DESTINATION weddings are pricey, there’s no denying that, but that doesn’t mean you can negotiate your way into not paying your vendors by offering them a free stay.
Sadly, that’s what one bride allegedly tried to do when she asked a potential photographer if she took any other form of payment.
AJ Abelman, 31, has been a wedding photographer for over six years and has traveled all over the world to work on nuptials.
And although she’s always had great experiences and has booked nine different destination weddings this year alone, a bride recently made an inquiry about her business, and “it made my blood boil,” she claimed on a TikTok video.
Including a screenshot of the inquiry, the bride explained that she did not want to hire a local photographer because she did not want to pay the fees required by the resort for the service.
She claimed it would be “ideal” if everyone on the photography team could share a one-bed hotel room and she would take into consideration the idea of covering their travel costs.
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This is on top of not paying them for their time, simply for the lodgings.
Diving into the story, she explained that the bride is getting married in Cancun and “they would like to exchange me coming to Cancun for three days in Cancun.”
She further requested a full day of coverage during the wedding and then four more hours the next day, when they’d go out on a boat ride.
“Of the three days, one would be travel, the other would be the wedding, and the third would be the four-hour workday,” she explained.
“You see the problem?”
“First of all, three days of vacation? You’re on a vacation, I’m not, I’m working – even if I’m working somewhere beautiful, I’m still working.
“Because it’s all-inclusive, in her mind, it’s an equal exchange. And we’re not even going touch the part about me and my shooter sharing one bed and if not, we will get them a cot. Ew, no.”
She went on to explain that shooting a destination wedding means that the bride and groom are in charge of the cost of travel and services.
“I typically don’t have travel fees. Some photographers do, but if you’re flying me in then you pay for the cost of my flight, my stay, and my services, which, by the way, start at $6,000.
“The $1,000 you’re paying for my stay is not an equal exchange for my packages, let alone with travel.”
The infuriated photographer finished off her message by restating that this is not a vacation for her since she doesn’t choose where she’s going, she won’t be there with her family, and she will be working two out of three days.
“In her message, she explains that the hotel has a $1,000 fee per vendor and that’s why she’s trying to get services in exchange because she’s trying to dupe the hotel.
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“If you can’t pay for your destination wedding, don’t have one. Don’t do this, it’s disrespectful,” she finished off.
It’s safe to assume that Abelman did not take on this job.
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