* This rating is for photography services only - the photo booth services are fantastic - 5 big stars for photo booth. *
Welp, I received my wedding photos. I've never regretted more choosing Hipstr over a traditional photographer.
I'm so sad to write this review. Posting for future growth by the company, so other brides don't sit here like me, wondering if I should have been a jerk and not given them the benefit of the doubt at every turn.
- We booked Hipstr for our wedding a year ahead of time. We heard great things about the photo booth experience, and were stoked! Upon discovering the additional services, we looked through the photos they posted on their site, thought they were pretty good, and we struggled to see why other photographers charged so much comparatively. The price was fair, we thought, for what the photos were. So we booked.
- We were hoping to chat with our photographer for 20 minutes or so to help them get a sense of who we are and what we like - you know, like people do. There was an e-mail questionnaire, we filled it out and sent it back immediately. No one apparently got it, because they followed up about us not doing it. I have an e-mail chain where they're like "do the questionnaire" and I'm like "I did, did you receive?", and they respond with "Oh, yeah. It's here. Uh, cool."
- Two weeks prior to the wedding, I started to sweat about the photographer. I had done all the prep for the day, and was being asked by my day-of coordinator for the photog's info. I e-mailed the company, called the company, got nothing. My day-of coordinator helped, and finally got them to talk to us just a few days before the event.
- We had items we didn't know how to handle, and needed to speak to someone about them (like, How do we balance "getting ready" photos? Are you sending one person to each location or do we need to adjust our schedule?).
- We finally spoke to our photographer days before the event. She called us while she was driving, and her phone cut out a number of times, making us have to redial the number to reach her. We could barely get a word in. She kept going on about what "her brides" like. This is what we were worried about - we're not traditional folks. For example, we really hate "cutesy" photos that people LOVE to throw on Instagram. We like down-to-earth shots, candid shots. I made mention that we know we only have 500 shots in our package. I would really like to focus on: little moments that go unseen, candid shots of the people we love. I don't want to see 20% of our shots come back as pictures of the table decor. We didn't think these requests were too much. We simply told her what tone we liked to set.
- After ending the call, there was still some hesitation because we knew she didn't write anything down (she was driving), and she seemed pretty headstrong about her point of view, treating me like I was some neurotic bride just stressed about the big day. I have to promise you, I wasn't... I asked the coordinator if this was normal, and she confirmed it wasn't.
- Day of the wedding. We don't know if/when our photog is going to show up. But she does! She comes up to where I'm finishing my makeup (apparently the "getting ready" photos were out the window at that point), and starts badgering me about what to do. 1 - That's what the phone call was for. 2 - Why are you asking me 100 questions when you know I have a coordinator you can check in with? 3 - You're ruining the last calm moment I have before the insanity starts. But ok, sure, I think, Golden Rule, treat others kindly. So I kindly ask her to check in with our coordinator, and we'll have a great day together!
- Well, my hesitation after the phone call was justified. Our photographer hit every "cutesy" photo in the book. Foreheads together, spin her around... ugh. We didn't want to make a big huff, but we did remind her that we really don't like these kinds of photos. Instead of listening, she fought us every step of the way - "No, they'll be cute, do it again, it's so good...".
- Now, 5 weeks later, we finally get our photos (which the coordinator and I both had to ask them to provide). 10+ pics of our dessert table. 20+ pics of me fiddling with my shoes. Not aligned with what we wanted at all.
Our wedding really was a wonderful night. Yet, looking back at the photos, it's clear we didn't get our money's worth. Our coordinator works with Hipstr a lot, and said she probably won't recommend them anymore based on this experience. The pics aren't the worst - but now I get why good photography is so expensive. read more