What to look out for when engaging PG and/or VG?
- Thread starter jgkc18
- Start date
jkwedding308
Active Member
Hi girls, could you advise on what are the things to look out for when engaging PG and/or VG? Or what perks I should try to nego for? E.g. number of hours/ albums / number of photos etc.
Thank you!
Few factors to consider:
1) Price: Does it fit your budget? What does the package include?
2) Quality: Take a look at their samples. Do you like the kind of shots they take? Is it the kind of style you're looking for and that matches you?
3) Personality: What kind of attitude do they have? Overly pushy? Can you work well with them? Do they take the initiative to go beyond what they promise?
4) Timing: How many hours are included in the package? If you take an all-day package, is it restricted to a set number of hours or unlimited? Are they ok with weird timing like starting super early or finishing super late? Do they charge a surcharge if you request them to arrive much earlier in the morning of your AD? How long does it take for them to edit and touch-up your photos before you get them?
5) Style: Do they let you decide on every single pose or do they dictate every single move you make or do they strike a balance between the two? Do they stand so close just to zoom in on a particular detail (e.g. your wedding ring) so much so that you feel uncomfortable and it blocks your guests from viewing you? Are your PG and VG from the same team i.e. have they worked together before? If PG is from one company and VG is from another company and they've never worked before, you may need to anticipate some "clashes" between the two as they get in each other's way on your wedding day. Those who have worked together before will know each other's best spots and how to avoid running into each other for the most optimum collaboration.
6) Number of photos: Do they return every single photo taken including the "wrong" ones or do they only give you a selected edited few?
7) Album: Do they include albums? If yes, how many? Not all PG/VG services include albums - you may need to sort out the album yourself or they may charge you a separate charge if you want an album. Either way, regardless whether they provide the album or you're seeking out another vendor for it, what kind of album are you going for? The fully flat flush mount type that makes the photos look so much prettier as they are laid out flat nicely but costs more than the cheaper but not-as-nice usual photobook that may still do the job but with a paper of less quality? Soft cover or hard cover? How many pages in the album? Do you get a say in the designing of the album? How long does it take for the album to be processed?
If you're curious, I used iSnap for my PG/VG and Artisan State for my album. I've previously left reviews for both vendors on different threads in this forum - you can click on the link in my signature below that will lead you to a thread where I have left hyperlinks of all the different reviews I've left in different threads in this forum including PG/VG, album, and more.. Another member on this forum (@eiko) has read my reviews on iSnap and signed up with them and both her and her hubby were pleased with their service. I would highly recommend them (they're one of the cheapest around yet their service is excellent) as well as Artisan State (really fast shipping of high quality fully flush mount albums that cost waaaaaay cheaper than the ones you get from a proper shop and the price is about the same as a normal photobook which you just can't compare to the great quality of flush mount albums!)..
Hope this helps!
Wow thank u for the detailed advice!!Few factors to consider:
1) Price: Does it fit your budget? What does the package include?
2) Quality: Take a look at their samples. Do you like the kind of shots they take? Is it the kind of style you're looking for and that matches you?
3) Personality: What kind of attitude do they have? Overly pushy? Can you work well with them? Do they take the initiative to go beyond what they promise?
4) Timing: How many hours are included in the package? If you take an all-day package, is it restricted to a set number of hours or unlimited? Are they ok with weird timing like starting super early or finishing super late? Do they charge a surcharge if you request them to arrive much earlier in the morning of your AD? How long does it take for them to edit and touch-up your photos before you get them?
5) Style: Do they let you decide on every single pose or do they dictate every single move you make or do they strike a balance between the two? Do they stand so close just to zoom in on a particular detail (e.g. your wedding ring) so much so that you feel uncomfortable and it blocks your guests from viewing you? Are your PG and VG from the same team i.e. have they worked together before? If PG is from one company and VG is from another company and they've never worked before, you may need to anticipate some "clashes" between the two as they get in each other's way on your wedding day. Those who have worked together before will know each other's best spots and how to avoid running into each other for the most optimum collaboration.
6) Number of photos: Do they return every single photo taken including the "wrong" ones or do they only give you a selected edited few?
7) Album: Do they include albums? If yes, how many? Not all PG/VG services include albums - you may need to sort out the album yourself or they may charge you a separate charge if you want an album. Either way, regardless whether they provide the album or you're seeking out another vendor for it, what kind of album are you going for? The fully flat flush mount type that makes the photos look so much prettier as they are laid out flat nicely but costs more than the cheaper but not-as-nice usual photobook that may still do the job but with a paper of less quality? Soft cover or hard cover? How many pages in the album? Do you get a say in the designing of the album? How long does it take for the album to be processed?
