I don’t know why it seems that some vendors, videographers, photographers, bands, disc jockeys think just because they are working a wedding it’s okay to drink while doing their job. You wouldn’t do it at a weekday 9to5 job so why they think it’s okay at a wedding is beyond me.

This couple really should have had a sober clause in their contract: Drunk photographer loses their wedding photos.

Yesterday my sister and were out checking out photographers. Of course the ones I like are the ones she doesn’t want to visit, go figure! Don’t listen to your maid of honor, sis! We saw some nice work, but two photographers really left a bad taste in my mouth.

The first one, I’ll call Acme Photo (no real names on this post), was just so obnoxious! His work was good, but his opening sentence was about how great he was, how he was an award winner, how my sisters wedding was his wedding. Which wouldn’t be bad, all vendors in the sales pitch tell you how good they are, his just came across as conceited though. It only got worse from there. We were informed that neither family or guests would be allowed to have cameras at my own sister’s wedding and that if we wanted video we needed to hire only his referral. Wrong answers buddy! I couldn’t pull my sis out of there fast enough. First of all no one is telling me I can’t bring my camera to my own sisters wedding! How rude! Some of my favorite pictures from past weddings are the ones I or a friend took. Second no one is dictating who my sister can hire for anything but my sister or our parents who are paying for this extravaganza or me. I believe who Acme Photo really is is who my predecessor wrote the Consumer Alert about. Never thought I’d actually encounter one of these vendors though. So many professionals believe in working as a team, this guy wanted to be the dictator.

The next photographer we visited was my sister’s favorite prospect and the one I call Desperate. His work was nice, but too many fish eye lense shots in his albums in my opinion. Anyways we sat down and started to talk and he was amicable enough. His problem was he just came off as desperate. My sis had no intention of signing a contract with anyone yesterday and I am still trying to get her to agree to check out my favorites. Well we got to the end of the meeting and when mys sis said she needed time to consider he got desperate.

Our original quote for everything my sis wanted was $3000, when she balked at signing he suddenly started throwing add ons into the price. By the time we left by my calculations, his origianl package at $3000 had ballooned in value from $3000 to nearly $8000, he even threw in video production for the price of $3000. We got extra albums, a love story shoot, video and large size wall prints thrown in. Of course on the drive home my sister was ecstatic, she was going to get from Desperate Photographer $8000 worth of merchandise for $3000, what a deal!

I have a different opinion though: What is she going to give up? He started out telling us that 8 hours of wedding day coverage, him as a photographer with an assistant, an Art Leather album, engagement shoot and large frame portrait had a value of $3000. When we walked out the package had grown to include a coffee table album (something that most photographers charge thousands for and he had listed at $2000) two parent albums, a video, thank you post cards, a love story shoot and album and additional large frame pictures. Which left me wondering, his price hadn’t changed, but his costs had just skyrocketed! The coffee table album demo he showed us comes from an Italian company, probably the best manufacturer out there and costs $1500 just to print. Video is time to shoot and edit, and burn to disc plus the people he has to pay to do the work. The additional albums for our parents those cost something.

So I’m left wondering what is my sister going to give up to get her $8000 worth or products for $3000? Is the coffee table book going to be of cheaper quality than the one we were showed? Is he going to try and pull double duty and do the video while he also shoots the stills? Will we get his best assistants or the ones with less experience who costs less? Will the pictures be printed on quality archival paper or some cheaper alternative? Or was he just not worth the original price he quoted and the new package for $3000 is a better representation of what he is worth? In other words if my sister had singed for the initial offering would she have been getting ripped off with overpriced product!

Everyone is in business to make money and everything a vendor offers has a specific fixed cost to produce or sell. So I’m just left wondering how do you give someone $8000 worth of product and services for $3000 if there isn’t something given up in the process. As I told my sister, you can’t go into Tiffany’s and purchase the 1 carat diamond, 24 carat gold band priced at $10,000 for $2000. For $2000 you will end up with the 10 carat band and quarter carat diamond!

Ladies if you encounter Acme or Desperate, stay away!

Over the weekend I attended a friends wedding in Chicago. It was a beautiful affair and the bride looked so beautiful and happy. At the church the processional went flawlessly, even the ring bearer running back up the aisle to his mom, just as he reached the front of the church was too cute. Then my friend started her walk up the aisle with her father, you could hear the ohs and ahs rustle through the gathered guests, everything was perfect and then…

I could have strangled the photographer right there and then. From out of the pews he stepped blocking the bride from continuing the processional. “Smile” he barked, clicking off one then two and three and finally four pictures before he stepped back out of their way and let my friend and her father make the rest of the way down the aisle. A moment of perfection ruined by a tacky photographer!

Ladies, I’m sure you have seen this type of photographer before at weddings. I call him the “poser” the person who isn’t skilled enough to get the shot while the event happens but must stop the proceedings to get his shot. Nothing can ruin the enjoyment of the guests or your moment than this type of photographer. Usually they ask the bride’s maids to stop their march to the altar a quarter way or half way down the aisle so they can get their shot. It looks tacky and it looks amateurish and most of all the final product looks posed. Classically posed shots have their place in wedding photography, but it does not belong in the perfect moments like when the bridal part and most especially the bride is walking down or up the aisle! These are the times when photojournalistic skills are most needed.

The reception took place in downtown Chicago where everyone made their way down a magnificent stairway to a fairy land of flowers and candles. And yes if you haven’t already figured it out, the photographer did his poser thing on the stairway, earning the ire of the band and the Master of Ceremonies. When the bride and groom hit the bottom he started shooting away for a minute until the groom finally barked at him to get out of their way. Later in the night I asked my friend if she knew this was coming and she said he had never ever indicated anything of the like. But she also didn’t ask him.

Ladies, get informed, the most important thing you can do is ask your vendors what they will do on your wedding day!