"It's 5 O'clock somewhere"
- Jimmy Buffett
destination weddings
Dreaming of your toes in the sand, sipping piña coladas, saying "I do" by an aquamarine sea and dancing under the stars. Enjoying paradise with your closest family and friends? Yes, yes and YES! Destination weddings are an incredible experience any way you slice it!
Planning a local wedding - while exciting to plan- may be stressful at times. Throwing in planning your wedding from thousands of miles away can often up the ante (and stress level) significantly.
Planning an exotic destination wedding?
For my clients, photography is one of - if not the most important vendor to have on their big day.
Why leave your destination wedding photographs up to chance? Bring us along and have the confidence that your destination wedding photos will be epic!
Top 6 reasons to bring us along
Connecting with me before you leave the United States is critical. We will likely have had multiple phone conversations and an engagement session before we even land in paradise!
Of course, you absolutely need to love my work and style, but our personal connection is just as important!
I definitely care about my clients as people, I know what you prioritize and that you will be comfortable having me along for the most special moments of your big day and wedding trip. Often with destination weddings, my clients elect to include rehearsal dinner coverage, a rock the dress session, an excursion to a popular tourist attraction (I literally stood on a waterfall in Jamaica once), or even a lifestyle session on the resort. With me and my cameras along - you are guaranteed to enjoy each moment, have fun with your photo sessions, love the final product, and you will not be leaving your photographic wedding memories up to chance.
1. PEACE OF MIND
This seems like a no-brainer, but let me explain. Resorts will show you a gallery of the best work of their studio, but they often do not indicate which photographer’s work is showcased or if the samples were even taken on your resort location. Your photographer may have only taken one or even none of the images or he/she could even be brand new to the company/photography. You also typically don’t know WHO (who or whom here?) your photographer is, just that there will be one.
That is taking a pretty big gamble.
2. YOU KNOW THE QUALITY OF THE WORK
How experienced is the resort photographer? What kind of gear does your assigned photographer use? Is it the highest quality? Do they have backups if there’s a technical problem? Do they know how to shoot in all lighting conditions? Can they problem solve on the fly? Do they know your personal style and the photos you’ve been dreaming of?
If you don’t know WHO your photographer is, these questions go unanswered… GULP!
3. QUALITY ASSURANCE
Unfortunately, sometimes when traveling abroad we encounter communication breakdowns. Often resort photographers have great English, but they may not understand your expectations for your wedding photos stylistically. For example, the crooked crops, overly saturated edits and zero candid moments probably are not quite what you’d describe as your dream wedding photography experience. How do you communicate all of these preferences with an unassigned photographer in a foreign country…?
4. CULTURAL BARRIERS
Resorts offer packages for photography that include a very slim window of coverage. The truth is that you and your guests have traveled a long way to share in an entire trip. All of those memories should be captured for the sake of everyone’s trip, not just the 5 hours on your wedding day. When you return home, all you will have left are your photographs. Ask yourself – for a four-day trip am I comfortable with only 5 hours being documented?
5. COVERAGE LIMITATIONS
Often, resorts show you the price of the photography service but it does not always include the editing or the images themselves. In other words, you could pay for the service but without paying an additional amount after the wedding, you don’t receive the actual photos.
6. SNEAKY UP-CHARGES
A destination wedding is a unique way to escape the complexity of a wedding at home and to spend time with your favorite people in a beautiful location. These memories deserve to be captured by a photographer that understands not simply the highlights of your wedding day itself, but also the intricacies of your relationships with your friends, families, and all of the special moments that fall between landing in paradise and walking down the aisle. Hiring Jill Markley Studios for your destination wedding ensures amazing memories captured and irreplaceable peace of mind.
THE TAKEAWAY:
frequently asked questions
How would you describe your style?
My style is predominantly photojournalistic/candid – my ideal is to act as a ‘fly on the wall’ and document those authentic interactions as they unfold. I do, however, also include traditional formal photographs as well. (the older generation tends to greatly appreciate this!).
What type of equipment do you use?
All images are taken in digital color and can be converted to black & white. Images are taken with Nikon equipment. A complete set of back-up equipment is available for me to use, if necessary.
Are you insured?
Yes, I am insured and I can provide a Certificate of Insurance to your venue upon request. I carry a one million dollar liability policy which is the standard requirement at most venues.
Where are you located to shoot my wedding or engagement session?
Primarily in New England, but I am available to travel within the US and outside the country as well. I adore destination weddings and have photographed multiple weddings in Jamaica, Belize, the Bahamas, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and beyond! Please contact us for a custom quote for your destination wedding or elopement.
Is there a limit on the number of photographs you take during a wedding?
Absolutely not. I begin photographing from the minute I arrive, until the time I leave. Sometimes I even pull my Jeep over as I turn into your venue in order to snap some images of venue’s sign and nearby scenery photos! The number of images taken during your event will vary. For an 8-hour wedding package – you are guaranteed a minimum of 400 images with Jill Markley and 550 if you elect to choose the Walk this Way package which includes an Associate Photographer in addition to Jill Markley photographing your big day! (but you typically end up with far more than the baseline minimum).
When will my online gallery collection be available for viewing?
Engagement session: 2 weeks
Weddings: 4 weeks.
Rock the Dress: 2 weeks
Boudoir: Proofs within 2 weeks (for more information on our Boudoir services CLICK HERE)
All final collections are delivered via an online downloadable (password-protected) gallery for viewing and placing orders.
Do I get to keep the digital files?
Yes, you will receive your final images in a downloadable password-protected online gallery. Photographs will be high-resolution JPEG files. You will also receive a USB thumb drive with all of your final images.
Do I get reprint rights?
You are authorized to make prints from the images you download. For your convenience, I also offer online personalized print ordering options through your online gallery.
Are the images watermarked with your logo?
Nope. Nobody wants to print a gorgeous photograph with a distracting logo stamped onto it! If you post your images on social media, I would appreciate it if you would give photo credit photo credit to Jill Markley Studios. I am not the Instagram police though – I trust that you will want to let everyone know who your rock star photographer was that took your epic images!
How do I book you?
Please contact us for a custom quote for your destination event!
Deposit and Contract:
• 50% deposit and executed contract required to reserve your date(s) for all photo sessions and wedding events. The remaining balance is due two weeks prior to your event date.
• Deposits can be made via Venmo, personal check or good old-fashioned cash.
• Payment plans available. Just ask!
(All prices and availability subject to change prior to the completion of a fully executed contract and receipt of client deposit)
My name is _______________________ and I'm so excited to chat with you about a ________________________ session on ____________________ at _______________________________!
You can reach me at __________________________________ or by phone at ______________________. Here are some other things you should know:
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