jthrasher

what would be even sexier is if she included a g-string that she wore in one of the photos.

since I'm one of the few guys here, let me give you my opinion. I would go NUTS (in a good way) if i woke up the morning of the wedding with a little present that I opened and inside was a little book full of very sexy photos of her with a little note that said something like... "just a little peek of what to expect on the honeymoon" my best man would have to hold me back from going and jumping her bones right then and there. lol

Quote: Originally Posted by Nrvsbride Haha! At another wedding I went to the MOH was annoyed that the BM's dresses were kiwi green. No lie they were like neon green. But anyway the MOH was mad so she went into the bridal suit and had sex with her BF all over the bride's envelope gifts. I don't need to get anymore graphic but you guys can imagine what happened to her envelopes when he finished. Girls here are such biatches! -Glenda lmao. It's good thing I wasn't photographing that wedding or there would have been LOTS of blackmail photos

Quote: Originally Posted by LALA I swear I heard angels sing when I found it (the old one). you heard them too?!?! I thought for sure I had lost it!

exactly, sometimes you might have to shell out more money for an album than you do for the photography. just more reason to really compare packages from photographers you are interested in. This is why I offer cheaper albums as well as more expensive ones so I can accommodate everyone.

Quote: Originally Posted by TAMMYM Just a quick question for people who ordered the coffee table books from their photg. Do they all cost over 2k? Tammy i know your question is meant for brides but I thought I'd chime in so you have a vendors perspective too. I offer coffee table books/albums from two different companies. The thinner coffee table books range from $375-$675 The thicker coffee table books range start at $1795 and can exceed $3000 depending on size and number of pages. However, all my packages already include an album of some sort so there isn't an need to figure in these costs unless you want a second copy or other options like parent albums and bridesmaid books. Albums/books are definitely something to consider when booking your photographer. Sometimes you may have to shell out another $1000+ for the album.

I believe this site started out as a Cabo only forum. Eventually brides who were wanting to get married other places came and it expanded. Eventually it will probably have sections for any place you could ever want to get married if it keeps growing as fast as it is. Kudos to Tammy for such a great site!

Welcome! man... the newbies are coming out of the wood work tonight! Where are they coming from??!! :-) good to have you here! Hope I can help in one way or another!

Tammy (host) the owner of the board is a travel agent. I would contact her. Welcome to the board!!

Great tips Tammy! I had no idea you worked as an assistant! Maybe I can hire you sometime! :-) ---------------------------- Amy, a "good" package is one that has everything that you want in it. What you should do is think about what you want from a photographer. Do you want loose prints? An Album? Albums? What photos do you really want? What style do you like? Find a photographer who's work you like and talk with them about their packages or have them build you a package based on what you think you want. On my site I have "suggested" packages meaning I've put together packages based on what in my experience, brides want. of course, not all brides are the same so I can custom build a package for anyone if needed. Of course, there is a basic starting point and then you work up from there. does that make sense?

Quote: Originally Posted by MagsieMexico The problem is that they do not allow outside photographers, so you have to go with the onsite at the Riu... How do you get around that? they will allow outside photographers if they are a guest at the resort. So, just put your photographer up for a couple nights and you should be good to go. They want to eliminate people from hiring local photographers that are just coming for the day because they want the couple to use the resorts photographers, which usually aren't very good.

Welcome Linz! There are some people getting married in Cabo in Oct, I think. Glad to have you here. You've come to the right place! Jonathan

Quote: Originally Posted by jilly76 Wow, you guys have been busy on this thread today! Now I'm going to put my two cents in. When I was contacting photographers, one of the first things I did ask was what their prices were because if a photographer was totally out of my price range I didn't want to waste their time. Now, I work in sales, so I understand the photographers perspective of wanting to be able to show their potential client the quality of their work, and be able to establish a relationship with them, but I still think it's important to let someone know up front at least the minimum price you're willing to work for. I had contacted a photographer that is about an hour and a half away from me and he didn't want to give me pricing without me coming in to see his work. I can understand that, but for me to drive an hour and a half to see someones work and then find out that they are way over my budget would be a waste of both of our time, because no matter how much you may love someones work, if you're working on a budget there is not usually much you can do. Also, rather than asking if people are flexible on their rates, I asked if they had hourly rates and if you could create your own package. I know some people have mentioned that they were able to get hourly rates for their photographers, but I really wasn't able to find any that did that. I wasn't necessarily trying to get a discount by asking this, I think everyone deserves a fair price for their services, but just merely trying to work within a budget. Jonathan, would you find this offensive? please be honest, I never want to offend anyone. no... not at all. I think you handled it very well. This is why I put my prices on my website. So I don't waste anyone's time. Unfortunately, there are some who like to waste my time as well as theirs. I don't get why some photographers insist on leaving their prices off their site. At least put a starting point. I'm all about custom building a package for someone too but of course there has to be a minimum.

Quote: Originally Posted by akh well, you're right, there are some people that just don't get the saying "you get what you pay for" - nothing you can do about those people! if you pay $500 for photos, you're going to get $500 worth - not $5000! nothing wrong with paying that, but you will just get different results. truer words have never been spoken. why can't all brides be like you?

