Elaine Gates Photography

Elaine was by and far the favorite of our Wedding vendors. She kept things flowing smoothly and the results were excellent.

We loved working with Elaine! There are three main things we liked: she listened to and understood our vision; she was an excellent coordinator on the wedding day; and we LOVE the photos! From the first time I spoke to Elaine, about six months before our wedding, it was clear to me that she understood the kind of wedding I wanted: intimate and understated. On the day of the wedding, she was a warm, calm, and independent presence who did not need much attention or direction from me in order to be able to do her job. We particularly valued her direct communication and instructions at key moments, like organizing family photos after the ceremony. She is also a wealth of knowledge about some logistical elements of the wedding day that I was a little overwhelmed by - like when the flowers should be distributed to the wedding party or what is the best order in which to take photos - that kind of thing. She was very efficient at getting the photos we requested at the reception, so that we could return to the party quickly. Bonus: she also really bonded with my flower girls, who were following her around, and I have so many cute pictures of her with them! By the end of the day I felt like she was a friend and also an absolutely invaluable part of the proceedings, like a photographer and a wedding coordinator all in one. And you'll just have to take our word for it that the photos are beautiful. We got exactly the shots we wanted and look forward to sharing them with our children one day!

My husband and I got married on December 3rd, 2022 and had Elaine as our photographer. She was recommended to us through friends, and after our initial meeting with her, we knew we wanted to book her immediately! Elaine answered all of our questions along the way for engagement photos and our wedding photos, and is so kind and personable. She was very easy to contact throughout our wedding process and always got back to us quickly and answered any questions we had thoroughly. She is truly gifted at what she does and our engagement and wedding photos all came out better than we could have ever imagined! Thank you, Elaine, for capturing so many special moments throughout such a big life event for us. We look forward to having you capture many more memories in the future!

Elaine went above and beyond to make our wedding day perfect! She arrived at the church before even we got there and was always around for anything we could possibly want or need. She even helped me maneuver my dress's train around the church and into the car. I cannot recommend Elaine enough to couples looking for a warm and friendly photographer who is willing to try anything for the couple. Thank you, Elaine!!!

We loved having Elaine as our wedding photographer. We really wanted someone who would capture candid moments and blend into the ceremony and reception organically. She did a wonderful job and provided just the right amount of guidance. She was extremely professional and easy to communicate with throughout the process. We also felt like her prices were very reasonable and she provided many different options depending on budget which we really appreciated.

Elaine is very kind and professional. She worked well with everyone and captured the moments beautifully. We got our photos back quickly and they’re beautiful. I especially love how the portraits turned out. Thank you so much Elaine!

Elaine was incredible - she made me feel like a queen on my wedding day!! When she arrived, she went right to work getting all of the photos I requested, plus a ton I hadn't even thought of!! Elaine was there for us every step of the way to ensure, literally, a PICTURE PERFECT wedding. THANK YOU!!!!!

Elaine is such a sweet, caring, and beautiful person. She helped with more than just photos. Elaine would ask where I was in my planning (I found Elaine before I locked in my venue!). She gave suggestions of florists, DJs, and reverends that she had worked with over the years. Elaine made my day beautiful! She was zipping around, keeping us on track, and keeping me from falling! She grabbed all my "must-have" photos and many more. Elaine will go out of her way to get the best photograph. I will be using Elaine for all my future events! She truly loves what she does and takes pride in her work.

This review is long overdue but well deserved. Elaine is so down to earth and made us feel comfortable from the 1st meeting to the day of the wedding. She went out of her way to make sure I got poses that I wanted or hoped for. Our picture location didn't go quite as planned and she quickly suggested alternatives that I think ended up being even better! She was also so willing to help me figure out timelines or anything wedding related, she was happy to help! I would recommend Elaine to anyone & will consider her for possible future needs!

Absolutely loved working with Elaine!! She is very organized, professional, and kind hearted. She pays attention to detail while executing the flow of the photography session with ease and precision. Prior to the wedding she sent a questionnaire on things she needed to know- what photo poses I wanted, did we want a first look, how were our family dynamics, etc. On the wedding day she was prompt, and made sure that my and my husband's parents were even happy with the photos that were taken. Our other vendors (DJ, venue, videographer) all told me how much they love working with Elaine as well. Could not ask for a better person to work with!

