I'm a few months into planning my wedding in the Bahamas on 05/13/06. As we will getting "hitched" on a very popular resort (whose name I won't mention just yet) that says they have many of the amenties and services a couple would need, I had relinquished a lot of planning issues to my travel agent & on-site wedding coordinator. However, I found a photographer (with an outstanding portfolio) on the island whose done photo shoots at our resort in the past. However I have just learned that the fee to bring this photographer onto the resort has jumped from $150.00 to $350.00 dollars since we won't be using their resident photographers! I asked my travel agent to get some examples of resident photographers work and they were HORRIBLE!! I asked for more samples and was told that to release pictures would be a violation of "privacy laws" and the increase in the fee for bringing in an outside vendor is to offset their losses on photographic service. I want to hire the photographer that I found so badly and are so upset at this newly implemented policy that I am ready to change resorts and have my wedding elsewhere. Should I give in on this one and hope for the best or pay the few extra dollars. Please help time is getting short!!
This is a personal decision. If you are unhappy with this resort there are lots of other places to be married. If you do not have a deposit or have not signed any contract then look around for another venue. Be sure to read their contract carefully before signing to be sure about what is included and what services will be offered at an additional rate.
If you love this place, or you have signed a binding contract, then you'll have to decide if it's worth the additional money to have, what you consider, the better photographer. Make sure to oversee the planning and ask a lot of questions of your coordinator and your travel agent. Don't leave anything assumed.
Good luck! Top Wedding Questions Forum Moderator - "Write your sorrows in the sand, your blessings in stone".
Thank you for the advice and quick response. As you can probably tell I'm pretty upset by this resorts new policy. I have decided to bring the off-site photographer because his work looks wonderful-I'll just take the extra $$ out of the resorts tip.
Unless you feel like they mislead you or worse, cheated you, do you think it's really fair to tip less...especially since you have no idea what sort of service you'll receive from the resort?
Again, if this is not something that was in your contract then you should speak with your reception manager. Top Wedding Questions Forum Moderator - "Write your sorrows in the sand, your blessings in stone".
Photographer Dilema
