Emily-Melissa Photography

We could not possibly be happier with our decision to hire Emily as our wedding photographer. It was easily one of the best choices we made while planning our wedding. I’d seen her photos on instagram and immediately fell in love with the vibrant colors, attention to detail, and just overall incredible artistry. Her photos radiate such warmth and love. She was the first (and ended up being the only) photographer we interviewed - as soon as our initial call ended we knew we had to book with her.  Emily was a huge help with planning our engagement photos as it was winter and Chicago still had mask requirements for indoor locations. We ended up taking most of the photos in our apartment and then braving a cold, snowy afternoon to get some gorgeous shots at Lincoln Park with the skyline behind us. Having never done a professional photoshoot before, I was a little nervous but as soon as she arrived Emily put us completely at ease. She gave great direction for posing that never felt forced and we had so much fun chatting with her between pictures.  Working with Emily (and her second photographer, Winter) on the day of our wedding was absolutely wonderful. Emily brings such a great energy, it made taking all the getting ready photos and group portraits that could have felt awkward a lot of fun and I honestly got as choked up over her reaction when I first put on my dress as I did with my loved ones’ reactions!  I was like a kid on Christmas the day we knew we’d be getting our photos. I woke up super early to check notifications and immediately made my husband get up to go look at the pictures with me. We’d known they’d be worth the wait but we were still so blown away. There were so many wonderful moments we didn’t even realize she’d captured until we saw the photos. The candid shots were so much fun and just as well composed as the formal portraits.  It’s been about a month now since we got the photos and there honestly hasn’t been a single day that I haven’t gone through the whole set at least once. After sharing the photos, we’ve had several people say that candids of them during the cocktail hour or reception are their new favorite photo of themselves or their loved ones and that the staged photos are so glamorous they look like they belong in a magazine. These photos are so much more than just snapshots of our day, they’re truly works of art that we’re going to treasure forever. 

Emily-Melissa's vivid photography style is what lured us in, but her personality is what cinched the deal. She is the sweetest, most supportive photographer. Provides lots of direction if you want it and is also open to suggestions (but her direction was phenomenal). Made everyone feel very comfortable. Really appreciated the engagement session so that we could get to know her style more. She was great in terms of return time for the photos and any editing we requested.

I'm a wedding photographer and hired Emily-Melissa to be my second photographer for a wedding local to her area. I was so impressed by her portfolio and, after meeting via Skype, her professional and kind demeanor. On the wedding day, Emily worked so well apart from me and handled all tasks given to her very well. She was completely in charge of many aspects of the day as I was busy elsewhere. It was a challenging, rainy wedding day but the images she delivered were to me were amazing and just what I was looking for. I will undoubtedly hire Emily-Melissa for future projects and never hesitate to refer couples to her. She's a gem and a true artist!

We have used Emily twice for our wedding events, the engagement session and the actually wedding. For reference, we are the couple in the gallery as with man in pink suit and woman in green and pink floral print dress. The engagement session was our first with Emily and she was so amazing and wonderful. That pic is one of our favorites but she took so many more! Her personality is warm and inviting so we didn’t have any nerves or anything. She’s a great director for setting scenes as well. She took more pictures than we possibly needed. We booked her for 2 hours with 2 clothing switches. She went above and beyond the two hours even after I mentioned that we were close on time. She said “don’t worry about it, we’re good!” It’s great to have a photographer who’s as into your shoot as you are. We loved her so much that when we had to switch plans for the pandemic and our wedding went from NOLA to Chi but ended up near St. Louis, it was never a doubt that Emily was taking the pics. She traveled downstate for us and delivered again as we knew she would. We have over 500 pics that are all usable and great! She didn’t even eat even though I mentioned that she could break for a sec! She’s a wonderful person who cares about her craft. I highly recommend. She’s already booked for the baby shower! :-)