If you're curious, I used iSnap for my PG/VG and Artisan State for my album. I've previously left reviews for both vendors on different threads in this forum - you can click on the link in my signature below that will lead you to a thread where I have left hyperlinks of all the different reviews I've left in different threads in this forum including PG/VG, album, and more.. Another member on this forum (@eiko) has read my reviews on iSnap and signed up with them and both her and her hubby were pleased with their service. I would highly recommend them (they're one of the cheapest around yet their service is excellent) as well as Artisan State (really fast shipping of high quality fully flush mount albums that cost waaaaaay cheaper than the ones you get from a proper shop and the price is about the same as a normal photobook which you just can't compare to the great quality of flush mount albums!)..
Hope this helps!
jkwedding308
Active Member
Wow thank u for the detailed advice!!
Hehe you're welcome... I was heavily involved in planning most, if not all, the details of my own wedding so I've been there before and can therefore share my insight and experience of what to expect and what to avoid... Feel free to ask if you have any questions regardless whether they're related to PG/VG or something else...
Hi there, I've scanned through the 2 recommendations you have posted. Would like to know for the artisan state album, is it difficult to DIY ? Also, how long did u wait for your album to arrive? What type did you choose, besides flush mount? If u don't mind, is there a picture for us to view? thank u so much!Hehe you're welcome... I was heavily involved in planning most, if not all, the details of my own wedding so I've been there before and can therefore share my insight and experience of what to expect and what to avoid... Feel free to ask if you have any questions regardless whether they're related to PG/VG or something else...
Ps, why didn't u choose a PG that offers album in the package? How many photos were u given and taken? And did u choose their photo booth services?
jkwedding308
Active Member
Hi there, I've scanned through the 2 recommendations you have posted. Would like to know for the artisan state album, is it difficult to DIY ? Also, how long did u wait for your album to arrive? What type did you choose, besides flush mount? If u don't mind, is there a picture for us to view? thank u so much!
Ps, why didn't u choose a PG that offers album in the package? How many photos were u given and taken? And did u choose their photo booth services?
No, it's not difficult to DIY your album - you just do it online via their website's software.. We originally opted for express delivery where we should expect the album to arrive within 1 week but it came in 2-3 days' time!! If we knew earlier, we would have just opted for normal delivery haha.. We picked the flush mount type with hard cover and thin pages - so-called thin pages but they're still quite hardy.. We also opted for matte type of paper - they offer a more expensive glossy paper option but we prefer matte and the finishing touch is still quite good. Whatever photo I take of the album is not gonna do it justice but you can check out Artisan State's website - the albums they feature there are not exaggerated and the quality's exactly what you see portrayed on their website. But if you're curious, our PG snapped some shots of the album at our banquet reception and posted it up on his Facebook page:
https://m.facebook.com/sitorf/albums/10152339968361699/
Not all PGs offer albums and even many of those who do don't process the albums themselves - they outsource it and there may be extra hidden charges. If that's the case, I may as well handle it myself and I get a say as to the type of album and paper quality etc as compared to blindly paying for an album that I may not really like later. I've not used Artisan State prior to my album but I've got PG friends (not based in Singapore) who love and recommend their albums plus their albums cost a fraction of those out there. I've used different normal photo book companies before but Artisan State is by far the most value for money and quality..
There's no limit per se as to how many photos will be shot - our PG shoots as many as he likes.. And all photos shot were returned to us.. But in case you worry, he did shoot many photos which were very adequate.. No we didn't engage in their photo booth service coz we didn't feel like we need one - we have many friends from overseas who would probably appreciate more time catching up with each other at the reception plus our PG shot group photos at every table and I've uploaded all onto my Facebook and tagged all those who came so they can always view those photos and cherish the memory of celebrating our joyous occasion with us.
I think you are lucky that iSnap delivered what they promised. A friend of mine whom I was the lead bridemaid, was so unlucky. They also signed up for both PG and VG. Sito and Advin were supposed to be the PG and VG respectively but they did not turn up on the actual day, instead 2 strangers, then we found out they were freelancers. And you could imagine what happened that day.... This incidents totally made my friend and her hubby lose the mood. But too late to do anything else but keep fingers crossed that the final product turned out great, but sadly not. I even intended to engage them for my upcoming wedding but I did not dare to take the risk working with freelancers (Advin is not even an in-house iSnap employee). I rather go with a proper company that only use in-house colleagues to shoot and have met me before the actual day. I agree that iSnap may be one of the cheapest, but their product is not one of the best within that price range, I have a list of vendors who offered about the same rate but in my opinion, better than them and seems more reliable enough.
