I could write a dang novel about Melissa. The most kind hearted, supportive, positive, wonderful person and I don't know that I would have gotten through our pandemic wedding planning without her. When we first met via facetime, I felt an instant connection to her warm personality, and I knew that she was the person I needed to photograph my wedding. When the pandemic hit, I was distraught, 2 months away from our wedding. Melissa was a support system to get through not just rescheduling once, but TWICE, and then ultimately cancelling in favor of a small elopement in Minnesota. When I emailed Melissa about our cancellation, I expressed how sad I would be that I wouldn't get to wear my dress. Melissa suggested a wedding portrait session. We'd get all dressed up and just go for it. She sent me 6 locations in Sonoma County and we ended up shooting at Bodega Head. HOLY COW, DID MELISSA F**KING DELIVER. She brought the JAMS on a little speaker, she was totally on board with my antics of needing a champagne popping photo, she was jumping over rocks on cliffs to get the perfect shot, I mean this woman went above and beyond anything I could have ever imagined. She even helped me in and out of my massive ballgown in a parking lot. I am a very insecure person, and uncomfortable in front of the camera, but Melissa has a way of shooting where you absolutely feel like a super star. I have seriously never had the type of confidence I had during that portrait shoot. NOW, THE PHOTOS. Melissa is a true artist. These photos are INSANE. She captured the utter happiness between me and my husband perfectly. She made me feel like the bride I wanted to be in 2020. I don't care where you live in the world, you need to hire Melissa for your wedding. You will have fine art photos to hang in your house, and portraits that will stand the test of time. I just can't wait to stare at these photos forever. Thank you thank you Melissa, you made our YEAR and we are eternally grateful to have met and worked with you.
“...this woman went above and beyond anything I could have ever imagined...”
- Caroline + Spencer
Melissa is one of our favorite vendors from our wedding. Let’s go back to the very beginning. I reached out to Melissa inquiring about her availability to photograph our wedding. After a few emails back and forth we scheduled a time to meet for coffee one morning. When we met, it felt like everything instantly clicked. I seriously thought to myself “did we just become best friends”? After that meeting I knew she was the one! Her photography was amazing, her personality was amazing, it was a dream come true. Melissa captured our engagement photos and to be honest I was extremely nervous about them being that we have never had professional photos taken. I thought it was going to feel extremely staged and awkward and in fact it was the complete opposite. Melissa made us feel very comfortable, we laughed the entire time and our photos turned out amazing. After receiving our engagement photos we couldn’t wait for her to photograph our wedding day. Well ladies and gentlemen, the wait was totally worth it. Melissa showed up on our wedding day ready to rock and boy did she rock it. The day was fun and it moved fast but she was able to capture everything. We received our wedding day photos and we love every single one of them! Melissa captured the day, our emotions, and our guests perfectly. Three words to sum everything up: we love her!
“I seriously thought to myself 'did we just become best friends'?”
- Jamie + Joe
“SHE IS SOOOOO MUCH MORE THAN A PHOTOGRAPHER.”
- Emily + Sean
Melissa is AH-MAZING! I fell in love with her work on Instagram... I love the way she captures that golden light and takes candid photos of her couples. So dreamy. Our first meeting was via FaceTime. I felt like we clicked right away. She was very patient and happy to answer any questions we had in the booking process. We chose the adventure engagement session/wedding photography package. My fiancé is not normally used to taking photos so I made sure to practice a bit before hand. The day of our shoot Melissa made us feel incredibly comfortable. I'd describe it like having your BFF photograph you. Robert had fun and enjoyed the shoot with Melissa - YAY! Then we got the photos (within a week!) and we couldn't believe how perfectly she captured us. She communicated with us frequently leading up to our big day. I 100% know it was because of her that we were both able to relax on our big day and be in the moment knowing Melissa had our backs. I still don't know how she did it but she was even able to send us a few preview pictures that night. We are both so happy with the way the photos turned out. Thank you Melissa!!! We can't wait to make excuses for many more reasons to book you in the future!
“I'd describe it like having your BFF photograph you.”
- Angela + Robert
I can't talk Melissa up enough; the other reviews that mention her feeling like an old friend are 1) true and 2) make me slightly jealous because I THOUGHT I WAS SPECIAL AND YOU LOVED ONLY ME, MELISSA. Kidding. Mostly. She shot our engagement photos and our wedding day and both sessions did not disappoint. She goes above and beyond as a wedding photographer; she went from taking photos and safety pinning my dress to giving me breathing exercises and coaching me through some of the biggest moments of our wedding day. She is hilarious, kind, and an all around wonderful human being. I absolutely love her and cannot recommend her any more highly.
"She goes above and beyond as a wedding photographer."
- Jesse + Mike