About this vendor
Wedding days are often FULL of joy, love, magic, and probably a healthy amount of booze (count me in for whiskey!) and it's crazy how quickly the time flies by. That's where I come in.
I'll be the one making sure you have photos to remember it all. That way you can rest easy and focus on having the time of your life with the ones you love. Candids, detail shots, bomb ass portraits, and all the family formals your parents could ever want - I've got you covered.
I pour SO much love, energy, and expertise into everything/everyone that I photograph. I'm so excited to get to do the same for you. <3
Details
Business Attributes
- Asian-owned Business
- Pacific Islander-owned Business
- Woman-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
- Boudoir
- Bridal Portraits
- Day After Session
- Engagement
- Trash The Dress
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Online Proofing
- Photo
- Printed Enlargements
- Second Shooter Available
- Social Media Sharing
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Classic
- Documentary
- Dramatic
- Lifestyle
- Modern
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
Awards and Affiliations
2023 'Best of Weddings'
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.031 reviews
Chelsea is incredible!!! We worked with her for our welcome party and wedding, and we’re so grateful we found her. After our first call, we were already telling our planner how muc...
h we loved her vibe and wanted to work with her. She brings so much warmth, excitement, and personality to what she does, and that energy became such a memorable part of our celebration.
Something that really says it all: afterward, when we asked our guests what they loved about the wedding, Chelsea’s name kept coming up. People were talking about how amazing she was and the energy she brought. Having a photographer who leaves that kind of impression on your friends and family is pretty special.
And then we saw the photos. OMG. Our actual reaction to the previews was, “These photos are so incredible, they make me want to have another wedding lol.” The family photos were an extra-special highlight for us, and we were so excited to share the photos with the people we love.
We also really appreciated how thoughtful Chelsea was about the things that mattered to us. We had specific wishes around privacy and how our photos could be shared, and she listened and worked with us to accommodate them. That care meant a lot with something as personal as our wedding photos.
There were lovely touches along the way, too. She sent us a couple of welcome-party photos the very next morning with a happy wedding day message, and our wedding previews arrived a week later. When we asked for more photos to share during Pride month, she asked which moments we wanted more of and put together another batch with photos from both celebrations. We were especially grateful that she made time for that during a busy wedding season.
Chelsea, thank you for your talent, thoughtfulness, and all the joy you brought to our wedding. We’re so happy we got to work with you. If you’re looking for beautiful photos and a photographer whose energy your guests will still be talking about afterward, we wholeheartedly recommend her. 💖
Chelsea is an outstanding photographer! I can't say enough good things about her. Her photos are incredible, but it takes more than that to be an exceptional wedding photographer....
She's fun and has great energy while being professional and getting the job done. She is an excellent communicator and kept in touch all through the planning process. The guests loved her, too. Everyone said she was a pleasure to be around.
Hire her! You won't be disappointed!
Chelsea is absolutely amazing! There are not enough words to describe just how spectacular she is! She is not only an incredible photographer who captured our perfect day in a way ...
we could have only ever imagined, she is also an amazing person, who is funny, energetic, enthusiastic, and will be your #1 hype woman all day long. We wanted someone who could capture both posed and candid photos with ease, who would capture light and joy in our photos and someone we would have fun with all day long and wow, did we find it in Chelsea!
We really cannot thank Chelsea enough for capturing our wedding! We got preview pictures two days after the wedding and they all look absolutely incredible! We could have never imagined our wedding photos being so beautiful! We’ve seen so many wedding photo shoots in preparation for our big day and we can’t believe that it’s us in those pictures now!
It was also our first time meeting Chelsea in person at our wedding and it’s safe to say that we (and our families for that matter) fell in love with her. She charmed Jewish mothers, made bridesmaids and groomsmen laugh and she even stopped a 5 year old cousin's meltdown. Everyone from our wedding has reached out to tell us how much they loved Chelsea and how phenomenal she was!
We could go on and on describing all the ways Chelsea is amazing, but it all boils down to the fact that we would highly recommend Chelsea Abril Photography to absolutely anyone! If you are looking for a wedding photographer who will bring energy, joy, and love and capture your day in the most beautiful way possible, choose Chelsea!
