We could not have been more disappointed with North Island Photography & Film. This was one of the…read morefirst vendors we booked, with the confidence of seeing their work on social media, as well as being under the impression that they are very familiar with our venue (Insignia). I (the bride) spoke with Deb, one of the owners, numerous times prior to our wedding and had many discussions about what special moments we wanted to be included in our day. During this time, we were pressured into doing a first look, with the threat of missing our reception to take photos. My husband (then fiancé) and I tried to move past this.
The week prior to our wedding, Deb and I discussed final details. My husband and I were instructed to write letters to each other to read prior to the ceremony, find a space and send Deb the room number for where the groomsmen would be getting ready (for photos), and I was told to be ready at 8am for the arrival of the photographers and for the groomsmen to arrive at 8:50 for photos prior to our 11:30 ceremony. I texted Deb the suite number for the groomsmen 2 days before the wedding.
Our wedding day came, and it was immediately clear that the crew we were sent were unfamiliar with the hotel and our venue. At the hotel, we were placed in front of a plain, gray wall for our first look. Then we went to the venue, where I had to tell the photographers that we wanted photos in the wine cellar (which is a very common location for photos at Insignia). Each request, which I had discussed with Deb beforehand, seem to inconvenience the crew. I then found out after the ceremony that my husband hadn't read my letter yet. The photographer told me they planned to pull my husband during dinner to read his letter. During dinner! It was supposed to be read PRIOR to the ceremony, as per Deb's instructions. This may seem inconsequential, but for the sentimental purpose of this letter, I was very upset. The following day, I found out that the crew never took "getting ready" photos of the groomsmen. It was extremely clear that either Deb never discussed the conversation she and I had with the crew prior to our wedding, or they simply didn't care.
When we received our photos, I almost cried. Not tears of joy, but frustration. Our first look was horrific. For a moment I never even wanted to happen, it was a pure disappointment on film. No lovely backdrops were used, but a plain wall in the corner of the lobby of the hotel. Then, back to the fact that no "getting ready" photos were taken of the groomsmen. In fact, my husband didn't even get a photo with each of his groomsmen individually. Then the wine cellar - the bane of this experience. For some reason, these "professional" photographers do not understand that light reflects off of glass, therefore there was a massive glare in all of our photos in the wine cellar. I reached out to the company to ensure that this would be edited out, to which they responded that they do not have that capability. I later downloaded a free AI photo editing software and was able to do it myself, which is impressive considering how technologically challenged I am. Our video of our first dance was zoomed in so close that the videographer actually had trouble following us. This was extra disappointing considering that my husband and I took dance lessons prior to our wedding, and now this moment was not sufficiently caught on film.
I reached out to NI shortly after receiving our photos to discuss what happened. I spoke with Michael (the owner), who proceeded to gaslight me throughout the conversation. His main point was that I did not give the photographers enough time to take photos before our ceremony, which is why key moments were missed. This is interesting considering DEB told ME what time the crew would be arriving and when they needed each group available, and I had everyone & the room ready at 7:45. The best part of this conversation, aside from me being blamed for their unprofessionalism and incompetence, was Michael's grand solution. He suggested that my husband and I, and I suppose whoever else was not in photos that we had wanted to get, get all dressed up again (including suit rentals, hair, makeup, and back in my dress that was being cleaned and boxed), and book another session with NI. Simple enough, right? I was dumbfounded and appalled by this suggestion.
I cannot discourage use of this company enough. We paid $7,000 for an experience that was a true disappointment. It is difficult to even look at our photos knowing that so many of them were not what we wanted. I have left 5-star reviews for ALL of our other vendors. My husband and I are not difficult to please. The owners of NI do not communicate with their staff and don't even have the decency to apologize when encountering an unhappy customer. Instead they blame the customer! Michael and Deb are in this business to make money, NOT to ensure that your special day is captured be captured beautifully on film.