You might want to check this website out. It saves me a lot of time on asking vendors for quotations. http://pejn17.blogspot.sg/
Most of vendors are there for you to see their rates from $800-$2500. Also, she put down all her thoughts about each vendors that she met/did research about. I have been following her blog to check out for hotel banquet, VG, PG etc. So far, I have shortlisted a few of PG, VG company and will be meeting some of them in the next few days.
jkwedding308
Active Member
I'm sorry to hear what happened to your friend. When was this? I know that Sito recently was called for NS reservist duty so maybe that's why he couldn't make it. Not sure about Advin though.. Yes, Advin is a freelancer and he can't really be an in-house VG for iSnap as he actually lives in Kluang, Johor (which is even further up north of JB) but he has worked with Sito on many occasions so they're familiar with collaborating with one another just like how 2 in-house colleagues would. So far, this is the only time I hear something unfavourable about iSnap and while I do not want to dismiss your friend's experience (I would be quite unhappy too if I were in her shoes), this may be once-off isolated incident. Murphy's law can and does happen so such incidents may well happen with other PG/VGs as well (and even other wedding vendors). Even my own wedding wasn't without any glitch - our solemnizer had to cancel just a couple of days before our AD as he had a ruptured appendicitis (really Murphy's law at work here - appendicitis is way more common in the young than in the elderly) and had to undergo emergency operation hence won't be discharged in time for our wedding. Thankfully his buddy solemnizer was free on our AD and we subsequently had to run through things with him as well as sort out a new cert with ROM - mind you, there's a lot of red tapes with ROM. They asked us to get a letter from our original solemnizer to acknowledge that he cannot perform the duty anymore and to get consent from the new solemnizer. When we told them the original solemnizer is hospitalized for an emergency operation, they say must still get a letter from him. We question what if for someone else's case if their original solemnizer is, touch wood, in a coma or dead? They say still must get a letter from the family and doctor and death certificate where applicable. Quite crazy right? Imagine how stressful it must be for any couple to sort out a new solemnizer last minute just a couple of days before the wedding and now they still have to bother the original solemnizer's family who must already be so sad and distressed with the whole situation.. Our situation cannot be avoided but for those who know beforehand that their solemnizer may or may not make it, please make sure you get it properly sorted out first before you file your ROM notification or else, you will have to deal with all these extra paperwork in the end...
Can I ask how do the PG/VG determine the no. of hours? Say for e.g. from gate crash to dinner banquet, in between there is no need for photography where everyone (hopefully) gets some rest...I was told that those who will be presenting the morning highlights will have to rush to edit the morning photos like mad to present during the dinner banquet... during that time period, does it include the number of hours as well? Just want to make sure of this because I have heard differing views...if it includes, then even 10 hours may not be sufficient? So far I've seen unlimited hours but limited to 12hrs...
jkwedding308
Active Member
Different vendors define their timing differently so make very sure you clarify with them beforehand so you can avoid any disagreement in the future. My PG/VG's package was for unlimited whole day which meant from the start of the morning during prep till the end of the banquet. Prior to the AD, we've discussed with them the entire day's itinerary as well as all the essential timings and contacts. There was a short break period between our morning church solemnization ceremony and the evening banquet dinner so we arranged for them to only be back at the hotel at a certain time before the reception guests arrived. For same-day edit morning express highlights video, the VG usually requires a few hours to get it sorted out so check with them exactly how long they need and if it suits the timing of your AD. Check with them if you actually get to preview and approve the video before it gets shown during the banquet (which was what we did) or if you only get to see it during the banquet the same time as your guests (which was what happened with some of our friends' weddings).. Make sure your PG/VG knows the contact details of your main coordinator and AV helper as well as vice versa to smoothen out the whole process. What we did was we included all our wedding vendors' and helpers' and key family members' details into our master excel sheet (that has everyone's contact details and specific duties, car details, exact timing / itinerary, songs sequence, car park arrangements, who's in-charge of which physical item like the album/ang pow box/flowers/gifts, special things to look out for, etc) and forwarded that to every single one of our helpers and also a copy to our PG/VG so they're completely kept in the loop especially when we keep moving from one location to another. Check with your VG if the morning express highlights video will be given to your AV helper in the form of a DVD or USB and if it syncs with the laptop that you'll be using for your AV - you don't want to end up having a video that you can't show your guests just because your laptop doesn't have an optical drive that can play DVD or because your laptop's media player doesn't play that particular kind of video file format.. Whenever in doubt, just ask your PG/VG - better to clarify things from the start than to leave it to a mess later during your AD..
I can never thank u enough!
jkwedding308
Active Member
I can never thank u enough!
Haha no worries.. I've been a BTB myself before and knows how much work and stress goes into wedding prep so just trying to help out the BTBs here in this forum..