Booking Destination weddings & Engagements?

[tina___cliff_t]

<p>I was wondering, for those of you who do destination weddings. How do you go about booking clients? Do you do it all over the phone/mail?</p>

<p>Also if they want an Engagement session, do you just charge them for the additional trip? Or do you usually not even do engagements?</p>

<p>I'm used to meeting all our clients face to face before we book with them, but we've had couples contact us that are out of town or out of state, but we've always just said we don't travel that far. Seems silly to turn down business in this economy, but not sure how to go about it.</p>

[john_h.1]

<p>Why would someone far away want you and not someone close by that they can meet ect.? Unless you are in such great demand that you are known far away or the potential clients are from some barren land where no wedding photographers exist, this seems unusual. Ordinarily, for destinations, a client wants someone local they know or are confident in to go where they are going. This is to avoid doing what the people you describe are supposedly seeking to do. Hire a distant unknown photographer. If its really that far away, something doesn't seem right.</p>

[mark_t5]

<p>we've had clients hire us from across the country and from canada... yes, you do it via phone calls and emails, whatever you can think of..</p>

<p>the biggest factor in getting hired for a destination wedding is because you have something that they can't find locally.. whether be a unique style or something else.</p>

<p>if you are shooting the same type of cookie cutter type of images that everyone else is, then yes, the couple would simply hire someone local. there are plenty of photographers that you can probably just interchange their portfolio and you won't be able to tell the difference.</p>

<p>That is why differentiating yourself is a big deal these days..specially with all the influx of the weekend warrior "professionals"</p>

[kim-maru]

<p>Hi Tina and Cliff,<br>

I do destination weddings and the way I communicate with my clients is still largely by phone and e-mail but skype is becoming increasingly popular (it's a free download). Skype is better than e-mail in my opinion, because you can actually see one another (provided the computers you are using are equipped with webcam) during your conversation. This allows a little 'face to face' time and makes it feel less 'distant' which is so important for a wedding consultation. : ) kim</p>

 

[davebell]

<p>For the majority of people, they are very likely breaking the law if they do this. You either need to be a national of the country, or have a work permit, or not require a work permit.....</p>

<p>That is, unless "destination" means inside one's own country. The world is a much, much bigger place.</p>

[kim-maru]

<p>David,<br>

Hmmm...that's something to think about. Do you (or others) have more information on the legalities of international destination wedding photography between say, Canada and the US? Thanks. : ) kim</p>

 

[davebell]

<p>Kim-maru, sorry I cannot offer any advice on the legalities of Canada and the US as I live in the UK. I am originally South African, then I moved to Ireland on a work permit, then onto the UK also on a work permit. It is very strict in that one can only work for the employer that sponsored the work permit. Rightly so. I gained British citizenship a few years ago which opened very large doors. Not only do I now have full rights within Britain, but also throughout the whole of the EU. This means I can legally do destination weddings anywhere in Europe. This is my story, but being very familiar with work permit constraints, I advise you to carefully consider your own situation. I am sure people familiar with the US/Canada situation will provide very good advice in posts following this one.</p>

[tina___cliff_t]

<p>Thanks everyone for the respones. I love the idea of using Skype, I never even though about about that.</p>

<p><br />I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be breaking any laws since we would likely keep in the US, but I'll keep a look out. But while searching around for information, I did see a lot about messing up your taxes, and being double taxed etc, depending on the state. That could be difficult. :/</p>

<p><br />We haven't gotten offers from super far away, its mostly neighboring states, or just across our state, but would still be a long trip (7+ hour drive) for us just to meet a "potential" client. Not really worth it for us if they haven't already booked us. But I wasn't sure how to go about it.</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

[lukesmith]

<p>I live in Savannah, GA and have booked a wedding in San Francisco and a 50th anniversary party in NYC. It's all about how you market yourself and if you can provide more value than the local talent.</p>

<p>Many of the weddings I shoot in Savannah are destination weddings, but they have hired me as a local and they are the ones doing the travelling. It's no different when it comes to booking.</p>