Eeek - photographer flying in the day before?

[RyanAmanda]

Our wedding is in the Mayan Riviera on Tuesday, November 18. We're from Vancouver, Canada and all our guests are flying out the Friday (14th). We have a local photographer who is coming with us and is - was? - flying with the group. However, I just got an email from her, really nice and sweet, saying she was wondering if she could fly out the Monday (the day before). There is a huge wedding show in Vancouver that was originally scheduled for Nov 9th but the tradex was double booked so it got moved to the 16th. She said this show is a huge deal for her and she normally gets 12-15 bookings from the show alone which is a massive part of her yearly income.

 

She's not making any money by doing our DW. Yeah, she gets a free week in Mexico but that's it. Her fee is the cost of the trip plus half (she brings an assistant so we cover the photographer's trip plus half the trip of the assistant). So, from a business standpoint, especially since she's a younger photographer, her not doing this show would be like shooting herself in the foot. She needs to do the show.

 

There are no packages that go Monday to Monday but she could get one from Sunday to Sunday and then just get a one way ticket to Cancun for the Monday (instead of using the ticket that comes with the package). How often are flights delayed though? I mean delayed by an entire day? I think it's pretty rare but I wasn't sure. Also, let's say her flight does get delayed by a day so instead of getting in Monday night, she gets in Tuesday night. Since the wedding was Tuesday afternoon she would miss the wedding - so then are we out the cost of her trip still? I mean, the flight getting delayed was neither our fault or hers.

[Yari]

I honestly think it is to much of a gamble. Flights can be dicey.

 

I would perhaps look for a new photographer.

[Kristy!]

How late does the wedding show go? Maybe she could book a red eye on Sunday night so you have a little more time to play with.

[Autumn]

it's waaaay too risky, imo

- with destination weddings you've got to plan for travel hiccups just in case.. which to me means planning her arrival to be minimum of 48 hours in advance of the wedding

 

if something were to happen, you'd be devastated (and so would she!)

just sounds too stressful to risk it

[RyanAmanda]

We don't have red eye's here to Cancun. There's one flight per day. That's the reason I'm a little stressed. We need to get a connection and if the first flight is delayed, depending on how many people were coming from the first flight, they might not hold the second flight and then she wouldn't make it.

 

If she missed the wedding I wouldn't be devastated - one of our guests (someone's boyfriend, etc.) would happily take pictures for us. It's just the whole, what do we do about payment then? We'll have already paid for her trip so I think we would be out the $3000.

 

She's already done our engagement pictures (we had hired her for our wedding here before we switched it to a DW) and we just really liked her. Plus, she was going to do the wedding day plus a TTD shoot while we were down there.

 

I looked into a few photographer down there (before we knew our photographer would come) and they're way more money for less. Plus we don't know them or have that connection that we have with this photographer.

 

I'm just so torn on what to do.

[Betsy]

Is the trip still going to cost $3000 even if she is only getting there the day before your wedding? I understand from her point of view it is a better *deal* for her to stay and do the show but you already had booked her so I think she needs to do what you want. I mean if the flight is delayed until the next day (your wedding day) what time would she get there? I think you should email her back telling her whatever you think but I also think that you shouldn't be out the $$ If she doesn't make it.

[RyanAmanda]

Yes, it will be the same. Our rate is $1444 plus $293 tax. I see a lot of you flying out for the weekend or whatever but for us it's cheaper to go for the week (I guess because one entire day is taken up by travel going down and coming home). Our flights leave at 5 in the morning and you get to Cancun about 5pm. Then there's getting your luggage, etc. and the hour and a half drive to the resort so she wouldn't make it there till about 7 pm.

 

And the thing is, I wouldn't want her to miss the show. It makes up about a third of her annual income.

[leigh miller]

i always arrive at least 2 days before the wedding if im traveling out of the country. one destination place i would consider coming the morning before the wedding is cabo because its only a little over a 2 hour flight from SD its nonstop and there are lots of them. if i were going from vancouver to cancun - no way. its an all day trip already with no room for mess ups. i hate to tell you this but i think its too risky.

 

your weddings a tuesday right? maybe you could find a photographer who is shooting a wedding that saturday in that area willing to stay over? or of course look local. im not sure what your contract is with your photographer you have now. does it specify she will fly out two days before the wedding?

 

it sounds like youre getting her for so much less because she doesnt have experience doing DWs and i think its showing because any photographer who does would not feel comfortable making such a long trip out of the country the day before the wedding. heck i wouldnt even fly into nyc from CA for a wedding the day before and its in the same country and there are lots of flights.

[cheese_diva]

Can her assistant travel on the normal schedule (I'm assuming here that her assistant is also her 2nd shooter)? That way, worse case, the assistant can shoot your wedding? Please don't rely on friends/family for your wedding photos. You never get that day back and even if you don't think the photos are super important now, they're all you'll have after (except your husband of course!)

[ACDCDCAC]

I would not chance it. I guess I'm biased since I work for an airline that flies to Cancun, but with your connection(s), I just wouldn't chance it. When I have a passenger who missed their flight to Cancun, for whatever reason, nothing changes the fact that we only have one flight a day to CUN airport. It's not like we could just rebook someone on a flight that doesn't exist. We only have so many options.

Again, I would not chanve it, and I would feel really awful making her miss the show given that she gets to much business from it.