How to Choose a Destination Wedding Photographer

Choosing a photographer for a wedding abroad is harder than choosing one at home. You can’t pop round to meet them, you may never have seen the venue yourselves, and the person you pick has to deal with a new place, new light and sometimes a new language, on a day that can’t be repeated.

I’ve photographed weddings and shoots in New York, Paris, Sintra, Ravello, Lake Como, Venice, Florence, Santorini, Sydney, Austria, Switzerland, Iceland and the American Southwest, and in 2018 Zankyou included me in their list of the best wedding photographers for destination weddings, for the third year running. This guide is what I’d tell a couple planning a wedding abroad: whether to bring a photographer or hire locally, what to ask, what it costs, and the destination weddings I’ve photographed.

New York, Paris in the rain, and an ice cave in Iceland.

Bring a photographer from home, or hire locally?

There’s no single right answer, and I’d rather you choose well than choose me. Here’s the honest trade-off.

A photographer from home. You can meet them before you book, see full weddings they’ve shot, and plan the day in person. They speak your language, understand British wedding traditions (speeches, family groups, the first dance), and are used to working with your family’s expectations. Your gallery comes back to someone you can phone. The cost is travel and accommodation, and a photographer who may not know the venue.

A local photographer. No travel costs, and they may know the venue, the light and the local suppliers well. The risks are harder to see: you usually can’t meet them, styles vary widely, language can get in the way on the day, and if something goes wrong afterwards, it’s harder to sort out from another country.

If your wedding is small and very local, hiring locally often makes sense. If the photographs matter a great deal to you, if there’s a lot of family and tradition in the day, or if you simply want someone you trust, bringing a photographer tends to be worth the travel.

What to ask a destination wedding photographer

• Have you photographed a wedding abroad before? Ask to see a full gallery from one, not just the highlights on Instagram.
• When will you arrive? The day before, at the least. Flights get delayed, and a photographer arriving on the morning of the wedding is a risk you don’t need to take.
• Will you look at the venue before the day? Walking round the day before, at the time of day the ceremony will happen, is how you find the good light and the problem spots.
• How is travel charged? Built into the price, or added at cost? Who books the flights? Is there a cap?
• What happens if you’re ill or a flight is cancelled? A good photographer has a plan for this and will tell you what it is.
• Are you insured to work abroad? And do you know whether the venue needs anything from you in advance?
• How long until we get the photographs? Travelling shouldn’t add weeks. Mine are back within a week.

Things that are different abroad

The light and the heat

A midday ceremony in southern Europe in July means hard, overhead sun and guests squinting through the vows. If you have a say in the timing, a later ceremony puts the drinks and portraits into the softer evening light. It’s also a lot kinder to everyone in a suit.

Venue and location rules

Historic sites, palaces and public landmarks often have their own rules on where and when you can take photographs, and some need permission in advance. Your venue or planner will know. Ask early, especially if you want portraits somewhere beyond the venue itself.

The legal side

Marrying legally abroad can involve paperwork, notice periods and translated documents, and it varies by country. Many couples have a short civil ceremony at home first and then the celebration abroad, which is what Jayssen and Karuna did before their celebration in Ravello.

The day after

One of the best things about a destination wedding is having your photographer there for a second day. A relaxed shoot the morning after, when nobody is watching the clock, often gives you the favourite photographs of the whole trip.

What destination wedding photography costs

My destination collection is £3,995 for eight hours, from preparations through to the first dance, with every image edited and your gallery within a week. Travel and accommodation are added at cost, with no markup, so you only pay what the trip actually costs. A second photographer is available on request.

If you’d like photographs abroad without the whole wedding, pre-wedding shoots start from £2,000 in Paris, £2,995 in Iceland and £3,995 in New York. There’s a fuller breakdown in what destination wedding photography costs, and everything else is on my destination wedding photographer page.

Destination weddings I’ve photographed

New York, USA

Layla and Richard married at the James Burden Mansion with a celebration at The Plaza. I photographed their New York wedding and a pre-wedding shoot around Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge, and afterwards we did a post-wedding shoot in Paris.

Sintra, Portugal

Pedro and Yi’s wedding at Pena Palace, the painted palace in the hills above Sintra, with the clouds sitting below the terraces at sunset. I’ve also photographed a couple at Penha Longa, just along the coast.

Ravello, Italy

After a civil ceremony in London, Jayssen and Karuna celebrated at Villa Eva and Villa Cimbrone on the Amalfi Coast. See their Ravello wedding, and my guide to weddings in Ravello.

Sydney, Australia

Kiri and Jamie married at Governor Phillip Park in Palm Beach, with the reception at The Boat House and portraits around the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. See Kiri and Jamie’s Australian wedding.

Kaprun Castle, Austria

Tim and Lisa’s wedding at Kaprun Castle in the Austrian Alps.

Lake Maggiore, Switzerland

Rose and Henry married at the church of San Pietro in Ascona, with the reception at Eden Roc on the lake. See their Ascona wedding.

France

Holly and Hammad’s wedding at Château de Condé, and pre-wedding shoots in Paris, including Steve and Ann’s rainy winter shoot and a sunset at the Louvre. If you’re looking at a château, my Vaux-le-Vicomte guide may help.

Iceland and the American Southwest

Christie and Greg’s pre-wedding shoot in Iceland, from the Blue Lagoon to the glacier lagoon at Jökulsárlón, and later a shoot in Antelope Canyon. My Iceland pre-wedding guide covers ice caves, black sand beaches and when to go.

Pena Palace in Sintra, the Louvre at sunset, and Antelope Canyon.

Lake Como, Venice, Florence and Santorini

I photographed weddings in all four before this website existed, so there are no posts from them here. If you’re planning a wedding in one of them, ask me and I’ll tell you what I remember of the light, the logistics and the places worth going for portraits.

Planning a Tuscan wedding?

Tuscany is one of the most popular places for British couples to marry abroad. My Tuscany wedding photography guide covers the villas, the light and the timings.

Destination wedding photographer questions

Should we bring a wedding photographer from the UK or hire one abroad?

A photographer from home means you can meet them, see full galleries and plan in person, and they understand British wedding traditions, but you pay their travel. A local photographer saves travel costs and may know the venue, but is harder to vet and communicate with. For a wedding where the photographs matter a lot, many couples bring their own.

How much does a destination wedding photographer cost?

My destination collection is £3,995 for eight hours, with travel and accommodation added at cost and no markup. Pre-wedding shoots abroad start from £2,000 in Paris.

Who pays for the photographer’s travel to a destination wedding?

Usually the couple. Some photographers build it into their price; I add flights and accommodation at cost, so you only pay what the trip actually costs.

When should the photographer arrive for a destination wedding?

At least the day before. That allows for delays and gives time to walk the venue at the time of day the ceremony will happen.

How far ahead should we book a destination wedding photographer?

A year to eighteen months is ideal, especially for summer dates, as photographers only take a small number of weddings abroad each year.

Where have you photographed destination weddings?

Weddings in New York, Sintra in Portugal, Ravello, Lake Como, Venice and Florence in Italy, Santorini, Sydney, Kaprun in Austria, Ascona in Switzerland and Château de Condé in France, and pre-wedding shoots in Paris, Iceland and Antelope Canyon.