Soooo I was poking around some of my favorite photog's websites the other day and found myself on a blog (sadly don't remember which) where they were announcing that such and such magazine had accepted their June wedding for a feature. So I got to thinking... how do you submit a wedding to a magazine for publication? What's the proper etiquette for submission? How many of you regularly submit work for consideration?

I'll make it a poll, just fer funs.

And what magazines strike your fancy for publishing your work? Gots a dream magazine? Where do you think you'd be most likely to get a featured wedding? Love to see links to your published work, if you've got it!

I have no idea how you go about doing it! But it would be fun!!!

Melissa

I submit almost every wedding I shoot to a variety of mags. I've had 5 or 6 published, I think. Kinda lost count. I've also had individual images used in magazines separate from "featured" weddings.

Really you just have to be persistent. Contact the editor of the mag and ask for their submission requirements. Then update them maybe once a month with a selection of images and a quick email.

Karen

On Mike Colon's DVD (Reaching the High End Bride) he mentions getting a PR person to take care of all of that for you.

But it's kind of a catch 22 - you have no money to hire that person, yet it would pay off big if you did, but you can't afford them, yet you can't afford NOT to have them....

A PR person can help if you're submitting to really high end/national mags. But the truth is that most photographers at a mid level or who are just getting started submitting don't have the types of weddings those magazines are looking for anyway. So hiring a PR person at that level is simply a waste of money. Also the publicists I know simply won't take on a photographer who doesn't display a certain level of work with a certain level of clientele becuase it's simply not worth their time to submit weddings they know won't make the cut.

And that's not a put down of anyone here or anything - it's just simple fact.

It's not that hard to build a relationship and submit weddings on a regular basis. Get into the habit of pulling 20 or 30 images for editors during your post-production and once a month drop friendly emails to various editors and contacts.

Karen

Karen nails it again. It's really just like that.

You just get the submission guidelines for the magazine, follow the instructions, and maybe send an email to follow up "to make sure everything made it okay -- it was my first time submitting, etc."

From that point I think it's kind of a "don't call us, we'll call you" situation. If your work makes the cut or meets a specific editorial need then you'll see your work in print.

Agnes has had two weddings featured in the Florida (print) edition of The Knot by doing that very thing. Here's a link to one of them: Caryn & Glen.

As for magazines that we would like her work to be published in, obviously Wedding Style, Destination Weddings and Honeymoons, and The Knot (again) are all great places to be featured. Regional society publications like Jacksonville Magazine are also excellent places to have work shown because those tend to stay around in waiting rooms and in people's homes longer than other media.

Good luck!

Wow, thanks for the great tips! I've been wanting to try this but had no idea how to go about it.

Like most of us (I think, anyway) I subscribe to the local bridal magazines just so I can get a good feel for what they're looking for. As soon as I feel that I've hit the right feel with my shots, I'm hoping to start submitting. It's exciting to think about!

Oh, and about my subscriptions...I ran into the mailman recently. He asked me how long I've been engaged, because I've been getting all these wedding magazines for like two years. When I told him I'm married, but I work in the wedding industry, he seemed kind of relieved. "Okay, that makes sense. I was trying to figure out why you and the guy you lived with had the same last name if you weren't married. I thought maybe he's your brother." Ha ha!!

Yes yes, thanks for the responses.

Personally, I haven't submitted anything yet and don't even pay too much attention to the mags. (I did manage to freak my fella out a bit by thumbing through bridal mags at the bookstore the other day, though I must confess I enjoyed teasing him a bit, asking bout tuxes and that sort of thing - which do you prefer, honey?)

Love to see more published work, if any of you have it!

I have had one wedding published in a well known australian bridal mag, due to the bride having conections. She submitted the info and asked if i could send the images to the magazine for her.
We also have a local free Wedding guide that local businesses pay advertising for and these get handed out to the brides for free. This has been one of my best advertising, i have been on the front cover of these magazines for the last 3 yrs. I think this is due to my referal networking mostly.

What an interesting topic, I never thought to submit to mags, cool thank you for bringing it up

WOW! What a great opportunity! The photos rock, too, of course.

Thanks Libbie, i had my first inquiry from this 2 pg spread a couple of weeks ago this was the email i received - "I first seen copies of your photos through the 'Bride to Be' magazine earlier this year, there was a feature article in it of a Hervey Bay wedding. I really liked the photos that featured and the review you were given. I've since, kept an eye out for your photography in the wedding photos that feature in the Fraser Coast Chronicle and I've also had a look at your website."

Unfortunately this bride did not book me as i was out of her price budget. Oh well, others will come along. This month is the month where i noted for the last 2 years is the month of wedding inquiries.