Bella Pictures

TysWife2Be

Did anyone else get the email from Bella Pictures about getting a free couples session?If not, you get a free couples session if you book a colsultation with them (no purchase necessary). You get the digital images. What do you ladies think?Should I go for it?FI and I never really talked about having a couples/engagement session but if this can be provided to us at no cost, I am wondering if I should go forward. I remember some ladies mentioning not to go with them as your wedding photographer because you dont know who will photograph you the day of, etc, but whats your opinion?

[Deleted User]

Bella pictures is ridiculously overpriced when you compare their rates to most of the photographers many of the ladies on this board have used.    Their closest package that resembles what I hired my photographers to do is $2000 more than what I am currently paying.  Keep in mind that the average engagement session is ~$250 to $500.  Let's assume that they are giving you a free engagement session and assume maximum value of $500.  Wooptie do! They can afford to do that because they are already overcharging by $2000.  So that lowers the price difference from $2000 to $1500.  What could you do with that kind of money?That's purely the financial side of Bella's service.  The flip side is you meet with a salesperson not the photographer who is going to be shooting your wedding.  They assign you a photographer within their network willing to work for way less that what you are actually paying for your pictures(that's how they turn a profit).Then there is the pure ethics.  They sell your information to other wedding-related directories without your permission.  Don't be surprised after giving them your information you get bombarded with e-mails, junk mail and phone calls from wedding vendors.  I found all of these most unwelcome, since I booked all my vendors by referral.The final thing that made me fume with them is after all of that I kept getting sales calls from them. 

Vans18

I got two words for them...Annoying and Pushy! omg, the would call me all the time until I spoke to someone higher than the sales person to tell them to stop calling me. But if you just want them for the e-pics then that's fine but I am warning you...once you give them your phone number GL!

kcliveoutloud

I agree with Vans, if you truly can get a free session with them it is something to consider. We originally signed up with them as our wedding photography and the longer we were with them the more worried I got about not knowing the photographer. They changed their policy and allowed you to meet your photographer 3 months before the wedding instead of just 2 weeks before however is was an additional $150 to do this. Our consultant was great but it all just felt wrong. Once I did my b-pic session with Jordana at Hazelnut Photography I knew we had made a mistake. The good thing with them is they give 100% refund if you cancel earlier than a month before the wedding which we did which we are SO glad about. If you can handle being bothered by phone calls and e-mails from them then it may be worth it. Then again, the deal sounds a little too good to be true. Make sure and read the fine print. I know this was a bit long but I hope it gives you some perspective on Bella. Good luck with your decision!

Lnc0185

I wouldn't do it just bc they are soooo pushy. They are like stockers in the wedding world, they never leave you alone!

Soon2B Mrs.V

I wouldn't if I were you. Many photographers give a "free" session anyway.

TysWife2Be

What photographers give you a free session WITHOUT booking with them?We havent even started to look for photographers yet.   :-(

Soon2B Mrs.V

They're like David's Bridal. They'll keep emailing and calling. Be careful. You're going to be spending all evening with this person. Make sure you choose someone you're comfortable being around.

crnota

You asked if any other photographer offered a free session before booking...no. And that should be a sign! Many offer an engagement session in your package, or add a free one for booking, and it's great if you want to look for deals like that.But any worthwhile professional would not give away their time for a free session to someone that may or may not book the wedding with them. Anyone good is in demand...booking quickly, etc, and does not NEED to offer free sessions to try to drum up business, like Bella does. Photographers (or any wedding vendors) that don't need to harass or court you for your business are the ones to go with- you hope they are free, not the other way around! Bella just sounds desperate, and apparently will harass you to no end, which is not professional at all. Also, I remember hearing from someone (or maybe reading a review?) that their free "couples session" is not a typical engagement session where you pick the place, etc. It is at their studio, in front of a screen, like a family photo you'd get done at Sears. Nothing wrong with photos like that- but it's a little misleading to label it as a couples session like all the awesome sessions we see blogged, and from the "real" photographers. And it also makes the total worth not very  much. I don't know how much one of those studio sessions costs at a department store, but I know it's fairly cheap. So if you figure the value of the session to be of that, not the $200-500 it would be for a "real" engagement session....it would not be worth the hassle! Personally I'd rather pay $50 and go to Sears than to have Bella harass me for a year. But I hate a hard sell and the idea of sitting through a hard sell consultation for a shady company is like my nightmare!As a tip though, you should start looking for your wedding photographer!! You are less than a year out, and now is definitely the time, since you already have a date. I booked mine (Hazelnut) a year and 4 months out, or so, and she was already booked for much of summer 2010. We are getting married on a Friday, so she had our date, luckily. But the good photographers will book up quickly, so I would make that a big priority if photos are important to you!

Vans18

I actually won my free e-pic session at a bridal expo I went to. There were no obligations, we ended up feeling really comfortable with them and liked their work so we booked them, and since the package we choose had a e-pic session included we switched it for a trash the dress session. So we will have all three sessions

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

The nice thing about doing an engagement session with a photographer after you book is that you get to know the photographer better and can see if you really like the style of your e-pics. That can help you see if it's a photog you really love. And many will give you e-pics for free, or for less than $300.