Stop what you're doing right now and read the next sentence. If you want the best/most energetic/hilarious/epic day on your wedding, HIRE CHELSEA!!! She truly was everything we wan...
ted for our wedding photographer. She listened to the kind photos we wanted and man did she deliver! The vibe around this amazing human being is infectious. Every single one of our guests had nothing but wonderful words about her. She truly wants you to have the most amazing day and will stop at nothing to give it to you. Our ceremony ran later than expected and we forgot to get some small detailed photos on the day (we totally forgot actually) and she even texted us asking when to meet up so we could get them done! How spectacular is that?! She isn't just your photographer either, she answered every random question I had about where to stay on Oahu and gave out ideas for our wedding (even suggested our beautifully talented singer). By the end of the day it feels like you've gained a new best friend when you have Chelsea absolutely hyping up you all day. Wedding days are long and tiresome, you want someone around who is going to make you guys feel relaxed and special. Thanks again, Chelsea.
Chelsea deserves an infinity star review!! If you are looking for a wedding photographer who will provide A+++ photos, capture all the important moments and provide nothing but goo...
d vibes from start to finish, book Chelsea right now! She's worth every penny. Booking our photographer was one of the most important decisions we made for our wedding, and from the first time we met with Chelsea we knew she was the perfect fit. We first met with her in February of 2020, she stuck with us through COVID delays and venue changes and ultimately photographed our wedding in August 2022. It was a record-hot day, but she still had boundless energy and helped keep everyone in a party mood. Not only is she an incredible photographer technical-wise, she's also loads of fun and just radiates constant joy. That's exactly what you want on your wedding day! When we renew our vows someday, Chelsea will once again be the first vendor we book!!
We are SO happy we hired Chelsea as our wedding photographer. She has the most amazing energy and really made us feel comfortable taking photos (which is normally not the case for ...
either of us). Oh and our photos turned out AMAZING! 😍 Hire Chelsea!!
Chelsea is an absolute delight to work with. From day 1 she had the positive energy I needed to keep planning my wedding. My husband an I don't enjoy taking pictures and on our wed...
ding day she made sure it was fun and comfortable for us. Chelsea is also lightning fast, she was everywhere during our wedding day making sure she got all the shots we wanted. Our reception was awesome largely from the energy that she was bringing. She works efficiently but is also the sweetest person and is truly there to ensure she captures you having the best day of your life.
Chelsea is insanely talented. She is so fun and bright and incredible to be around, but also, most importantly for the purposes of this review, she is an INCREDIBLE photographer. S...
he made me feel so gorgeous and confident, and her pictures went above and beyond what my fiance and I were hoping for from our engagement session. We now literally cannot wait for our wedding. THANK YOU CHELSEA.
Do it. Spend the money!!!! Photos are the one thing from your wedding day that will last a lifetime. Our day was so special to us (duh!) and Chelsea captured the moments beautiful ...
and also created many moments for us through her laughter and cheerfulness. Chelsea was the one photographer who was always able to keep the water blue and that was a priority for me. She absolutely killed it! I am so thankful and blessed to have our wedding day captured by her and to have many funny memories with her. I could go on and on. But the point is, I know you want to book her and are questioning if it is worth the money. I am here to tell you, she without a doubt it is worth it. I questioned it many times during our 3 year engagement because it was 25% of my wedding budget, but it is worth it 1,000x again.
Like the procrastinator I am, I totally dropped the ball and did not even start to find a wedding photographer until way too late. Luckily, Chelsea fell from the heavens on not onl...
y had our wedding date available but was also prepared to do an initial meeting with us the same day we reached out (on New Years Eve no less). What else can I say about Chelsea other than that she is FANTASTIC. We were having a small, COVID friendly wedding that I was planning myself and she offered us so many fun ideas that brought our wedding to the next level. Have you ever been to a wedding where every single guest commented on how great the photographer was? It was like she was part of the family, and honestly, I didn’t even care what the photos looked like because she was just incredible to have around. The photos of course though, were gorgeous. Chelsea is so talented, and she completely captured the light, beachy aesthetic that we were going for. If I ever need a photographer in the future, she will be my first call – and she should be yours too!!
Chelsea is amazing. Not only is she an incredibly talented photographer, she is also a delight to be around. As is true for many couples this year, our wedding plans were turned up...
side down by CoVID. Chelsea helped us plan the perfect elopement and document the experience in a way that made our family and friends feel included although they could not be with us. Due to intimate size of our elopement party, she even signed our license as one of our witnesses!