Elaine is so professional, kind and talented! She really listens and does an amazing job! I recommend her for any event you want to capture! Out of the 1,000 photos she took, they were ALL beautiful! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Elaine is definitely one of the best in the area! My wife and I chose to go with Elaine and it was one of the best decisions for our wedding - we have hundreds of great pictures that we will be able to look back upon in the future. Throughout the engagement session and the wedding pictures, Elaine makes everything seem so simple and helps guide you through the process. She is very organized and has great ideas to help you create memorable photos. It was amazing to hear our family comment on how great the photographer was. To top it off, when we received our wedding photos, our family was in even more of an awe at how great they were! If you are on the fence about choosing a photographer, I would recommend that you go with Elaine -- you will not be disappointed!

Elaine far exceeded our expectations! She did our engagement and wedding photos and both of them were incredible quality and done beautifully. My husband and I felt such ease being around her and she is a complete professional. I would recommend her to anyone and we will be using her again!

Where do I even begin? Elaine is FANTASTIC. She made our wedding day run smoothly and she stayed on our schedule. We are very appreciative and thankful that we booked Elaine. She is extremely comfortable to work with and is genuinely down to earth. Thank you for making our wedding day one of the best days. You're the best!

Elaine is seriously the best! The pictures she captured on our wedding were beautiful and best of all they truly captured all of the love on that day. She was also so willing to help out in any way like carrying flowers/ the train of the dress. Would recommend to anyone!

OH MY GOSH!!!! I can't even begin to describe how amazing Elaine Gates is. When you are looking for a photographer you are obviously looking at the work they do and how good the outcome is. Not only is that important, but it's also important to have a photographer that knows what they're doing and also makes you feel comfortable while doing it. Elaine is an amazing photographer. I have goose bumps writing this. Anyways, Elaine knows exactly what she's doing and she's great at it. She's the sweetest person ever. She will make all your fears of getting pictures go away. She makes it comfortable. Also... HER PICTURES! They are SOOOOO good. When I was in high school, I remember seeing her pictures and telling myself that she WILL photograph my wedding. About 2 years out of high school I got engaged and I asked her if she had my wedding date available, and she DID!!! I was so happy. She truly brings out the best of people in a picture, her pictures are so bright and beautiful. My husband and j loved our engagement pictures and wedding pictures. There were so many good ones, that I couldn't just choose one favorite. (Please go to her Facebook and look at her pictures, Elaine Gates Photography) I honestly have so many good things to say about her, that I could go on forever. But do yourself a favor and choose her, you will not regret it. THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH ELAINE!!!!

Elaine did a absolutely wonderful job!! My husband and I loved our wedding photos, and I would highly recommend Elaine Gates Photography. I cannot say enough great things about everything. She was very organized and kept all the details and schedule in order. She was quick and efficient with photos when she needed to be. Could not be happier and would choose Elaine again in a heartbeat! Thank you so much Elaine!!

We were so blessed to have Elaine take pictures on our wedding day!! She made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera, which allowed Drew and I to be ourselves! She captured so many precious moments that would have been lost without her. We loved getting to know her and are extremely happy with the pictures she took of our big day! One of our favorite pictures was the large group shot of all the guests that attend our wedding! We love looking back on that picture to see all of our loved ones that were able to share with us in our special day. We ended up using that picture as our "thank you" cards. Guests LOVED it and commented on how wonderful Elaine was! We would love to hire Elaine again for any milestone memory that we want captured!

Elaine is amazing! She is so easy to work with and really makes you feel comfortable. She listens to any ideas you have and also gives great ones of her own. She captures such beautiful photos that you will forever cherish! If you are looking for a photographer to capture and produce beautiful and memorable images, choose Elaine! She won't disappoint!

Can't say enough good things about Elaine! She does an absolutely fabulous job! She captured our day in such a perfect way and works with you to make it exactly how you want it. Highly recommend her for your wedding day!!

My husband and I are so happy that we chose Elaine to photograph our wedding. Each image is absolutely amazing! Elaine has a wonderful personality and is so easy to work with. We would never choose anyone else. Thank you Elaine!!

Elaine was awesome. From the moment we first inquired about her services and met with her we were sold and excited for our big day. She did not disappoint. Not only does she have a wonderful eye for photography and all of our photos looked amazing, she helped us with small things like setting a schedule for the day. Our families and bridal party all thought she was great and she really made the whole day flow nicely. Our photos turned out great, everything (proofs and albums) was delivered in a timely manner and we highly recommend her to anyone looking for a wedding photographer!

Elaine Gates was the BEST! She made us feel so comfortable. The pictures she took turned out incredible and we are so happy we picked her to be our photographer for our wedding. I would tell everyone to use Elaine! She captured so many great and special moments. Our pictures were perfect because of Elaine! I would HIGHLY recommend her!

