Hi! So I have been navigating through the waters of many photographers and thought I had found 'the one'. They came back with what I thought was an odd payment schedule that they won't budge on (and as a result I have not signed anything yet).
My wedding is July 28, 2018. They want $699 this August 2017, after a $200 deposit fee now. Then another $699 in January. Then another $699 in May 2018. THEN $750 after the wedding.
Is it unusual for a photographer to ask for so much money so many months before the wedding? My event venue isn't even asking for so much so early! The photographer claims it's to keep their photographers 'paid and happy' well before the wedding...but it just seems odd when I would rather just pay a retainer up front and then in full 2 weeks before the wedding.
Are we really old fashioned for not wanting to pay for a service nearly a year early? I don't want to keep track of 4 different payments for a year! Should we just move on to someone else?