ADVICE: hiring non-local vendors for your wedding

Today we are so excited to discuss a really important topic: hiring NON-LOCAL vendors for your wedding. Given the nature of Wedding Sparrow, an international fine art film wedding blog, we are always in contact with and recommending vendors that live all over the world – and genuinely recommending these ‘creme de la creme’ vendors (as Ashley Ludaescher says below) for anywhere in the world that your wedding is. Some brides ask us for geographic-specific vendors, in which we can recommend, but we hope to expand our couples’ options for vendors as SO many travel worldwide! Your options are now endless!

But this can raise questions: what are your travel costs? How should you find them? Why hire that vendor who lives in Paris, but you’re getting married in Charleston, SC? Etc. We’re so lucky to have one of our favorites, the lovely Ashley Ludaescher, who is actually based in California and Europe, to answer tons of questions today. When you find the photographer, or florist, or stylist (whoever!) of your dreams… send them that inquiry email and see if they’re right for your wedding!

Take it away, Ashley…

HIRING NON-LOCAL VENDORS

From Ashley Ludaescher: We have been so lucky to get to travel for weddings and portrait sessions and I for one absolutely love traveling for work. I feel incredibly inspired by new travels and places, which I feel is a huge advantage to having a photographer travel to a location for your wedding or portrait session from out of the area. I am always inspired by fresh and new locations and usually my best work comes from getting out of my comfort zone. While a local vendor might know off the beaten path locations that a destination photographer might not be aware of, having a non-local vendor can add a fresh perspective to a popular venue or location.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

There are a few things to consider when hiring a non-local vendor. One is to ensure they can arrive with enough time beforehand to prepare, catch up on sleep and location scout. We always try and arrive to a destination at least a day before a wedding. That allows us enough time to explore and location scout in search of inspiration and the best light. If we are traveling internationally with different time zones, we try and arrive at least two days prior to the start of the wedding so we can rest up before the big day.

Another important question to ask your vendor is about work visas. Some countries are much more lenient and allow vendors to work an event, while others like the United States and the United Kingdom are much stricter. It is important to educate yourself a bit about the process and weigh your options. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to live and work legally in both the United States and Europe, which has made working in both locations so much easier.

HOW ARE YOU BILLED?

Most vendors who travel for work have their own system for billing clients for work and every vendor will price destination weddings differently. I personally find it easier to calculate the cost of our travel expenses and include them in the proposal I send out because it is easier for both myself and my clients. I know other vendors will calculate and break down every expense for the clients to see. Just make sure to ask what is included (if anything) and what will be billed later.

HOW TO FIND THE VENDORS OF YOUR DREAMS

Searching for destination vendors has never been easier. Wedding Sparrow’s fine art curation offers up the creme de la creme of the wedding industry and is a great resource for brides searching for their vendors. Instagram is another amazing way to find vendors. Nowadays most vendors update their instagram almost daily, so you have a chance to see their most recent work- while their website and portfolio might not be updated nearly as often. A lot of vendors also post their upcoming travels on their profiles or website and if not, sending an email to inquire about upcoming travels is a great way to save on travel costs if they happen to be in the same location as you.

I work as a wedding photographer team together my husband, Andreas. We split our time between our home in California and Europe and travel for weddings worldwide. We love traveling for destination weddings and I definitely feel like we have the best job in the world. We are so looking forward to our wedding season and travels this year. You can see more of our work on our website and instagram.

ADVICE: hiring non-local vendors for your wedding

ADVICE: hiring non-local vendors for your wedding

ADVICE: hiring non-local vendors for your wedding

ADVICE: hiring non-local vendors for your wedding

ADVICE: hiring non-local vendors for your wedding

ADVICE: hiring non-local vendors for your wedding

ADVICE: hiring non-local vendors for your wedding

ADVICE: hiring non-local vendors for your wedding

ADVICE: hiring non-local vendors for your wedding

ADVICE: hiring non-local vendors for your wedding

ADVICE: hiring non-local vendors for your wedding

ADVICE: hiring non-local vendors for your wedding

ADVICE: hiring non-local vendors for your wedding

From Ashley Ludaescher: “Light & Shadow bridals in Paris. This session was a fun play with light and shadow in Paris with a gorgeous pink gown from Natasha Bovykina and two beautiful bouquets from Floraison Paris. I loved the light bouquet which was photographed in the bright early morning light against the contrast to the moodier bouquet which inspired the shadow part of the shoot photographed in the black gown along the Seine.”

Vendor Details

Photography: Ashley Ludaescher | Film Lab: Carmencita Film Lab | Floral Designer: Floraison Paris | Dress Designer: Natasha Bovykina

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