Elaine was recommended to me by one of my friend's friend, who hired her to be her wedding photographer the year before my wedding. My husband and I met with her about 11 months before our wedding and knew immediately that she was "the one". Elaine was more than willing to work with our budget constraints and allowed us to take a cheaper package and add on one extra hour instead of taking the next package up, which added more "extras" that we didn't need or want, in addition to just time. Part of signing a wedding contract with her means that you get a free engagement session. To order the prints was fairly expensive, but if you're just picking 3-4 pictures to use for save-the-dates, parents' gifts, etc., it's not that bad. She does all of her own printing, so it makes sense that the prices are more inflated than say, at Walmart. About 4 months prior to the wedding, Elaine sent out a questionnaire in order to finalize things about the bride and groom's wishes for their wedding day. This was so she wouldn't need to hunt us down on the day-of to ask questions, such as: who we want in photos, if there are certain people who do not get along, who our vendors are, what time she should arrive to the venue, does the couple want a "first look", etc. On the day of the wedding, Elaine showed up early to the venue (no extra charge) and hung out with my bridesmaids', close two friends, and me in the bridal suite. She took photos there, moved us outside and then moved on to the guys, all the while, respecting my wishes to not see my husband until the ceremony. She was also very respectful and supportive, as my mother and I were not on speaking terms on the day of the wedding. I was pretty noticeably upset, but Elaine really related to my situation and made me feel totally at ease. The pre-ceremony bridesmaid photos were amazing! Elaine did not pose us into "cardboard" poses. She actually walked around with my "wedding photo" Pinterest board pulled up on her phone so she could make sure she got the shots that I wanted. She also followed behind us girls and took many candids. Finally, we came up with a lot of her own poses, and she not once corrected us or said no because her suggestions were better. It was so nice to have someone easy-going like Elaine, especially on a wedding day, which is full of a lot of stressors. The ceremony photos came out beautifully. No other description necessary :) After the ceremony, we took whole bridal party photos and family photos and again, she was amazing! She even suggested that my husband's good friend (who was not in the bridal party), run and grab beers for everyone so we could hang out while taking pictures and have a great time. The reception photos were fabulous. Price was amazing! Elaine even stayed an hour past the time in her contract because she wanted to take some "better" pictures. We were never charged for these. On top of the package price, we opted out of the album she provided in order to get the USB with rights to all the photos. Elaine took off the price of the album from the USB drive. We got all of these photos back within 10 weeks of the wedding. We also got online album access 8 weeks after our wedding. Elaine Gates exceeded every expectation that my husband or I had for a wedding photographer. We cannot wait until our next major event so we can utilize her services again!

Elaine not only captures your day with amazing editorial photos, but also fits right in. She makes you feel comfortable while getting dressed and hanging out with your girlfriends. She doesn't get in the way or block every person's view during the ceremony. And, even remembers guests names for the reception and family photos. Our wedding day couldn't have been the same without her and now I have amazing photographs to remember our day forever! Love her!

Elaine was absolutely fabulous and wonderful. She made sure our whole day went absolutely perfect and took the most amazing pictures. She has so many creative and outstanding ideas on how to capture your special day. We absolutely love her and would recommend her to anyone.

Elaine was professional, creative, flexible and responsive! I would recommend her in a heartbeat - her prices are reasonable and her pictures are great! She maanaged to be everwhere and yet be unobtrusive at our wedding - definitely a plus!

Elaine was fabulous! As a photographer myself, i was very particular with who would be selected to take my wedding photos. Elaine was and is fantastic! My husband and myself are THRILLED with the quality and results! :] Thank you Elaine!

Elaine is an exceptional photographer! She does amazing work and at the same time makes you feel like her top priority! I am just thrilled she was a part of my special day. I highly recommend her if you want a true professional who honestly cares about making your day a special one. She has my highest recommendation!

Elaine was a joy to work with from our very first interaction with her! From the engagement shots to the shots on our wedding day she has a way of capturing special moments between the couple and among their families that are simply priceless. I loved so many of my engagement pictures that I simply could not decide on just one to put on the "Save the Dates." She also took the time to meet with me just a couple days before the wedding to finalize details, times, etc. It happened to rain on our wedding day and she still managed to get awesome shots of our wedding party and all the special events of the day. Elaine Gates is great to work with and truly an amazing photographer! :)

Great photographer, loving the pictures and her personality. She is not fake like some other photographers I have come into contact with. Great with the little kids that were in my wedding, she kept their attention when they were starting to get antsy.

I couldn't of asked for a better photographer. She was great with the whole entire family, especially my daughter. She even brought candy (asked permission first before giving it to any child) to keep any kids happy during pictures. We went to clean up our reception hall the next day and my 2 year old daughter was asking for her. Our photos turned out absolutely beautiful. She had a great attitude the whole entire time and caught every perfect moment. I can't seem to thank her enough!