You are Only as Good as Your Worst Vendor

More and more these days, your clients are asking you to do more with less. For the Certified Wedding Planner, understanding how to balance the desire to cut costs with the need to maintain your business reputation means avoiding choosing an unproven vendor because of a lower price.

An area where many couples look to reduce their budget is wedding photography. According to The Wedding Report, this year Americans will spend over $3 billion on wedding photography and over $1.4 billion on wedding videography. On average, couples who hire professional photographers can expect to spend between $1,956 and $3,912 to capture their most precious memories. In uncertain economic times, it is understandable that many brides and grooms are seeking alternative solutions.

Although problems with irresponsible or dishonest vendors have been around forever, recent news stories are highlighting post-event nightmares with wedding photographers. In Missouri and Illinois, the Better Business Bureau has received dozens of complaints over the past eighteen months of photography studios failing to deliver fully paid for wedding albums. Other nightmare wedding photography stories are reported in California, Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom, and China.

Fortunately for some wedding photography nightmare survivors, resolution, if not absolution, is on the way. To preserve your business reputation, you need to help your clients to avoid the torment in the first place. Here are some common sense tips you and your client need to take to insure their memories are captured and delivered as promised.

• Before choosing a photographer, check with the local consumer affairs office and the Better Business Bureau to get an accurate history of each vendor under consideration. Not only should a photographer be experienced in wedding photography, the bride and groom have to feel comfortable working with them. The CWP should also contact references, including bridal clients and wedding planners, for vendors she or he has not worked with previously. Be sure to research and choose a photographer as soon into planning process as possible.

• After choosing a photographer, be sure to detail in writing everything including the price, the style of the photography, and the form and delivery dates for the final products. Although it is tempting to choose a low price package, brides and grooms need to remember that their wedding photographs and videos will be the enduring memories of their special day. While you need to help them avoid paying too much, you must also steer them away from deals that are too good to be true. Final payment should be contracted to be due upon delivery of the agreed upon final photographs and albums.

• When working with the photographer, make sure your clients and their wedding party are on time and ready to have their photographs taken. It is never a good idea to rush through the often very long list of photos that need to be taken. In addition to being punctual, make sure your bride and groom are relaxed and looking their best. Their tranquility and confidence will show through the final pictures and be a lasting testament to your skill and mastery of your craft.