’m going. This also gives me a full day on Friday to make sure all my gear is functioning properly, and ready to go for your wedding. For most other days of the week, I’ll arrive approximately 36-48 hours in advance.

Will you require a hotel separate from the block of rooms we’ve secured?

Definitely not! If you’ve already secured a block of rooms, let me know where and I’ll definitely take advantage of one of those. The only way I’d need a separate hotel is if there is a significant distance between the hotel you’ve secured and the venue(s). I prefer to stay as close to the venue as possible, for convenience!

Are there differences in the post processing timeline due to post-wedding travel?

Not really. It might take an extra day or two for sneak peeks, but for the most part the post processing timeline stays the same. Sneak peeks will typically be posted within 3-5 days for destination weddings, and final galleries will arrive between 6-8 weeks post wedding.

Out of state weddings have a few extra things to think about, but overall it’s worth it to have that dream destination wedding photographer participate in your big day! Check out some of my favorite destination weddings!