Yesterday we traveled to western Ohio to photograph Tony & Sara's wedding. What a fun trip and a wonderful scenic drive through the countryside. Tony and Sara live in Columbus, but grew up in western, Ohio and actually met at a local watering hole in town that was the mid-point between their respective home towns. Tony and I go back to our college days and we worked together at my previous employer. I remember some of the stories Tony has told me from his hometown and after visiting there, I now have that connection... Anyways, we will be posting a few images on this blog in the weeks to come - once I sort and edit their images! This brings forth a great topic for the blog.
We often receive inquiries from perspective clients regarding their out of town wedding plans and if we travel to their location. Sure, it is probably easy and less expensive to hire a local vendor. Local vendors have their advantages and disadvantages. If you currently live in Central, Ohio and were going back home for your wedding, it could be to your advantage to hire some of your vendors from C-Bus. Of course there are some vendors that it just doesn't make sense (caterer, cake decorator, etc.).
A photographer, DJ, videographer, or even the officiant are some of the vendors/players that would be beneficial to get from your current home city. In our recent weekend experience I really observed the 'local' vendors and thought a lot about why a client might want to consider bringing a vendor along!
Think about it - if you hire a 'local' photographer, you have to travel back home to meet with them on a limited schedule and if there are any problems, you need someone to remotely deal with the issues. The remote issues can range - but larger issues may be at hand. What is the selection available in your home town? If the town is smaller and more rural, chances are there are less vendor options available. The less vendors available in a category can mean less opportunity to choose the best fit. Sure, the locals you grew up with might recommend ABC studios for the photos - because everyone uses them.... That might be okay, but maybe you notice that they don't carry the style you like best.
I have known several friends that went back home for their wedding and found far less selection than here in C-bus and the flexibility wasn't there for certain vendors because they were the best known game in town. Everyone uses them or they are the best available vendor for your location. You have to ask yourself, can I do better by paying a travel fee to get a vendor from my new hometown?
Of course there is also the home-court advantage for certain vendors. A local photographer is going to know all of the best spots for photos, know their way around the county, city or town and they know the other local vendors. Being an 'outside' vendor this weekend only put me to a few disadvantages in terms of home-turf, but my clients knew what they wanted and where they wanted the photos taken - so that issue solved itself. Communication is what helped us through those issues. GPS helped us navigate our way around town, so that wasn't so much of an issue either!
On the same note - if you are going back home to a big city like Chicago or NYC, then you might know of a lot of options in those areas that fit you just right! Of course in bigger cities like those, the prices are likely much higher than here in C-Bus. You would likely be able to pay our normal fees plus travel and still make out with a lower fee - providing we are the photographer whose style and personality suits you best!
It is really a judgement call over a multitude of factors. Many clients are considering it, especially if they are going to smaller population areas where vendor selection is limited.
The next big hurdle for clients is when they decide to use a vendor from their new home is cost to get them there. Usually this is nominal and based upon the time required and any costs involved. We typically will negotiate with the client for time spent in the car/plane and any associated travel fees (hotel, airfare, fuel, etc.). We offer a general mileage charge to help figure out a fee associated with travel. Typically anywhere in Ohio where an overnight is not required, the fee is $50 to $250. If the trip is longer than a 2 hour drive to C-Bus, an overnight is required at a local hotel. These trips usually cost the client $250 to $400, depending on the city and location specifics. Outside of Ohio really depends on if it is drivable or flyable. We typically do what will cost the client less in terms of our time and it varies depending on the location.
Clients wonder why vendors might charge what they do for travel... What goes into it? For us it is the fuel, airfare, lodging, and our time. If we do a local wedding, it obviously costs us less time and materials to perform the services locally. If we do an out of town wedding, there is more time and expenses involved over a local wedding. I have seen some vendors in the past do flat rate based upon what part of the state, country or world they travel. Many offer travel on a time and expenses basis. The T&E method is probably the fairest to both the client and the vendor.
If you are shopping around for a photographer and need one to travel to your location, give us a call. We would love to discuss this option with you. We really enjoy traveling for weddings because it allows us to work outside of our element - which is a welcome change of pace!
