As one of the UK’s leading names in photography and cinematography, byLumiere specialise in destination weddings. They've shot amazing celebrations everywhere, from the gorgeous South African countryside to postcard-perfect Seychelles.
The company is run by engaged couple Kate Hopewell-Smith and Brent Kirkman, who are planning their own destination wedding in Dubrovnik's Old Town.
Here they tell us everything you need to know about booking a photographer for your destination wedding.
Choose wisely
You absolutely shouldn’t feel the need to book a local photographer. Although they may know the area, they may also be inexperienced or lack creativity. Great image makers can create beautiful work in locations they haven’t shot before and relish the opportunity to shoot somewhere unique.
Planning is key
You will want to book your photographer's arrival with at least 24 hours to spare to allow for delays and adjusting to time zones. They may also want to do a recce after discussing location options with the wedding planner or venue.
If you're planning an outdoor event make sure you include your photographer in discussions about timings and layouts; their input will have a huge impact on whether the available light will be flattering or could cause them unnecessary technical challenges.
Extra baggage
If your team are travelling to the location, they will almost certainly need a bigger than average luggage allowance – experienced teams will take all their key equipment on the plane, as well as the outfit they will shoot the wedding in, and use the checked baggage allowance for all other non-essentials. They will put their kit as the top priority and assume they can buy everything else at the destination in the event of a suitcase going AWOL.
Take your time
If the location is particularly gorgeous it's worth planning a separate shoot to make the most of the backdrop without taking you away from your wedding celebrations. We're getting married in Dubrovnik in July 2018 and are flying out a team from the UK so we've organised a separate location session two days after the wedding where we can take our time and travel to the best spots without any time pressures. Alternatively, you can dress much more casually for another session that feels more like an engagement shoot where you can also choose the best time of day for shooting – early in the morning or the golden hour just before sunset.
Prepare for additional costs
Expect to pay for the time that a photographer/cinematographer has to spend travelling to your destination and being away from their office/business – although this should be a much lower rate than the wedding shoot itself. This also means that you can ask them to cover other events that surround the wedding – dinners, lunches, trips etc. which is often what makes a destination wedding so memorable.
• www.byLumiere.co.uk
All images from byLumiere