Quote: Originally Posted by Jen Hahaha! my aunt even suggested that we have the reception at the "Elks lodge" or American legion where they can cater it (out of aluminum trays!!!) that is ONE reason why I have my rates the way I do too. I will NEVER shoot another reception at the Elks Lodge or firefighters hall.

Quote: Originally Posted by akh I don't think any of the really "cheap" brides will be contact you, they might just go straight for the bargain photographer! you'd think wouldn't you. but you'd be wrong. hence the occasional frustration

Quote: Originally Posted by Jen Note to self: "DO NOT ask Jonathan if he is flexible with prices when I contact him about my wedding".....hahahaha!!!! No, that is good to know, from the photographers side, that there probably won't be too much flexibility so what is listed is pretty close to what you will be paying and that cuts down on who I will contact!!! Thanks lol... no. it's fine really. But, I'm more willing to negotiate with people I really want to work with or for my higher packages. I guess it really comes down to what the circumstances are surrounding the wedding, as well as what else is going on in my life, and if I have other weddings booked on previous or prior weekends. There are just to many elements that can affect whether I'm willing to negotiate so maybe it is best to ask. lol. but just be friendly about it, and don't sound cheap even if you are. lol

Quote: Originally Posted by akh "If someone took the time to meet with me, get to know me and showed a genuine interest in my work rather than my prices, I'd be much more willing to negotiate my rates." I totally see your point, and appreciate you sharing your point of view. But I will say, on a brides behalf, if she's contacting you and taking the time to ask you if you're flexible w/prices - she IS showing genuine interest in your work! And if her budget isn't flexible, she probably thinks she shouldn't waste your time (or hers) with a lot of questions and discussion. Does that make sense? yes, that totally makes sense. And I can see it from that point of view as well. We all want a great deal and save as much money as we can. The first thing I think when someone asks that is, they want my cheapest package, but want it for less. For me, my lowest package is my starting point and I'm not very flexible when it comes to that package because that is the minimum price I'm willing to work for in order to survive. Now, when it comes to my higher packages, I'm MUCH more willing to negotiate price because I can subtract things from the packages to make it cheaper for them. Giving discounts can also depend on how busy I am or how many weddings I already have booked and for how much those weddings are booked at. If I have more weddings that are more expensive, I might be more willing to negotiate with someone. Where as some years, things are much slower than other years so I couldn't really afford to negotiate much.

**disclaimer: this post is not aimed at any one particular person on or off this board** This is just coming from a vendors point of view. I get tons of email inquiries and to be quite honest, I get very tired of the emails where the first line is "are you flexible with your rates?". Why should we be flexible with our rates? We have other brides who are more than willing to pay our full prices. Is it fair to them if we give someone else a break? What makes one bride more special than another to receive discounts? Now, that being said, I'll be the first to admit that I have given discounts or negotiated prices with brides but mainly it's because I genuinely liked them as a person and really wanted their business. Of course, some photographers who aren't as established as others might be more willing to negotiate under certain circumstances. But established photographers like Anna probably aren't as flexible because they don't need to be. I don't think I've ever given or ever would give discounts to someone who's first email to me asked if I was flexible with my rates. To vendors, that's one of the first red flags. If someone took the time to meet with me, get to know me and showed a genuine interest in my work rather than my prices, I'd be much more willing to negotiate my rates. ok... sorry for the mini rant. :-)

Quote: Originally Posted by Natalie M ann, you crack me up!! I'm laughing out loud reading this! I would love to join you girls but i might be out of town that weekend! So i'm trying to rearrange my schedule! God I feel like I need more than a month to get my body in shape for these pictures since I want to look good in them! I have to see if I can come first! I really want to!! Or else I have to get then done a different weekend and I don't know who to go to! Natalie, if you can't do them that weekend, I'm not that far from Chicago and I have about the same rates as Leigh. Yes...I know ladies... I'm a guy.... but I HAVE done these types of shoots before. I'm sure it would make some of you ladies nervous to do these shots with a guy photographer but keep in mind that I am VERY professional, especially with these types of shoots because I know it can be difficult. I'm very easy going. So... don't count use guy photographers out just because we're guys. We are good at these shoots too. :-)

these little disposables are fun until your FI's friends get a hold of them and when you are picking up your photos from Wal-Mart you wonder why all the employees are looking at you funny and snickering. Then you get home and realize you have some surprise photos that would give your Grandma a heart attack. of course I would never do that.

Quote: Originally Posted by host hi brenda, have you thought of submitting for jonathan's contest. he is giving away a free wedding package and he will make a decision by jan. 31. all you need to do is pay for his airfare and lodging but it would be sooo worth it. I think I'm already booked for her day. :-(

Do you know if the resort requires you to hire their photographer? I can't see how they can do that though. I'm not sure about their photographer requirements but if you only get 115 photos, that sounds like e really bad deal. I would look into hiring someone who's work you really like. With the resort photographers, you never know what you're going to get and since photos are the one thing you're going to have when it's all over, you want to make sure you're going to like them. Keep us posted.

lol I knew what you meant Ann. I was just being a smart ass. I'm an addict too. We should start a BD! 12 step program. "hi, my name is Jonathan." (hi Jonathan) "I'm addicted to BDW and shooting destination weddings" (applause) lol