Emily was an angel sent from above!!! I still can't believe we found her. From the very beginning I loved her energy! She is warm and friendly, but also extremely professional. I remember feeling nervous at the beginning of our engagement shoot because my fiance and I had never done something like it, but she eased us right in and gave us the direction we needed. I felt like a pro by the end of it! She navigated COVID wedding planning with us and was so kind and gracious as we rescheduled. She was great about making sure she knew exactly what we wanted for our day, but was also a great resource when we were unsure. She also sent us a survey a few weeks before so we could fill out all of the details. On the day of our wedding Emily was a super woman. She got there hours before I even asked her to arrive! She checked out the venue and made sure she was ready for our arrival. She even calmed me down at one point when my wedding nerves kicked in! And the photos.... WOW I still can't get over them. They were just breath taking. I have countless favorites. She caught so many priceless moments and made sure we got our shot list as well. We had family and friends calling us for days after posting photos saying how much they loved them. I am forever grateful we found Emily, and we will definitely be hiring her again for all of our milestones! I can't recommend her enough!

Emily was the best decision we made on our wedding. It's impossible for me to list everything she did, but I'll attempt to describe her: She lives her values, caring about community, culture and highlighting the love that makes modern weddings worth the stress. She provided guidance from day 1, recommending vendors, shot locations, lighting and outfits We had numerous (and I mean NUMEROUS) conversations leading up to our engagement shoot and wedding. Our first meeting lasted over an hour, discussion our mutual interests, her style, our story..all of that talking shown through in her work on the big day. Emily did our photos with only natural lighting, and it's astounding what she created. I've worked in the entertainment industry for over 10 years and these were truly the best photos I've even taken. I can't stress this enough: if you hire Emily-Melissa Photography (which YOU SHOULD), you aren't just getting a "wedding photographer". You're getting a genuine artist with a genuinely warm soul, who will highlight not just your event, but your story and your love.

Working with Emily was the best. She was so easy to work with and she made a camera-shy bride feel comfortable from beginning to end. She was on time, responsive, and flexible-even when we changed up where we'd take pictures pre-ceremony. Emily captured some true stunners and my husband and I could not be happier with how our entire gallery turned out. So many family and friends came up to me throughout our wedding night and commented that Emily was on top of all the major milestones happening throughout the day. The best part was I didn't even notice her snapping pictures! 10/10.

Emily was our absolute dream photographer, we were so lucky to have her and I can't recommend her enough! She is a true artist, and deeply skilled with manipulating natural light. Our outdoor engagement and wedding photos are gorgeous. She put me at ease the first time I spoke to her over the phone, she talked about her passion for this work, what to expect, and I was ready to book her immediately because she is so warm and open in sharing her ideas. I also felt that Emily was very generous with hearing our ideas and concepts and discussing how to make those ideas a reality. She made the whole process a breeze for scheduling and sharing shot list ideas. Emily is professional and an absolutely lovely person and you should book her ASAP. I felt like she captured who we were as a couple perfectly, and the photos are so rich and interesting. I will be smiling about these photos and working with Emily for the rest of my life. Thank you Emily for your expertise, kindness, passionate artistry, and speedy delivery of the photos to boot!

Emily-Melissa made us feel relaxed and at ease from the very beginning. She heard our needs, provided great suggestions, and exceeded our wildest dreams. She is a magician behind the camera with an amazing eye for detail. Because of her and her photography expertise, we were able to enjoy our special day and relive it in vibrant detail. We recommend her to everyone!

Emily is professional, and does beautiful photography. Her work is stunning , and I would recommend anyone to her. She cares about your vision and is sure to go above and beyond to deliver. Hands down one of the best.

Emily was an absolutely amazing wedding photographer. From the beginning of our planning process, she was fully engaged, listening to our vision, and encouraging us along the way. She was an integral part of our wedding team as she worked well with our wedding planner, decorator, videographer, and other vendors. When presented with challenges, she was always solution-oriented. She was super clutch with a recommendation during our final walk-through at the venue the week before our wedding. Her recommendation shifted the seating of our guests from facing south to facing west at our outdoor evening ceremony. This shift maximized both the lighting and use of the patio space and helped us more effectively transition of our guests to the cocktail hour. In addition to her thorough planning and logistical skillsets, she takes incredibly stunning photos. Both our engagement and wedding photos were the envy of all our family and friends! Our wedding day was long, full of multiple locations for our pre-wedding photos and included stops at a museum, a beach, a church, and a monument all before the actual ceremony and reception. Emily made sure we got all of our pre-wedding shots that we wanted as well as the special can't miss moments like the jumping of the broom and the first dance. She also got all the shots from when we went table to table at the reception greeting all of our beloved friends and family. I could go on and on... Simply put Em is one of the dopest wedding photographers out and I'm so thankful that she was such a major part of me and wife's special day!

