Destination Wedding Photography: Hiring Your Photographer

When you’re looking for destination wedding photography at an all inclusive resort, you have 3 choices. You can use the photographer at the resort, you can hire a wedding photographer who’ll travel to your destination. Or you can hire a wedding photographer who’s local to your destination. Your decision can be based on your budget, the vendor rules at your resort or how important your wedding photography is to you.

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Use the Destination Wedding Photographer Provided By the Resort Venues

If your resort has in-house wedding photography, your wedding package might include photos or a wedding album. If the wedding photographer isn’t included in your package, most resorts will let you book them for an extra cost.

If you haven’t decided on your weddings package yet, read this next: Choosing an All Inclusive Destination Wedding Package

Using the in-house, resort venues wedding photography could be the easiest and least expensive option. You’ll still need to do your homework, though. Sometimes the resort wedding photography can be hit or miss. You’ll find some that are fantastic and do amazing work, for a great price. Others might not offer the style or quality of photos that you want for your wedding.

Check the photographer’s work the same way you’d check any other vendor. Find out if they’re on the resort website, if they have a social media profile, or if they have their own business website. Look for reviews and real weddings in forums or groups. Make sure you see a full destination wedding album from beginning to end. If you decide to use them, make sure the photographer’s name is included in your weddings contract with the resort.

If you’re not happy with the destination wedding photography options your resort provides, think about some of the other options. The main issue most couples have is the resort’s vendor fee. Most resorts will charge a vendor fee for any outside help that you want to bring on site for your weddings - including a photographer.

If the resort doesn’t have in-house wedding photography, they might offer a list of recommended vendors that you can hire to avoid paying the fee. If the resort can’t offer wedding photography or a vendor list, sometimes they’ll waive the vendor fee. Check your resort rules before you make your decision.

Hire a Wedding Photographer Who Will Travel to Your Destination

Some couples hire a wedding photographer from the US. Since you’re all traveling for your destination wedding, you can hire a photographer from anywhere and have them meet you at your resort. Most will charge regular package fees, plus you’ll pay for their travel and lodging at your destination wedding locations. Some photographers might offer to shoot your destination wedding photography for free in exchange for their travel costs only.

Some couples decide to hire a wedding photographer from their home town. That way, you’ll be able to meet them ahead of time. Plus, you can have your engagement photos done by the same person.

If you hire someone to travel to your weddings, make sure they’re legally allowed to work in your destination country. Some destinations will require work permits or visas.

If your destination photographer is staying at the resort with you, some resorts will consider them a guest and you won’t have to pay the vendor fee. Other resorts will still charge the fee for weddings. Make sure you get the rules in writing before you sign the contracts for your wedding photography.

Hire a Wedding Photographer Who’s Local to Your Destination

If you’re planning your weddings at an all inclusive resort in a popular area, you’ll have no problem finding local photographers. If your resort gave you a recommended vendor list, start by checking their work and their prices. If you didn’t get a list, you can find photographers with internet searches, forums and groups for weddings.

If you decide to hire an outside photographer, most resorts will charge a vendor fee. The amount depends on your resort. Some resorts charge $150, $350 or even more. Some can charge up to $1,000 for bringing an outside vendor to your destination wedding. If you find an outside photographer that you like, ask them about vendor fees. Many photographers will offer to cover the fee or discount their full packages for you.

Pricing For Destination Wedding Photographers

If you’re on a tight budget, it might be the price that’s the deciding factor for your destination wedding photographer. But with so many fees and packages and extras, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. The easiest way to figure it out is the old fashioned way: grab a pen and paper and break out your calculator app.

How much will the resort in-house photographer cost? Does it include everything or will you have to pay extra for more photos or albums?
How much are travel costs for a non-local photographer? How much will a photography package cost? Will the resort charge you a vendor fee?
How much will a local photographer’s wedding package cost? Will the resort charge you a vendor fee?

Resort Rules and Fees Should Be In Your Contract

When you sign the contract with your resort, all the rules and fees should be included. Read through the venue rules before you sign a contract with your destination wedding photographer. For example, some resorts don’t allow drones because of privacy issues. Make sure you understand what’s allowed and what isn’t.

Lots of online groups give advice about how to get around the rules and avoid paying vendor fees. Trust me - the resort weddings planner has already seen every trick. They know exactly what people are trying to get away with. If you can’t afford the vendor fees, come up with another solution.

