Bella Pictures??

I'm meeting with Callie from Bella Pictures on Saturday morning. Anyone have any advice on them?
I know they don't have many reviews on here....but was just wondering if anyone happened to meet with them yet?
Thanks Ladies!!

I met with Callie and originally we were going to go with them. They're very nice however it made me nervous that they are based out of San Diego and just have meet up places on LI. They have impressive pictures and and impressive sales pitch but something just didn't sit right with me. Were going with ADA and actually got a better price for the same package. Good luck and Callie is very very sweet!

JB

I just read a bride's review that gave bella pictures an A+++++++

Do a chat search...

Bella is like hotwire.com where hotels sell off un-sold hotel rooms for a discounted rate. Great photographers and not so great photographers sell off their unbooked dates to Bella and work for a discounted rate.

You may end up with a great photographer or you may end up with someone who has only shot a few weddings. You won't know who your photographer is until a few weeks before your wedding. You will not be able to meet face to face with your photographer. Bella discourages this with the photographers and only allows a brief telephone chat two weeks before the wedding.

You will only deal with sales representatives through the whole process. .

Bella also has a set camera setting they want all their photographers to use and the photos will have an over exposed yellow quality to them. Alhough, when you meet with them they will show you examples made by the best photographers they have who are actually the owners of the company not living in your state.

The good photographers who sell off their dates just show up and shoot at the wedding. It is just a quick job to them.. Bella only pays a few hundred dollars to each photographer to shoot. When a photographer is used to making $4,000 per wedding they are not going to care about quality when they only make $300 to shoot yours.

Although Bella promises to photoshop and color correct each images. This does not happen. They slap them up online as fast as they can. They are all about getting weddings in and out as fast as they can as they deal with 100s of weddings each week.

They will want you to use your wedding as an advertising campaign. They will want you to hand out business cards at your reception for expensive prints for your guests to purchase online without your permision.

If you can handle a Wal-Mart type of approach for you day, and not knowing who photographer is for the wedding, they are not bad. If you want personal service and knowing the style your photographers shoots with they will not be for you.

Its just a gamble and why gamble on your wedding day if you don't have to?

Yeah... i jsut went with a friend of mine who was considering using them......

They had great pics... but you dont get matched up with a photographer until 3 months before the wedding. Which is a little uncomforting....

Plus the photographer you get matched up with... it is possible that you already met with them.

bella is just like a pool... photographers want to work with them to use their name....

I dont like the system. Think about the desicion and be comfortable with the choice

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Posted by Jen1980

Bella is like hotwire.com where hotels sell off un-sold hotel rooms for a discounted rate. Great photographers and not so great photographers sell off their unbooked dates to Bella and work for a discounted rate.

You may end up with a great photographer or you may end up with someone who has only shot a few weddings. You won't know who your photographer is until a few weeks before your wedding. You will not be able to meet face to face with your photographer. Bella discourages this with the photographers and only allows a brief telephone chat two weeks before the wedding.

You will only deal with sales representatives through the whole process. .

Bella also has a set camera setting they want all their photographers to use and the photos will have an over exposed yellow quality to them. Alhough, when you meet with them they will show you examples made by the best photographers they have who are actually the owners of the company not living in your state.

The good photographers who sell off their dates just show up and shoot at the wedding. It is just a quick job to them.. Bella only pays a few hundred dollars to each photographer to shoot. When a photographer is used to making $4,000 per wedding they are not going to care about quality when they only make $300 to shoot yours.

Although Bella promises to photoshop and color correct each images. This does not happen. They slap them up online as fast as they can. They are all about getting weddings in and out as fast as they can as they deal with 100s of weddings each week.

They will want you to use your wedding as an advertising campaign. They will want you to hand out business cards at your reception for expensive prints for your guests to purchase online without your permision.

If you can handle a Wal-Mart type of approach for you day, and not knowing who photographer is for the wedding, they are not bad. If you want personal service and knowing the style your photographers shoots with they will not be for you.

Its just a gamble and why gamble on your wedding day if you don't have to?

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WOW..Excellent feedback....thank you soooo much for your input!! This really does help me make my decision! You're sooo right and I didn't know half of this stuff about them!

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Posted by happygirl07

I'm not sure who posted that they have a few BBB complaints. I initially considered them, but booked someone else instead.

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I'll check that out too!! Thanks!

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Posted by MrsSheaToBe

I met with Callie and originally we were going to go with them. They're very nice however it made me nervous that they are based out of San Diego and just have meet up places on LI. They have impressive pictures and and impressive sales pitch but something just didn't sit right with me. Were going with ADA and actually got a better price for the same package. Good luck and Callie is very very sweet!

JB

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I have been hearing the same thing lately....I think I'm going to reconsider!! Thank you!

Thank you ladies!!!

Overall, I've been pretty concerned about the fact that they don't have a REAL office somewhere and the fact that you don't get to meet your photographer right away, bothers me ALOT!!
I'll be cancelling this appointment for Saturday.
Thank you so much for all helping me decide not to waste my time!!
xoxoxo

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Posted by MrsSheaToBe

I met with Callie and originally we were going to go with them. They're very nice however it made me nervous that they are based out of San Diego and just have meet up places on LI. They have impressive pictures and and impressive sales pitch but something just didn't sit right with me. Were going with ADA and actually got a better price for the same package. Good luck and Callie is very very sweet!

JB

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We met with her too and were originally very impressed. But the longer the idea that we weren't goin to be able to meet our actual photographer until a couple of months before our wedding made me very nervous. She said that they would switch the person if we didn't like whomever they chose for us, but it felt like too much of a chance to not see my person or until so close to the wedding. We went with Right Angle who we met with almost immediately after and they had a better package for a better price.

Callie was very nice, although we had to meet her at a Starbucks b/c they don't have offices on LI, that felt really weird.