jthrasher

Hmmm, good questions. If the packages at the Riu are more expensive, could you use the money you save from booking a less expensive package at your first choice to pay for guest passes for people that might not be able to afford staying there? Or, use the money you would have spent on guest passes towards family members rooms at the more expensive place. That way you're helping them stay at the place you really want. Not sure if that helps any. Just some thoughts. You wouldn't necessarily be saving money this way, but you'd possibly get the best of both worlds.

I've shot beach weddings where they used a mic and also where they haven't. Both were just fine. But, it depends on the number of guests you have and how the ceremony will be set up. The wedding where they didn't use a mic, was a pretty informal ceremony and instead of having people seated in chairs, they had everyone crowding around the couple in a semi circle. It was very cool and very intimate. As far as letting the resort handle everything, I would frown upon that. I'm sure it's fine to let them handle some things but not everything. Typically the resort photographers are more traditional and you don't get very much with the package. If you want photojournalistic photos that are more artistic, I would definitely suggest hiring a photographer on your own. The resort might want to charge you a fee for bringing outside vendors in, but just tell them to drop the fee or you'll take your business elsewhere. They won't charge you if you are having your photographer, or other vendors stay at the resort.

welcome to the forum! You'll find tons of useful info and very helpful people here. Happy planning!

WOW! what a fantastic dress!!!!! SOOO cool. very good choice!

Welcome to the forum!

Welcome to the forum! Indian ceremonies are so beautiful! Add in the amazing location and I'm sure it will be stunning! I just shot an Indian wedding this summer. It was a blast! Vu & Anil's slideshow Cabo is gorgeous. I shot Jessalyn's, another BDW member's wedding there this summer as well. Jessalyn & Tony

welcome to the forum! Italy will be AMAZING!!! It's great to have another European wedding bride here!

welcome to the forum! I keep hearing not so positive reviews about destinationweddings.com. From what I hear, they are more travel agents than wedding coordinators so make sure you talk to other Ocho Rios brides here to get more helpful info.

every wedding photographer bases their pricing on what they think their time and photos are worth, what the market will bare, and supply and demand. There isn't any standard. There are also many other things that are factored into price such as cost of business, cost of living, etc. etc. It really comes down to who's photos you like better and the personality of the photographer you choose. It really helps to have a photographer who you get along with and who's style you like. If photographer A is more expensive than photographer B, but you like photographer A's work better, if you can stretch your budget a little, it might be worth it. It all depends on what you are looking for in the end and how important photos are. If the photos aren't all that important to you, cheaper might be better.

welcome Melissa!

Erin, welcome to the forum. You'll find tons of great info and lots of great people to help. Quote: Originally Posted by jean-marcus well i havent been to los cabos yet but if there is a dreams resort there i stayed at the dreams in tulum and i loooooved it. thought it was the best all inclusive resort ive ever stayed at. actually probably one of the nicest hotels i have EVER stayed at period... if you want to discuss your photography and going with someone like me to document more then just the day of your wedding let me know. i specialize in becoming one of the guests and photographing all the happy memories of not just the day of your wedding but your entire time there. my email is [email protected] dude, you really need to read the forum rules for vendors. Every one of your posts are in some way unwanted solicitation, which is not allowed. The Mods have warned you more than once.

wow..... just wow. like Leigh said, it would be totally unprofessional of me to reply. besides all I can say is ......wow.

Quote: Originally Posted by TammyB DON'T order from Pictage.. My wedding proofs came from them and the Black and white ones I just didn't like the quality. And lets be honest the price you pay.. it just isn't worth it. IMO I would use MPix.com They are "great" quality and sooooooo much cheaper.. I think an 4x6 is .29 cents and they send them to you pretty quick too.. Unfortunately she doesn't have a choice of where she orders from unless she gets a CD of images. Pictage is a company photographers use to sell their images to clients. When the photographer puts them online, thats where the client can order them. They aren't online anywhere else. If she were to order a CD, she could order them from Costco or any other local store, or from an online printer such as Mpix. Personally, I wouldn't order from Pictage either. I used to use pictage but was very unhappy with their service. Some photographers like them so it's up to your photographer

It's not Pictage that sets the prices. It's the photographer. Most photographers charge more for prints than what you are charged at Walmart or Costco. $10 for a 4x6 is actually quite standard. The reason is, you are paying for the photo, not the paper. That photo is one of a kind. There isn't another like it. Coscto and the like are charging you for their supplies, chemicals, paper, etc. When you buy a photo from a photographer you are buy a piece of art. The photographer could charge you only for the cost but then you are only getting a blank piece of paper. We see our work as art and we charge what we feel our art is worth. It takes time, talent, and training to get the images we produce, so we charge a premium for better quality photos. I hope that sheds some light on the issue. Just remember, you aren't buying the photo paper, you're buying the photo.

