When You’ve Chosen Your Own Photographer For Your Maui Wedding

Aloha Gentle Reader,

Your Maui wedding planner will have suggestions about photographers. The company may have exclusive relationships with one or more photographers and not allow you to choose for yourself.

My company doesn’t have any exclusive relationships however I do have my “A Team”. This is based on years of working together and the confidence that has been built up over those years. I know they will be totally professional, deliver high quality images and deliver on time. I also know that they are team players.

However, if a client has her heart set on another photographer I will usually go along with her. (Unless I’ve had negative experiences with the person in the past.)

Here are a couple of examples of such experiences.

One photographer, who is very expensive and very talented, worked a wedding with us. It was after the ceremony and group shots, so he was just working with the bride and groom. While this was going on the guests were enjoying drinks and appetizers.

It was getting close to the planned time for dinner service and the caterer asked  me when she could dress the salads. I told her I’d ask the photographer how much longer he was going to be.

This I did and he told me that he would be about 15 more minutes. I relayed the message to the caterer and she planned to dress the salads in 30 minutes to allow everybody time to get seated and ready for dinner service.

Well, the photographer took another hour without notifying anybody. The caterer was very upset because the salads had wilted.

When he finally delivered the newlywed couple I approached him privately and told him the caterer was upset about the salads and that this was why I had asked him earlier how long he was going to need.

His response? “Salad, shmalad!”

I had to remind him that his art was photography and that the caterers art was food and that a little mutual respect was in order.

One example of a person that doesn’t play well with others.

On another occasion the couple had hired a photographer to stay until the party ended.

I was initially put off by his appearance. His clothes were wrinkled and his shirt was hanging out. (Professional appearance is important.)

Dinner time rolled around and the guests were going through the buffet. He asked me if he could go through the buffet as well. I told him that there would be plenty of food later and that he could eat in the kitchen.

He didn’t like my answer and intimidated one of my staff, who was upset almost to the point of tears, and she reluctantly said that she thought it might be okay.

He went through the buffet line and, since there were no seats for him under the tent, stood in the middle stuffing his face. He could have taken his plate outside of the middle of the party and eaten unobtrusively.

He upset my team and showed an unprofessional, selfish demeanor which embarrassed everybody.

So, things can and do go wrong when you choose vendors on your own.

There have been one or two occasions when there was no problem or grounds for complaint, but you’re rolling the dice.

Peace, sunsets and aloha from Maui,

Ellen

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