Go for it. That little voice in the back of your head that's telling you not to settle, listen to it. Because with Chelsea, you won't be. Chelsea is more than a seriously talented ...
and creative photographer. Once she gets to the scene, it feels like your oldest friend has arrived. Not only can she capture the shots you envisioned, she'll catch the all laughter, the intimate moments between each breath, the artsy black and whites, the sweeping wide angles, and everything in between. Her energy is contagious and she makes you feel incredible throughout, which allows you to drop your guard and be in the moment. We couldn't have imagined a better experience than to have Chelsea shoot our desert elopement. I don't think I'll hire another photographer again. Don't settle. Hire Chelsea.
Chelsea is everything and anything you want in a photographer and beyond! She has the most infectious energy, is extremely professional, and captures the most beautiful moments. Th...
ere is no doubt that she is the Beyonce of weddings. As some background, we were originally planning to get married in Hawaii, and then changed our plans to a small elopement with family in Iceland. We know of all the things, we had to be sure Chelsea was still on board to come to Iceland. That was priority #1 (besides getting married). Even now, almost a year after our wedding, I still feel like I have a connection with her. You truly will not regret having Chelsea by your side (my entire family agrees as well, which really means something!).
Chelsea is absolutely amazing!! Our wedding photos were perfect! She is extremely fun, easygoing, punctual, and kind. She really went above and beyond. I felt like she was one of m...
y bridesmaids! We will definitely call her to capture any future events. Pretty sure we are friends forever!
One million star rating for the infamous Chelsea Abril! Chelsea is such a wonderful human. I found Chelsea after semi-stalking her wedding on Pinterest and after seeing her website...
and all her photos/memes/blurbs I knew we needed to have her at our wedding. Chelsea was very accessible during our planning process and was worth every god damn penny. I'd give all my pennies to Chelsea. She shot our engagement photos in a mosquito ridden valley and they were the most beautiful of photos. My husband was very hesitant about all photo shoots but Chelsea's excitement and outgoing personality really helped open him up. We're also both pretty awkward in front of the camera, but Chelsea made us feel like beautiful little models :) Day of our wedding I felt so comfortable with Chelsea! It was like hanging out with a close friend with super human photography skills. All of our family and friends kept telling us how fun Chelsea was and how much they loved her! Did I mention I woke up to preview photos the morning after our wedding?! Chelsea is magical and our wedding wouldn't have been the same without her.
It was my dream to have Chelsea photograph our wedding from the first time I saw her photography. That, coupled with her joyous personality, truly made for the most stress-free exp...
erience and the results are BREATHTAKING. As someone who is actively uncomfortable getting their photo taken, I can honestly say Chelsea makes it such a breeze. She was able to capture these incredible moments without making us feel as though our whole day was spent in front of a camera. That being said, I did have some very specific types if images captured, so being the trooper she is, we braved mosquito attacks to make them happen. If you hire Chelsea (which you should), you're going to get more than beautiful images, her work clearly speaks for itself. She's also going to be your biggest cheerleader, someone to calm nerves, and an over all kick ass person to spend one of the biggest days of your life with.
It's difficult to put into words the magic that Chelsea brought to our wedding. Chelsea is extraordinarily talented, but you already know that because you've seen her photos. What ...
was truly incredible about Chelsea is the joy, happiness, and love she brought to our wedding day. Chelsea made myself, my husband, and our wedding party feel so at ease so we truly enjoyed the entire day. She went above and beyond at every step, from off-roading (literally) to us the perfect first-look location, to handling requests for different photos from guests with so much grace. Chelsea didn't just capture incredible photos, or make us feel incredible about ourselves while doing it, but she just wrapped us in a hug of love and happiness that genuinely made our wedding day better. And I have no doubt she'd do the same for you . Chelsea, we love you! Thank you for sharing your talent and light with us.
What can we say about Chelsea that hasn’t been said before? She is FANTASTIC. Seriously, check her Instagram. My wife and I were really nervous about our wedding photos because nei...
ther of us has ever had any sort of professional photos taken before (unless you count school photos :P). But Chelsea’s bubbly personality and rapid fire instructions quickly put us at ease. We were laughing and having a fantastic time within a minute, making our pictures look more natural than we had even hoped. Every photo felt like it captured our personalities perfectly, and didn’t feel like someone’s interpretation or vision of/for us. By the end, she felt more like a friend than some person we had hired. We got a HUGE number of photos in our preview and they were done so fast we could start showing them off less than a week after saying “I do.” Chelsea is super responsive in any format that we’ve contacted her in and came prepared and full of energy despite having a completely booked schedule and a long plane ride (to her next wedding!) later that night. She never made us feel silly for asking for something specific and was instrumental in guiding our shot list and giving us everything we wanted and more. Overall, hiring Chelsea was one of the best decisions we made for the whole wedding and we would recommended her hands down any day of the week.
