Haven't done many destinations

I have not done many destination weddings but yesterday I quoted one for Paris and today got an inquiry for Hong Kong.
I was going to use one for a vacation too but can't decide. Leaning towards hong kong.

Whoever pays in full first. It will be good either way.

I am way ahead of myself, neither has booked yet.

Poor you. Paris...Hong Kong...sucks being you eh?

Well, fingers crossed, my destination events have been very mundane in comparison.

Have done quite a few destination weddings, but nothing in Asia or Europe... for the most part, it's been Mexico or Caribbean islands for me...
For the most part, remember to stay out of trouble! The first few southern ones for me, I kinda saw them as a mini-holiday, and when in a resort, I want to get off the resort and explore. If I'm vacationing in Mexico for example, I don't want to hang out with 500 other Canadians - I want to see Mexicans! But you have to remember to keep yourself in "game shape" and watch what you eat, drink, sun, etc... if you're into physical activities (hiking, etc..) that's another thing to look out for... you never anticipate sprained ankles!

I also usually leave a backup mini kit at home, packed ready to go... should something happened to my gear, I just call home (or assistant) and ask to FedEx assuming there's time left in the work-ation

I am tired of destination weddings. They are exhausting and even with a huge premium attached to the price tag, it's still a much lower rate per hour than a local wedding. So I've pretty much stopped doing far destination weddings (my last one was 2006) unless it's someone I REALLY like, or they have a really unique wedding. Don't mind doing destinations that I can drive to in a few hours though. But airports... I avoid them like the plague.

Hong Kong. Amazing city. You have see the Harbour from Victoria Peak. There is no other view like it.

*gulp*
wow, very nice.
Thanks SMP Homer, good tips.
Totally know what you mean Lloyd, traveling is a pain. But, wife is gonna make me take her somewhere, I might as well try to offset the cost.

It's so funny because I used to argue with Lloyd about this... but he was totally right! :P

I'm not as against them as Lloyd, but much more so against them then I was before I had my son. I still shoot SOME non local weddings -- but much more rarely. I shot one in Bali a few months back because the couple were freaking awesome and the wedding interested me. I have one in NYC next month for the same reasons. But most of them I just refer out to friends now. Heck, I was in Singapore after the Bali wedding, about to fly out to some awesome jungles of Malaysia and instead took the first flight home after the wedding because I just didn't want to be away from my wife and son any longer :P

But on topic for zagiace...

HONG KONG!!! Asia in general is a true traveler's gem. By far my favorite continent. But seriously, you can't go wrong with either. Paris is an amazing place to take your wife too. In fact, I'd venture to say that unless your wife has a specific interest in asian culture, Paris might actually be the better bet I've been more times than I can count so if you need any tips, feel free to let me know!

Also, I ALWAYS fly in just before the wedding to get the wedding done FIRST. Then it's relaxation time if I want to stay longer after. It's much easier to enjoy yourself when the work is BEHIND you, imo.

before our daughter was born, my wife loved it when I had a destination wedding... more often than not, she would come with me, and once we got there, we spent a lot of time apart just because she wanted to go to the beach or explore, etc... and I would want to stick by the pool, unless something was planned with the couple...
then our daughter was born, and they came once... my wife didn't like it as much... so she stayed home on the next trip, so she could at least leave our daughter with her mom or a friend if she needed to do something
and now when I go, there's mostly whining... "I wish I could go... you're so lucky..." etc...
but as Lloyd said, on a per-hour meter, it's low-paying, and when the wife comes, it's a money losing trip... and I totally hate airports... last destination wedding had me in 4 airports that day... from the time I walked in to the 1st one to the time I walked out of the last, I had spent almost 14 hours 'in the system' but only around 6 actually in the air!

the first few you do, the experience is worth getting...