Destination Weddings? Yes please!

f there is one thing I love the most... it's TRAVELING. I write this as my husband and I are on our honeymoon in Maui. It got us talking about the wedding we just shot this past July here in Hawaii. It was awesome!! As we sit in our hotel room a little red from the sun, we are reminiscing about all our past travel experiences and how fun it is to shoot weddings out of state. A few summers ago, my family, Stephen, and I traveled to Europe. We explored the streets of Rome, Austria, and Italy, enjoying the lush greenery and antiqued famous architecture of the world. What is better than that?! It's inspiring, enchanting and just plain exciting. I LOVE traveling for vacations but most importantly, to shoot weddings....far far away weddings. Although my business is based out of Scottsdale, Arizona, more than half my weddings are destination weddings. I hope to keep it that way! I love love love traveling and exploring new areas. It's good for my soul and helps my creativity flow! Don't get me wrong, I love shooting local weddings and wouldn't ever want to pass them up, but its nice to see a change of scenery sometimes too :) I thought I would do a mini post about where I have traveled to and a little advice to those who choose to travel.  
 
To my blog readers that are photographers : Don't pass up out of town weddings because of fear. Most of the time, its inspiring to shoot in new places!!! DO make sure your entire travel is paid for and DO make sure you are aware of the area before traveling. You may lose some time working at your computer but traveling is usually worth it in the end. It helps your name get circulated further then just the place you live in! ALWAYS arrive a day early and explore the area around the venue. There are many times I have no idea where the venue is located but google maps is sure to help out. I always search other photographers that have shot at the venue to help me gain a better idea on what to expect. DON'T copy other photographers but get a feel for what the lighting is like at the venue. Be prepared. DO encourage brides to travel to a location near by if the ceremony or reception is lacking scenery. Don't be afraid to explore!!!! The times i have done this, are usually the best decision I have made all day. Also, Im not writing this to brag to anyone about where I have traveled but to encourage you all to extend your network beyond where you live. You may ask how I did this? Well, I was lucky to have a lot of newly engaged couples that were friends getting married from college. I moved home from San Diego to Scottsdale and had ALOT of connections back in California where I went to college. Their sisters, brothers, family, friends etc... your name begins to get around the circle. I would say I am more lucky to have started this way BUT I also sometimes would work a little with my clients on packages to travel if I really wanted the wedding. Do I work a lot on budgeting now? Hardly ever. Travel does take a lot of work after having traveled so much, I no longer give discounts. They JUST simply pay for all the necessary expenses. Airfare, hotel, car... and I don't mind it! Some photographers charge extra for the extra day they are missing to travel. I find I don't need to do this because I love traveling, I get to shoot in a new area and its a new creative outlet. Its also an opportunity to expand my business!! Not everyone wants to travel and be destination photographer... but for those of you that do... take my advice! My out of town weddings have been amazing and I am so thankful I gave a little to gain them. Its not always easy to get your name out but I suggest networking with photographers around the world. Another perk about shooting out of state? It might be easier to get them featured on wedding blogs or magazines!! This also helps to get your name out! Everyone wants to see something different and sometimes traveling can get you just that.  
 
To all the brides: DO hire out of town photographers. I know its sometimes scary to hire foreign photographers but we will bring something new to your venue. DO trust our ideas. We are able to be creative anywhere and your wedding will be no different. Relax and enjoy yourself. Photography should not be your concern the day of your wedding!!!!  
These are places I hope to return to: ATTENTION ALL BRIDES- DESTINATION WEDDINGS? YES PLEASE!!

I shoot a lot of weddings in California. I LOVE California because its close, I have family near by (my new in-laws :) and there are always good friends a phone call away. I love the green scenery California has and you just cant beat the beach and all the beautiful venues!! Carrie and Greg's wedding was shot at the the Darlington House in La Jolla. I LOVED this venue!

Carrie's dress, makeup and veil was STUNNING and I LOVED all her creativity in all her details. the Darlington House was PERFECT for Carrie's vintage theme. I think its so awesome when a couple incorporates their venue with their theme. This wedding was also done on a smaller budget and I loved how they pulled everything together.

HAWAII. OH OH OH sweet hawaii! What I would give to shoot another wedding in Hawaii. If there are any Hawaiian brides reading this... please call me :) I had the opportunity to shoot Jillienne and Brandon's engagements and wedding within days of each other. We made a great vacation out of this wedding too. Too many amazing spots...

The wedding was on the North Shore of Oahu and the reception was held at Haleiwa Joe's . AMAZING food.

This past summer, Stephen and I drove to Napa Valley and stopped at the beautiful V Sattui Winery where Dustin propsed to Kristen. We are SO excited to shoot their wedding next summer in Malibu!! If anyone has ever been to the V Sattui Winery, you would know how AWESOME this place is. Definitely go and grab a glass of their famous chardonnay!

Shaley and Javier got married at the beautiful Perkins Chapel chapel where the lovely LeeAnn Rhymes was also wed on the Southern Methodist campus. The reception was held at the Crescent Hotel in Dallas Texas. UNBELIEVEABLE location. GORGEOUS. I loved the old southern charm the school was surrounded by! It made for amazing photo opportunities!

This wedding was featured on Southern Weddings Magazine Blog for all the little details Shaley and Javier spent putting together. I loved all of them!

Chicago. This was definitely one of my favorite weddings. I shot this wedding last year and still remember it like yesterday. We strolled around downtown and walked the streets before heading back to the reception site.

This was my latest destination wedding... we traveled to Fruitland Idaho (outside of Boise) for Cortney and Scott's wedding wedding. It was perfect!! I loved this wedding because it was SO creative and done on an amazing budget. This is one wedding I had the bride and groom hop in my (rental) car and drive along fruitlands roads to look for cool spots. We found some great spots! Cortney and Scott got married at Cortney's parents house and it was fabulous. Style me pretty featured this wedding under a budget friendly wedding and I think EVERY bride should read it. I love it when a bride and groom thinks outside the box!!! You can still have a lot of details and stay on a great budget!

And it doesn't cost anything for a cute little apple!! Just a stroll along Fruitland's apple orchards!

Our last one of the year will be in Beaver Creek Colorado this November. A great end to a great year. Id love to network with all my blog readers more... Please leave a comment and lets network! Send over any questions you have about travel or just plain ANYTHING!