Finding the wedding day photographer

If you are like many brides in the U.S. who want to have an exotic wedding abroad, it can be difficult to plan when it comes to your wedding day photographer. How do you find one? What questions should you ask? Where in the world do you begin? Here are some tips and ideas for finding your perfect destination wedding photographer.How Do I Find Someone To Hire?The first question to ask yourself when beginning the search for a destination wedding photographer is, "Do I want someone from the U.S. or someone on location?" There are good things and bad things about both of these. If you choose someone from the U.S., the absolute first thing to do is make sure they have a means to travel out of the country legally, using a U.S. Passport. There is no sense in working with someone who does not already have a Passport because they can take weeks or months to receive. Also, hiring a photographer from the U.S. will allow you to talk more with them in advance about what photography you are wanting to capture for your destination wedding.
 On the other hand, hiring a destination photographer from the wedding location means they are already there and know what the location looks like and how the setting is. You won't have to pay for travel costs because they will already be at the location of the wedding. Also, they know what outlets are necessary in the country. This is absolutely important because if you do choose someone from the U.S., precautions and planning have to be made to make sure their equipment can be charged and ready to go. Otherwise, you will have a photographer with no ability to charge batteries.Check With Your FriendsOne of the best ways to learn about what and who is good is to ask around. Try searching for "destination wedding photographers" in Google and see what you find. Ask friends and family if they have any advice. Contact your wedding location and ask for a list of preferred phoographers. Pay close attention to the cost of destination photographers. Make sure you know how much you want to spend and invest before you are presented with the costs. Knowing what your budget is before ever seeing a dollar sign can help you be more comfortable with choosing a photographer.
 Make A ChecklistEveryone knows that when it comes down to wedding day, the timing is never just right. Make sure to have a plan in advance for what you want the photographer to do and capture. If you want to have formal pictures, make sure that the photographer knows where on location these pictures will take place. Give a time frame of when you want the photos to be taken, before or after the ceremony. Traveling can often leave guests and attendees a bit scatterbrained. Make out a plan for the photographer, yourself, and the wedding party, and you should get all the shots you want.Don't Forget To Have FunPlanning a wedding can be hectic and stressful, but remember: you ARE getting married abroad! No matter if you get married near an exotic waterfall or on the coast of Africa, this day is about the vision you had for your destination wedding. Don't keep your guard up because somewhere, sometime, the photographer will be running around snapping pictures of your beautiful wedding and its events. Ignore the photographer and you'll get those real-life shots that tell the story of your destination wedding. The more you plan ahead for yourself the for the photographer, the more you will be able to relax once the big day rolls around.