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Hello everyone! Hope your wedding planning is going well on Mackinac Island, Michigan. I just wanted to blog a bit about Mackinac Island and planning your wedding on Mackinac Island.
First of all, I grew up in Alpena, Michigan just a short trip to Mackinac Island. I have lived all over the US and now I find myself living 1/2 hour from Mackinac Island. What a great spot in the World! If you have been there you know exactly what I mean.
My career is a Professional Wedding Photographer which I have been full time for 6 years and part time for over 13 years, and I do a nice share of weddings every year, typically 30-50, and only one per day. Most of my weddings this year are in the Southwest Michigan/Grand Rapids/South Haven areas. I enjoy traveling all over the World for weddings, BUT I do prefer to stay local. My work is very fresh and I keep improving my techniques and ideas by studying the craft and really working and bonding with my customers. You can see thousands of my images by going to http://www.PaulShotMyWedding.com and clicking on the blog, gallery, online proofs, and more. Enough about me…
This summer I have completed two small Weddings on Mackinac Island in Michigan and I hope to book more for the 2009 season. The opportunities for photography on the Island are fantastic! DO NOT let someone tell you that they, “know the best spots or do better island photography” because the options are endless on the island and I could shoot one bride for months and still have fabulous locations and ideas. Now let me blog a bit about the things to watch out for when planning your Mackinac Island Wedding. First of all, and foremost, BEWARE of the Mackinac Island Wedding Guide. Everyone should know that this planning guide is put out by one photographer on the island, all of the images are their images, and it is distributed online and on the island as being THE Mackinac Island Wedding Guide. Please know that this guide is really just an advertisement for the photographer and should not be considered a holistic planning guide, this was stated on the phone to me by the producer. For a more appropriate way to plan, please visit the Mackinac Island Visitor Bureau at http://www.mackinacisland.org or my online wedding planner at Paul Retherford Wedding Photography. I spoke directly with the maker and photographer for the Mackinac Island Wedding Guide about being listed in his guide, and he said, “I have to be careful of who I put into the Wedding Guide because it takes business from me. I even question putting videographers in the guide since they cut down on the amount of money the bride spends with me.” Just to say this simply, I was shocked! On top of this, The Grand Hotel has gone into some “contract” with this photographer, and I think it has to do with their placement in the wedding guide, and they ONLY refer this photographer. One Photographer anywhere does not capture the Grandness and Beauty of the The Grand Hotel. Can I get an Amen. Granted, any Photographer can shoot there if hired outside, but only referring one Photographer, hello… I spoke to The Grand Hotels wedding planner and she informed me of this situation. Again, strange…
On the flip side, Mission Point Resort and Hotel Iroquois, and most other locations, are the direct opposite. They are open to guiding potential brides and grooms to all the opportunities on and off the island. They are very helpful and let the bride and groom decide on who are their preferred vendors for their event. This is the way wedding planning should be handled and I felt that this bit of corruptness had to be exposed to the public, especially if you are planning a wedding on Mackinac Island. There are many great places to get married on the island and I would suggest looking at all of your options at my online Mackinac Island wedding planner.
I want everyone to know that I have met lots of wonderful, helpful people out on the island and on the mainland. You should really look at all of the options and don’t let one vendor tell you that they are the way, because they probably are not. I will never say that my photography is for everyone but what I will tell you is that I give you 100% every time and I only book one event per day. My images speak for themselves…
Have a great time planning your Mackinac Island Wedding and know that there are great locations, planners, florists, photographers, videographers, carriages, ferries, fudge, and much more for you to really personilize your Wedding Day the way that You want your Wedding. Happy days, happy planning, and happy life!
