* Rating is for photography services only - photo booth is fantastic *
I'm sad to write this review. Posting for future growth by the company, so other brides don't sit here like me, wondering if I shouldn't have 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 company, and were stoked! We also checked out the photography services, looked through the photos they posted on their site. 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 to give a sense of who we are and what we like. There was an e-mail questionnaire, so filled it out and sent it back. No one apparently got it, because they followed up with: "do the questionnaire." 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 was asked by my day-of coordinator for the photog's info. I e-mailed the company, called, got nothing. We needed to speak to someone on a few items (like, How do we balance "getting ready" photos? Are you sending one person to each location or do we need to adjust our schedule?).
- Finally, our photog called us 4 days before the wedding, while she was driving, and her phone cut out. We couldn't get a word in. She went 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. We like down-to-earth shots, candid shots. I said we know we only have 500 shots in our package, so let's 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 pics of table decor.
- After the call, we knew she didn't write anything down, and she seemed pretty headstrong. I asked the coordinator if this was normal, and she confirmed it wasn't.
- Day of wedding. We don't know if our photog is going to show up. But she does! She comes up to where I'm finishing 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 q's when there's a DOC? 3 - You're ruining the last calm moment I have before the insanity starts. But I think, treat others kindly. So I kindly ask her to check in with our DOC, and we'll have a great day!
- My hesitation after the phone call was justified. Our photographer hit every "cutesy" photo in the book. Foreheads together... ugh. We reminded her we don't like these kinds of photos. She fought us every step of the way - "No, they'll be cute, do it again, it's so good...".
- 5 weeks later, we finally get photos (which the DOC & I both had to ask for). 10+ pics of dessert table. 20+ pics of me fiddling with my shoes.
Our wedding was wonderful. Yet looking at the photos, it's clear we didn't get our money's worth. Our DOC said she won't recommend Hipstr anymore based on this experience. The pics aren't the worst - but even at this price point, I want a partial refund. 100% recommend Hipstr for your photo booth, but look elsewhere for your wedding photography.