Having Chelsea as our photographer for our wedding was a dream come true! From our first correspondence to the end; she was fun, energetic and most importantly on point with all th...
ings photography. Bringing someone with such positive energy for the big day was something that I didn't know I needed but so glad I found! It helped to make all of our friends and family enjoy the process of the day while capturing all of the special memories. Everyone that was a part of our day could not say enough great things about her really showing! From the moment we first exchanged messages to the end I never second guessed our decision and am so happy to have her as part of our wedding dream team. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
Chelsea is truly incredible and we're so thankful to have found her. She met us at our destination wedding and might as well have been one of our guests. She is bright, bubbly, a...
nd super talented. She's able to walk into an unknown space, find the perfect lighting, and photograph the best moments. Chelsea captured so many moments without us even knowing it. Each photo takes us back in time. You can just feel the emotion behind every single photo Chelsea takes. She is very confident with a camera - which we loved. She does not miss a beat. When she says she’s got your back, she means it. We trusted her and gave her full creative freedom to come up with shots - and wow what a great decision that was. Our advice? Do everything she suggests!
Chelsea did all of this while also making us feel super comfortable in front of the camera. She radiates a super positive energy that somehow makes its way into the picture. You can just tell its there. We're so happy with the overall experience and final product. Highly recommend her service for events near and far. Thank you Chelsea for documenting our big day so perfectly! xoxo
Chelsea was our photographer for our elopement in Hawaii (we're from Portland, so posting on the Seattle yelp page as well). Next to choosing my groom, she was the best decision fo...
r our wedding.
I know that sounds intense, it's a bold statement. But it's true. Right away she made me feel like the most beautiful person in the world, and had my husband and I laughing and loving one another the whole time she captured our special day. Her skills goes far beyond photography, to comedian, cheerleader, and inner diva summoner.
I was a bit worried because I'd gained some weight prior to the wedding, but she found all the right angles to make me remember the day as the most beautiful in my life. I just finished making our album and am so stoked because these pictures are magazine worthy. THANK YOU CHELSEA, you're really the best!
Maybe you find yourself here wondering if Chelsea is the right photographer for you. Let me save you some time and trouble and tell you she is. If you are looking for a photographe...
r that will make you feel like a queen on your wedding day and to take the most amazing photos you have ever seen than you should probably make one of the best decisions right now and pick Chelsea. She is a hype queen and I had SO many people come up to me after the wedding saying how much of a pleasure she was. They were not even in the wedding party. If that doesn't speak volumes that GUESTS were saying that than I don't know what will. Take one look at her instagram and you can see the amazing work she does. I do not even have my wedding photos back but Chelsea is SUCH a gem and snapped a few pics on her phone and sent them to us the morning after our wedding. It was such an amazing surprise to get! She took our engagement photos as well and they were stunning. Chelsea has such a great energy and spirit and having her take our photos was one of the best decisions we made during the wedding planning process. Chelsea will be my photographer for life because I want to have amazing photographs for life and I could never imagine settling for sub-par photographs.
The. Best. Ever. It's really that simple. Chelsea picks up her camera, and then promptly turns into a wizard. My (new) fiancé planned a surprise proposal with Chelsea that had one ...
million moving parts and it went off without a glitch--thanks to Chelsea's skill and sorcery. Upon viewing the photos from the proposal, I immediately hired Chelsea to be my wedding photographer. See, the thing is, these photos captured joy, surprise, elation, and love in a way I couldn't have dreamed possible. And, despite the fact that true surprise and joy can make my (and probably most human's) face look like I just stepped on a sharp rock, the photos are flawless. This is a mega talented woman who has clearly found her calling. I can't wait to experience her as my wedding photographer!!
Working with Chelsea far exceeded our expectations. We have both previously worked with professional photographers and thought we knew what to expect. But from our very first email...
interaction, we knew Chelsea was different. Besides her being fun and radiant she makes you so comfortable in front of the camera and creates THE best vibe. We really had so much fun shooting with her on our wedding day. She even had our driver play some kick butt music so that we could have fun on our ride to our ceremony site. And when we got the images...stunning. Not only does she have a wonderful personality, but she is incredibly talented with her camera. Our pictures were absolutely gorgeous AND we got A LOT of images - which from talking to friends who recently got married isn't always common. Getting married in Hawaii was a bit stressful because it was so far away from home, but we felt so comfortable with Chelsea throughout the entire process (inquiry to wedding day) that we never doubted our decision to hire her. Any time I am in her area, I will be sure to hire her again..just because. Do yourself a favor and hire Chelsea to shoot your special event, you wont regret it!!!!