Don’t create problems for yourself. Get the vendor rules in writing and follow them. If you try to break the rules and get caught out on your wedding day you won’t be happy. And you won’t have a very good argument if you broke the rules on purpose.

If you are following the rules and your resort tries to add extra charges or reduce your package or benefits, you’ll be glad you got everything in writing. Verbal agreements don’t count, so make sure everything you discuss with your planner is included in your contract.

Researching Destination Wedding Photographers

Take everything you see online with a grain of salt. It’s easy to buy followers and comments on social media. And some review sites are paid for by the vendors. That means they’re allowed to remove bad reviews. If you find a photographer that looks great, make sure you check them out on more than one site. Try to find recent reviews from real couples who had a destination wedding.

Make sure you see an entire gallery of destination wedding photography. Their portfolio will be all of their best shots, so you can see what great work they do. Usually there’ll be one or two shots from each wedding. If you only get one or two good shots from your entire wedding, you’ll be pretty disappointed.

Ask to see an entire weddings shoot. If there’s one or two epic shots but everything else is meh, you might want to find another destination wedding photographer. Every single shot doesn’t have to be amazing, but you should like all the photos. You want to have enough good, great and epic photos to make a wedding album that you’ll love.

Destination Wedding Photography Prices and Packages

Once you’ve found a photographer you love, you can choose one of their weddings packages. Most will offer a range of services at low, medium and higher prices. In the basic destination wedding package you’ll probably have 2 to 4 hours of coverage with the photographer and an assistant. Most packages will include 200 to 300 images in an online gallery. Some packages will include albums or prints. Bigger packages will have more time and more options, including video, highlight reels and more.

Typical add ons for a wedding photography package are:

Engagement session
Photo booth for your weddings reception
Coverage for your welcome party or excursions
Day after session for beach portraits or trash the dress photos

What Should Be in Your Wedding Photographer Contract

Take your time going through the contract and make sure all the details are covered. First, make sure all the basics, like your names, location and dates, are correct:

Names of the photographer and assistants
Emergency coverage: what happens if the photographer has to cancel last minute? Is there a replacement photographer available?
Are they eligible to work in your destination wedding country? Can they obtain a work visa if necessary?
What kind of equipment they’ll be using to shoot your wedding
What they’ll be wearing on your wedding day
Date the photographer will arrive at your destination
Date, location, start and end time for your ceremony and reception
Number of hours the photographer will be working and the events they’ll attend

The contract should include all the details about what you’ll receive and how you’ll be allowed to use it. It shouldn’t just list the name of the package. It needs to be specific and it should state each item that’s part of your package:

How many photos you’ll receive
When you’ll receive your photos
How they’ll be delivered to you
What albums or prints you’ll receive
Will the photos be edited or retouched? (Editing is when the photographer adjusts the color and exposure. Retouching is when all the blemishes are corrected. Typically, retouching uses photo editing software to fix pimples, under eye circles or other imperfections.)

Make sure you understand the copyright portion of the contract before you sign:

Copyright details: who owns the photos?
Are you allowed to share them on social media?
Will you be able to print or reprint them yourselves?
Where can the photographer show them?
If the photographer keeps the copyright and you sign a model release, they can use your photos for commercial purposes. Would you prefer they don’t use your photos in their own promotional materials?

The costs should be itemized, so you know exactly what you’re paying for and when. Remember to check the cancellation and refund policy:

Total costs for your photography package and any extras
Travel costs for your photographer, including flights, lodging and meals
Amount for deposit and due date
Amount for final payment and due date
What happens if your wedding goes overtime?
Your payment options: PayPal, credit card, money transfer, etc.
Insurance coverage
Cancellation and refund policy

Your Wedding Photos

There’s a lot to think about when you’re hiring the photographer for your destination wedding. If the photos aren’t the most important thing for you, go ahead and take the easiest option.

If it is important for you to get great photos, take your time and do as much research as you need to. You can get good results from your resort photographer, a destination wedding photographer or a local photographer. As long as you and your partner are happy, you’ll end up with wedding photos you’ll love!

Destination Wedding Planner Book

Planning your wedding at an all-inclusive resort? The Destination Wedding Planner makes it easy to get started. The book is packed with information and comparison sheets to help you choose the best resort for you and your guests. Plus checklists, worksheets, tips and tricks for everything from choosing your wedding package to packing your bags.