When creating lasting memories from your wedding day your photos are some of the most memorable and special keepsakes that you’ll cherish forever. There’s a lot of pressure in finding the right destination wedding photographer that will provide high quality, beautiful wedding photographs. A lot of destination wedding packages include photography services in your wedding package, but how are you to know if they’ll meet your expectations? Should you just hire an outside vendor?

This post will help with some of those decisions. Below we go over steps that you should think about whether you’re considering the resort photographer or hiring an outside vendor instead. Make sure that no matter what you choose you did your due diligence to ensure your wedding day photographs will meet your expectations.

destination wedding photographer

If the Resort Provides One

Ask for their portfolio

To make sure they meet your quality and professional needs, don’t hesitate to ask for some of their work. They may have a website or link that displays some of their previous weddings or best work. Your on-site wedding coordinator should be able to help you with this.

Not sure what’s good? Go to Pinterest and type in “destination wedding photography.” Don’t forget to follow us while you’re there, too. 😉 Start saving some photos that catch your eye or meet your photography desires. You’ll start forming a certain aesthetic for what you want your wedding photos to look like.

Ask what they can or can’t do

Our resort photographer captured our ceremony and pictures after the ceremony. They ended before the cocktail hour which means we don’t have any professional photos of me and my bridesmaids getting ready, my husband or groomsmen getting ready, cocktail hour, dinner, or reception. Thankfully, both of my sisters do photography on the side so I asked them to bring their cameras and capture as much as they could.

With an outside photographer they’ll most likely be with you the entire day. If you want your entire day documented in photos it may be a deal breaker to hire someone separate from the resort.

Check your wedding package

A lot of destination wedding packages will only include a certain number of prints. For example, we got married at Now Jade Riviera Cancun and they only included 24 color photos. It was extremely difficult to choose between hundreds of amazing photos and only pick 24, so we paid extra to have more.

If you know you’ll want a lot more than the limited amount in your wedding package make sure to ask how much you’ll be paying for each extra photo. In the long run, you may find that you’re paying just as much for those extra photos as you would by hiring an outside photographer instead.

destination wedding photographer

If You Want to Hire an Outside Photographer

If you’re thinking of going with an outside photographer there are a few pointers we have to make sure you aren’t disappointed. We want to ensure that you and your destination wedding photographer are on the same page. Whether that’s regarding pricing, communication, or wedding day preferences, below are a few tips.

Expect to pay their fee plus travel expenses

Not only are you paying the photographer for their services, but almost all travel photographers expect most or their entire trip to be paid for as well. That is, if you’re hiring someone from afar.

You could also hire a photographer nearby your resort, but be mindful of any language barriers you may face. Plenty of communication before hiring them will give you a good idea how well they know your preferred language or how easy it is to make yourself understood if they struggle with what you’re communicating.

Facebook is a great resource

There are tons of destination wedding Facebook groups you can join and ask for recommendations. I promise you you’ll get flooded with photographers and brides giving you plenty of options to choose from. If it’s from another bride you have the reassurance that they were happy with the photographer’s services as well.

Destination Wedding Brides is one page that is packed full of recommendations and resources. Check out the photographer’s social media to get a really good idea for the type of aesthetic they’re going for.

Communicate your expectations

Once you have a photographer in mind it’s important that you communicate your expectations with them really well. There’s nothing worse than not getting the pictures you want or time of day captured because your photographer wasn’t aware that it was important to you.

Create a list of must-have photos for your photographer. Not just moments you want captured, but specific people you want to make sure you have photos of. For example: bride’s siblings, groom’s grandparents, bride + groom + parents, etc.

Also consider any special photo ops you’d like as well. Do you plan on trashing the dress? If you and your fiancé are doing a first look before the ceremony do you want your photographer to photograph that moment? Consider these and make sure your photographer knows it’s important.

Confirm any preferences they have

Your destination wedding photographer might have a preference on the time of day your ceremony should be to ensure the perfect sunset photos are taken. They will also have a pretty good idea on how long your after-ceremony photos will take, so you can plan your cocktail hour and dinner accordingly.

Check out our post “20 Pieces of Advice from Leading Destination Wedding Experts” and specifically the photographer section. It’s filled with tons of advice from amazing destination wedding photographers that have captured thousands of weddings.

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, so whether you use the resort photographer or hire someone else, we want to make sure they exceed your expectations. Great photos really do last a lifetime.

What did you think of this post? Any other pointers you want to give fellow destination wedding brides regarding their photographer and wedding day photos? Comment below or contact me here!

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