Please join us in welcoming Nicholas Haskins, a Destination Wedding photographer from Houston TX.  Nick will be offering expert advice and tips on how to make sure you get those great shots at your Destination Wedding.

It's 9:30 P.M., and your wedding reception is fully underway.  Your guests are having such a great time in such a beautiful location, and the reality of getting married in another country is just beginning to sink in.  Then suddenly, you're blinded by burst of light from a professional photographer's camera flash less than 4 feet away from your face.  With eyes burning, you ask him to please "take a break."

Sadly, this does happen.  It's the direct result from the lack of communication between your wedding photographer, and yourselves.  Whether you're flying in a photographer from abroad, or hiring the resort photographer to snap pictures, following these three simple steps will ensure that you get the most out of your wedding photography experience for your destination wedding.

Communication is Key

I can't stress enough how fundamentally important it is for the photographer and bride and groom to be on the same page.  If you're flying in a photographer, chances are you might not be able to meet him/her until roughly two days before the wedding.  That's why a lot of couples now also fly them out to meet you for your engagement.  The "engagement session" has become more than, "the pictures you get when your engaged." The engagement has evolved into a vital component in the bonding process between yourselves and your photographer.  A destination wedding photographer is a traveler, and would probably be much obliged.  It is during this session that you discover how your photographer works, while at the same time the photographer can spend the time to get to know you as a couple.  This way, when the wedding rolls around, everyone is on the same page as far as "what to do."  This is what separates resort photographers, from destination wedding photographers; personalization. 

If budget is a concern and you decide to go with the resort photographer, don't fret.  Simply talk to your photographer on the day of the wedding.  Some resort photographers already initiate a warm welcome; however in the absence of, establish a base line of what type of coverage is expected.  If you would not prefer to have photos of yourself and your guests cramming food in your mouths, then make this clear from the start.  This is your day, and these are your pictures.  You are ultimately the one that‘s in control!

Be You-nique

Its minutes after the ceremony, and your photographer is getting ready to take you guys away to capture those "magic moments." This is quite often the most anticipated moment of the day for the photographer.  So what do you do?  Be you.  Act as if there isn't a photographer around.  Act as if there is nobody around.  The deeper you sink into a euphoric state of nirvana realizing that you have just committed the rest of your life to someone, the more "in the moment" things become.  Your photographer will greatly appreciate you taking the lead and creating your own show.

Timing is Everything

If you're getting married at a resort, chances are you may not have complete control over the schedule of your day.  This is usually handled by the wedding coordinator at the resort.  If you are flying in a photographer, and your getting married at a resort that's relaxed on using outside vendors (topic of a future post), then you probably have a lot of control over the schedule of your day.  Either way, it's very important that you include your photographer when planning this schedule.  Your photographer will know how long those formal shots take, and what time the ceremony should start based on the time that the sun sets on that date.  Although ceremonies right at sunset are fabulous, they leave no time for formal photographs and that "magic time" between the photographer, and yourselves.  If you must have the ceremony at sunset, consider a "first look," where time is set aside before the ceremony for you and your partner to meet and see each other for the first time all dressed up.  Whichever the case may be, just remember that careful coordination between yourself and your photographer will result in everything working out the way it should, or pretty close to it.

I want to thank destinationweddings.com for inviting me to be a guest blogger, and I look forward to posting several more articles that will be useful in helping to plan the photography portion of your destination wedding.

You can learn more about Nick's work at haskinsphotography.com.