Seriously the only photographer I'm ever going to want to capture my special moments!!! It was amazing having Chelsea take our wedding photos! Usually my husband and I are very awk...
ward in front of the camera, we're that couple that just sit there in unflattering poses and awkwardly smile. With Chelsea it was a a completely different experience! She made us feel so comfortable and relaxed I forgot we were even taking pictures! The experience itself was amazing and the photos came out way better than I could have ever anticipated or wished for! I truly felt like Chelsea was one of our family friends just attending our wedding with us and sharing in the joy we had. She is so professional but goofy and fun at the same time. We had a really windy salty wedding (it was also extremely cloudy at Laie point) but she came prepared wiping her tense every two minutes and having fun with it! If you want someone who will HYPE you up if you're awkward and really focus on that natural lighting Chelsea is the photographer for you!! This woman is PHENOMENAL!
Chelsea is nothing short of AH-MAZING! We hired her for a maternity shoot/family shoot, and first off, her energy is so great! She is very authentic and down to earth- so you fee...
l very comfortable with her, which is a MUST when it comes to getting along with your photographer...because if you don't feel comfortable...it will show in the pics. Then secondly, she is soooo skilled. She captures the perfect moment, and makes it look so magical. I wish I could rewind time to use her as my wedding photographer....maybe I will use her if I renew my vows! She is that good- you will start to make up events so she can capture them! Highly recommend!
We just got our wedding photos back from Chelsea… before her promised timeline (bonus) and we are mind blown! They are the most beautiful photos I have every seen. Chelsea doesn’t ...
produce wedding photos with just the average wedding poses. Her photos showcase her amazing talent to produce beautiful images celebrating the uniqueness of your love. She got ALL the lovey shots, ALL the tears of joy, ALL the silliness and giggles. In fact, it is hard to believe there was just one of her with all the different photos we received.
Chelsea is so easy to work with! She made us feel so comfortable; it was like working with a long time friend. The shyest of our wedding party stood confident and everyone at our wedding commented how fun she was. She was always responsive answering any questions we had and putting any concerns we had at ease. She is professional and was genuinely engaged in our personal vision. She went above and beyond, working behind the scenes to make sure the little details were noticed and the special moments were captured so we can relive them through our photos time and time again.
We are so grateful we found Chelsea; she has an eye for capturing magical photos. We look forward to another excuse to have her take our pictures again.
Chelsea is amazing! Period, point blank. She is so easy to work with no matter how uncomfortable you may feel in front of the camera and she will DE-LIV-ER! Not only are her photog...
raphs complete magic but she has the best personality and quickly becomes a friend. If I had it my way I would never use another photographer for anything!
Chelsea is an absolute DREAM! I'm a tad shy when it comes to having my photo taken, but Chelsea makes you feel so comfortable. I call her my forever hype girl because she makes y...
ou feel like you are the best thing to happen to this world and like you are a queen.
She is extremely professional and the photos she takes are breathtaking. I still can't stop looking at them. She knows exactly what to look for in photos and she'll admit to you that sometimes it feels weird, but when you see the results, she is spot-on. She knows exactly what she's talking about.
I can't say enough good things about her and would recommend her to anyone looking for a photographer. She's my go-to photographer for everything!
No one has ever encouraged me to SLAY SO HARD.
Let’s get this straight, I am not married. Chelsea did not photograph my wedding, but perhaps one day she will. What she did do, was...
create the most ridiculously fun bridal party shoot on the beach during a bachelorette party in Hawaii. Chelsea is so charismatic and made even the most shy of our 7 women give their best Trya smizes and Beyoncé slays. She instills confidence and energy in her subjects. I would love to work with her again.
I cannot recommend Chelsea enough!She’s professional, fun and a burst of energy which is exactly what you need if you’re camera shy.
I began my search for an engagement/pre weddin...
g shoot for our holiday in Hawaii and it was the best decision we made. We were only at one location and for a short time but Chelsea truly utilised this to our advantage. Our photos turned out to be so beautiful. They captured so much emotion and not only did she do couple shots but also solo shots which a lot of photographers in Sydney don’t offer.
Chelsea, thank you again for everything! We always get compliments of our photos and if we hadn’t booked our wedding photographer, we sure would have flown you over to Sydney. You’re great at what you do and we wish you all the best!
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