Do not shy away from digging into the specifics, the Consumer Council told engaged couples yesterday, amid rising complaints of overcharging for wedding-photography services. Vice-president of the Consumer Council Philip Leung Kwong-hon said the number of complaints made against wedding photographers by couples set to tie the knot had risen, from 43 in 2013 to 93 last year. Leung blamed the complexity of the various arrangements made for wedding photos. The council conducted a two-month survey, starting in December, to probe the practices of 27 local service providers, offering a total of 60 pre-wedding packages. Some of the providers asked the couples to pay for parking, Leung said, while others were told that they could not get their pictures unless they paid an additional fee. Should a couple decide to designate a particular photographer or make-up artist, an extra fee from hundreds to thousands of dollars could incur. Such requests could also affect the scheduling of the shoot. "Some couples suddenly demand to have their pictures taken over the weekend, say, in Mong Kok, because the street looks more vibrant," Leung said, which caused the price to rise. "So the advice is: be prepared to shop around and be very clear and specific about what your expectations are," he said. "Never be too embarrassed to ask for details," he added, urging couples to make sure things were put down in writing before sealing the deal. Consumer Council chief executive Gilly Wong Fung-han recalled a case in 2013 in which a couple ended up paying HK$20,000 more after they decided to add coatings to their photographs at a later stage. She said many couples did not realise that such finishes were an additional service. Wong said the blame should not all be put on service providers, as wedding photographs came with many variables. She said that while couples should spend time shopping around and comparing prices, service providers also needed to take the initiative to make transactions transparent, by offering their clients a checklist at the beginning of the deal. Leung encouraged couples to talk to their married friends. "Many couples are first-timers so they obviously don't know what it will be like," he said. "But your relatives have been through this, so they would have a lot to offer."