Welcome! There is of info and tons of great people here to help

It's been my experience that schedules don't always go as planned so it's always good to leave room for that. Also, most photographers will book in consecutive hours. Meaning once they show up, you get them for however long you booked them for, starting then. Most won't let you break up their time with an hour here, an hour there, 2 hour break, and two hours there. There are photographers, like myself, who don't have a limit to their time. Typically my days will be 9-12+ hours. And to be honest, sometimes that's not enough, especially when schedules don't go as planned and the bride is an hour and a half late getting ready. Nobody ever thinks they're going to be late but it's always good to leave time, just in case.

welcome and congratulations!

If you are flying in your photographer you won't have any problems if you have them stay at the resort as well. In this case, your photographer will already be a guest so it won't matter. It's when you are using a local photographer or have your photographer stay someplace other than the wedding location that you run into problems. It's completely wrong for them to do this though and if you run into problems you can just tell the resort you'll take your business elsewhere. Hope this helps

Welcome! I used to live in Hawaii. I miss it so much. Those resorts are on Oahu I believe, yes? Let me know if I can help in any way.

I can't believe It's already here but... HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Quote: Originally Posted by Melissa Radolli This is ridiculous! My TA emailed to enquire about this and got an email yesterday saying exactly that! 3 nights or $500 bucks - ... let me get this straight.. we will basically book out the majority of the resort and they want to charge me an extra amount for a good photog? Makes me sick.. Exactly. You NEED to take a stand against this. You should call the resort yourself and tell them they need to drop this fee or you'll take your business elsewhere. Tell them they can lose the $500, or lose thousands. It's their choice. You shouldn't have to put up with this.

Being a photographer and having the chance to see things from another perspective I can honestly say that live bands are almost always FAR better than DJ's. More often than not, DJ's can be very cheesy, annoying, and all around bad. There's just something about live music that adds so much more to the ambiance. I've only experienced one bad live band and it was really bad, but, lots of really bad dj's. I think I'd prefer and iPod over a DJ.

Welcome to the forum! Another Minnesotan! Where in MN are you from?

Quote: Originally Posted by TiffJT I love how the rules at these places have a way of changing - after you've booked your date. Dreams doesn't charge a fee for outside photographers, but depending on who your photographer is you still have to pay for theirs. Bride's using Claudia Rodriguez's team get a $350 dollar credit for not using the resort's photographer. I'm using Cecilia Dumas and when I asked about a credit I was told I couldn't get one because the WC "doesn't know her". So I told the WC since I was paying for their photographer I wanted him to take family photos for my guests while the photographer I chose will photograph the wedding. I guess I should just be happy they're not charging me $300 bucks. I've heard Dreams does the same thing with florists, so one girl hired her own and had the flowers delivered as gifts. What could they do if your photographer is your long lost cousin who just happens to have a "hobby" that includes a camera? I know it really sucks. However, before you make any arrangements with the resort photographer, I'd check with the photographer you hired to make sure it's okay if you have the resort photographer there as well. Many times photographers don't want other photographers there because they might get in the way, ruining shots and also taking photos which would lead to lost reprint sales. Many photographers have a clause in their contract that they are they only paid photographer attending. Just a heads up on that. They really can't do anything if your photographer is already staying at the resort. But, if you hire a local photographer who is just coming in for the day, technically they can do what they want. Even though it's not right. I'm not sure how to get things to change other than telling resorts that do this, that you will take your business elsewhere. If brides take a stand against these policies, eventually things will change. You really need to find out about their policies very early on so that if you want to take your business and money elsewhere, you can, without losing any money. If you do have to make other arrangements, make sure these resorts know how much money they are losing out on. It's really their choice, they can lose the $500 fee they want to charge you, or they can lose the $1000's by not having you and your guests stay there.

Welcome! Yay.. finally some more European weddings! Looking forward to hearing all about your planning