I’m happy to announce that I have been selected to receive the Bride’s Choice Award from Wedding Wire for my photography work in 2010.

This is the announcement from Wedding Wire:

“Jim Colman Photography stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.”

Of course, I’m only one of many who received the award but what the heck….it’s still fun!

A destination wedding can be a wonderful vacation and wedding all rolled into one! However planning a destination wedding can be a major undertaking and could be quite expensive. But, if you want to make your dream wedding destination come true without breaking the bank, there are some tips and ideas that you may consider.

Who says you can’t save on travel expenses? One way to save money when it comes to the traveling aspect is by requesting your guests who will be flying from the same location to make their travel plans as a group. You can save as much as ten percent on the plane tickets when you request the airline’s group rate when booking the flight. The date of the wedding is also a great factor. Consider choosing a wedding date, especially if it is a destination wedding at a popular resort, that is off season. Avoid peak season wedding dates as most airline companies and resorts increases their prices during those times.

If you opt to have a resort venue, consider some resorts that are giving freebies such as a free wedding ceremony or staff wedding planner. Even if these benefits are not listed on the resorts website, don’t be afraid to ask for them when you make your initial calls to the resorts. If you are utilizing a travel agency, you may be given brochures for resort destinations. Check them over for this feature and other similar savings.

You can also save money on accommodations for your guests. Alternatives like villas or apartments in the area that can be rented are common. Most popular destination locations are used to these request. Also, most resorts have special prices for wedding parties above a certain number. Don’t be afraid to ask for discounts as well. Many resorts would rather discount their rooms in off peak seasons rather than see them go empty.

Many resorts offer such amenities as staff photographers or videographers. While there are many excellent photographers working at resorts around the world, be sure to throughly check out their work before agreeing to hire them. Many brides prefer to bring their own photographer with them. This is not as expensive as you would think. Many photographers, (myself included) offer discounts to clients for destination weddings. Having your own personal photographer can be a great way to capture memories of not only your wedding day, but the day before and after as well. You may want to consider a “trash the dress” session the day after your wedding! These sessions can even be staged so as not to ruin your beautiful dress.

Some websites that may assist you in your planning are www.bestdestinationwedding.com and www.All-InclusiveBride.com

Above all, be diligent in your research, look for values at off season times, and keep your focus on the main objective…..having a great time!

Welcome to my new website! I decided to break out of the “flash based” mold of my old site to offer my clients a better and faster website. Images should now load up quicker and work on any internet device. I hope you like the changes.

If you’re an old customer you will obviously notice that things look a bit different however my commitment to providing my clients with outstanding photography remains the same.

I am limiting the number of images I display so that you don’t have to wade thru hundreds of photos to view my work and so that the website loads up quicker. However if you would like to see my old website (as it does display my photos a bit larger) it is still up and running at colmanphotography

Eventually I will feature just my commercial photography on my old website but for now, many of my previous wedding and engagement photos can still be found there. All of my old blog entries are there as well so if you would like to go back to see some previous wedding work, please check it out at www.colmanphotography.com

If you like this new layout or you prefer my old website, please let me know!