Weddingbee boards

I think if you can find a local photographer and save on travel fees - do it!! I think it really depends on where you are getting married. I just got married in Mexico and while I tried like crazy..I could not find a photographer that I LOOOOVED and was in my price range (which I allotted a decent budget for) so I ended up flying one out from LA.  BUT.......that you are getting in LA and there are many quality photographers there.  As the above poster mentioned, you just want to make sure you are comfortable with them ahead of time. I spent lots of time IMing, emailing, and talking on the phone with mine. In the end I was THRILLED with my photos and he was awesome to work with.

In case you're interested.... these are our pics:

http://anphotoblog.com/2011/11/tania-and-bryant-in-cabo-san-l.html

Find a photographer whose work you love!  I know that advice sounds pretty generic, but the distance from LA to Vegas shouldn't equate to super high travel fees... at most you're looking at maybe one or two nights in a hotel and a tank of gas.  It's far more important to find someone whose work you love and personality you jive with.  Very few of us photographers aren't willing to work with clients on travel (because we all love to travel).  

The Disney people will have a recommended venue list.  They are professionals and are especially hired for their weddings on their property.  Ask them first, check the rates, and of course, do tell them your concern about getting your photos post wedding & honeymoon sent to your home.  I am sure they will take care of all that.  It is sometimes cheaper to hire a local person and bring them with you.  Some photographers need destination wedding photos for their portfolios and are willing to give you a great discount if you offer to pay their accommodations, air fare and meals for two days or so.  In any case, you should feel confident and do have someone read your contract for you such as a teacher, or other educated professional so that you won't get ripped off.  Good luck to you!!!

Definitely find the photographer that you love, and go from there. If you find one local to your wedding location, that's great. If not, fly them in. Most photographers charge travel for 2-3 nights (them + assistant/second shooter), airfair and/or gas depeding on transportation, and a daily stipend to account for food and miscellanious charges (like parking, etc).

That being said, it's not uncommon for those wanting to get into desitnation weddings to do the wedding for the cost of travel and any prodcuts (like prints or albums). Don't mistake these people for those just starting out. These are typically seasoned pros who just want to add some destination weddings to their website/portfolio. 

I know personally when I started putting feelers out there to shoot DW's, I let family and friends know I planned to shoot up to 3 DW's for the cost of travel and products only. You'd be surprised how many photographers want to do this. 

@starfish0116:  I don't know of any seasoned pros in my peer group who do destination weddings for reduced rates.  It's just like a normal wedding, plus travel expenses.  It's neat to be able to shoot someplace different, but the amount of time it takes out of your working week in travel to us makes them less profitable than regular weddings.  You might get lucky and find a photographer who is wanting to vacation where you are having your wedding, but to suggest that this is a norm amongst season professionals I don't think is very accurate.

@continuumphotography:  I know several who specifically wanted to shift their focus on destination weddings vs local weddings. It goes along with the age old saying of "it's hard to shoot what you don't show", and many of them shot 1-2 destination weddings for the cost of travel and any products to add it to their portfolio. Blog SEO for most photographers is #1 in terms of marketing, and having a destination wedding to blog/market is a huge thing if that's what you want to shoot. I'm not saying that it's the norm for every single photographer, but it's definitely not uncommon especially for those who want to focus on destination weddings. It might not be something that YOU would do, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Many of my friends have no desire to shoot DW's and so it's not something that would interest them or that they would offer. At this stage in my business I certainly wouldn't offer to shoot for the cost of travel, but when I wanted to start shooting more DW's instead of local weddings I did 1 or 2 for travel. And, like you posted, there are many photographers that would use the opportunity as a vacation and would be interested in making some sort of a deal. Obviously they aren't going to cut any deals if you're having a DW in someplace that doesn't benefit them or their business.

To the OP, I think the most important thing is finding a photographer you love regardless of their location.