We had an amazing experience with Emily. She went above and beyond to bring our vision to life. She is professional, timely and the best! Stop searching. Book her now, and be amazed with beautiful memories from her creative work.

My husband and I used Emily Melissa for both our engagement photos and our wedding. She is amazing! I loved the way she kept tabs on the looks and shots I wanted. She is prompt and very thorough often arriving at the venue early for setup up and visiting the photo areas to make sure she was equipped with the right camera and lights. Our wedding was a hot July day, but Em and her assistant worked so hard to capture our best moments. She also returned our photos promptly (we were on honeymoon). We have recommended several of our friends to Em and they too have been most pleased. When my family needs photos Emily is my go to!!

Emily is a fantastic photographer! From booking with her 8 months before the wedding, to our engagement session and through the wedding day, we truly enjoyed working with her. I am thrilled with how our pictures turned out! She’s friendly, creative, and talented and I would highly recommend her to other couples!

Emily is fantastic to work with! My fiancé and I recently booked her for our engagement shot and she blew it out of the water! She is super sweet and really cares about capturing the vision that you are looking for. I’m a huge overthinker but Emily knew how to put my concerns to rest. The photos were amazing! I can’t wait to work with her on the day of our wedding :)

Emily did an awesome job on our engagement photos. Our session was so much fun & the photos were amazing. I’m not one for taking a lot of pictures, but before you knew it I felt like I was doing a shoot for the cover of GQ! Ha! She made us feel so comfortable. She is very punctual, engaging and personable. You can really tell she has a passion for capturing great moments and making your occasion memorable. My fiancée and I highly recommend her and we will use her services in the future.

Emily-Melissa was excellent! She was punctual, very engaging and totally all-in with our engagement session. There was an almost instant connection & it felt like we had known her for years! She made us comfortable, took her time & reminded us that her goal was to ensure that we had some great photos...and she delivered! Her sense of humor matched ours so it was definitely a shoot to remember! I would recommend her to anyone!

Emily did our wedding and I could not be happier with the photos or the experience. She was personable, professional and a great person to work with. I was blown away by the images we received and have gotten so many compliments on how everything turned out. She will definitely be used for any future special events we have.

Emily is amazingly talented and really knows how to bring out the true essence of a person in her photography. She is a kind and empathetic photographer so you automatically feel comfortable working with her. I recommend her 1000%!

Emily is friendly, accommodating, patient and truly professional. She made us feel comfortable and captured our most romantic moments. Her work is amazing!

Where do I begin.. Emily is such a fantastic, professional and warm person. We had the pleasure of having her take our engagement pictures. They were beautiful. Her eye for “that moment” is absolutely breathtaking. Her professionalism and passion shows in her work! She comes highly recommended!

Emily is amazing. During the ceremony, she got so many amazing shots and we weren't even aware she was around for 98% of them! She managed to tell a beautiful story, the preparation, the ceremony, the reception, and our leaving, in a serious of wonderful shots that were candid and flattering. Her attention to detail, color, and lighting, as well as her genuine sweetness made our day wonderful!

She was wonderful with the huge group of bikers!

Emily is truly an amazing photographer. Not only does she have an amazing eye but she makes you feel such at ease with every shot she takes. We instantly fell in love with her after our engagement session, and at our wedding everyone was stating how amazingly nice our photographer was! You can tell that she has a heart for wedding photography and it really shows in the photos she delivers. She really captures the essence of each couple-- we personally couldn't be more pleased with how beautiful and personal our photos were! I would recommend her to anyone (and already have), as I know how important wedding photos are, and she will not disappoint!

Our wedding was amazing, and part of it was because of Emily ! She is an incredible photographer, she had great ideas for the photo shoot, we barely noticed her throughout the ceremony, and she was able to take fantastic shots. She's always available and someone you can count on! I was very happy to have her as our wedding photographer. We will most definitely work with her again !