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BBB: Hire a pro to capture your wedding

Before you tie the knot, make sure you read the fine print to the photography contract, and ask for references.
Better Business Bureau
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Hiring a photographer for a big event, such as a wedding is an exciting day for everyone involved.

It’s easy to picture yourself showing those photos to friends and loved ones for years to come. As wedding season quickly approaches, BBB Serving Mainland BC and Yukon are sharing tips on what to look out for before choosing your photographer. 

Local Example in Metro Vancouver A Vancouver woman hired a photographer to shoot and film her wedding for $3,500 in October 2021. In her complaint to BBB, the Vancouver woman says the photographer sent the photos without any touch ups, edits or crops, as was previously discussed in their contract.

In addition, she claimed the photographer was unwilling to make edits to a wedding video that had been filmed.

BBB discovered shortly after that the photographer hadn’t received a full payment by the time he was sending back edited photos to the consumer. Upon no delivery of her wedding video six months later, the Vancouver woman asked for a 50 per cent refund, as to which the photographer offered a post-wedding photoshoot free of charge in an effort to “move forward in good faith."

Although the photographer sent the re-edited wedding photos and the post-wedding photos shortly after, he was still unable to complete the edits on the wedding video by June 2022, eight months after the wedding took place.  Only once the Vancouver woman submitted a complaint with BBB in June 2022 was the photographer able to complete the video and send over his final edits.

“A photographer is often a costly expense with just one chance to get it right,” said Aaron Guillen, media and communications specialist for BBB Serving BC and Yukon. “It sometimes can feel like a dice roll to hire the right vendor for your event. We highly encourage consumers to get referrals from other customers to ensure that you’re not being duped by a supposed smooth-talking and put-together professional. In this specific case, a more detailed contract should’ve been written out to ensure the photos and video were received and paid for within a specific time frame.”

Here are BBB’s five tips to consider when hiring a photographer:

1. Get at least three estimates. Compare pricing and ask what’s included in each photography package. Some photographers may not include retouching, a USB flash drive, online gallery, prints, an album or other extras in the initial quote. If it’s not already included, you will end up paying an extra fee for services you request outside of the package. Find a reputable business by using BBB's Get A Quote feature, free of charge.  2. Request to view their portfolio. Each photographer should have a collection of their best work from previous clients. Make sure you view photos from an occasion that is similar to the one you are hiring the professional to photograph. 3. Get every detail in a written contract. Be sure to specify details, such as: the final price, payment schedule, all services that are included in the package, travel fees, and the number of hours the photographer will work. Should the event run late, what do those charges look like? Are they available to cover extra hours? Find out beforehand when you will receive the pictures from your special day. Should anything happen, and you don’t need the photographer anymore, find out the details of their refund policy. Getting the rights to the photographs may also be an additional cost and should be explicitly addressed in the contract, especially if you want to print them. 4. Don’t pay the entire fee upfront. If possible, set out a payment schedule where you pay a deposit before the shoot or event and the balance after it is over. This will give you some leverage if there are any issues. 5. Request references. Speak to a few references about the services they received and if they were satisfied with their photos. Ask about their overall experience with the photographer and if the services went as planned. Double check wedding and vendor review websites to see if any difficult situations arose and how it was handled. Look for the Sign of a Better Business by going to BBB.org and trusting an Accredited Business to get the job done right the first time.