Long story made short, you should absolutely hire Kelly!! She is an incredible photographer and person. Kelly truly went above and beyond as our wedding photographer. She’s organized, fun to work with, and knows how to capture a memory to last forever. Working with Kelly ensured we got photos that truly represented us as a couple. We did all the poses you do during weddings but Kelly can really capture the moments in between without you even realizing! As a lesbian couple, Kelly always made us feel comfortable, seen, celebrated, and respected. This was so important to us to have in a wedding photographer and Kelly did it all automatically. We are a bit of a shy couple and Kelly was able to bring out our personalities and made us feel comfortable in front of the camera.
Ann C.
5.0
We couldn't recommend Kelly more - she was both incredibly professional and incredibly kind. We booked her for our engagement session and our wedding day and the photos speak for themselves - she perfectly captured the energy and heart of our wedding day. Her coloring on the entire album is fantastic - it's true to life but still so sweet. We wanted a few formal photos, but wanted to be pretty in-the-moment on the day: Kelly and her team managed to capture the most beautiful shots, and honestly, we didn't notice the camera. Multiple of my bridesmaids have said that these were the best wedding photos they've ever seen. Literally couldn't recommend her work more, and we'd be happy to serve as a reference!!
Jess K.
5.0
About this vendor
Kelly Spaine
OWNER
AWARD WINNER (2X)
Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot
Hi! I'm Kelly! I'm a Charlottesville-based photographer specializing in Wedding & Engagement photography! Although I'm based in Charlottesville, I do serve all of Virginia and DC, as well as a few out-of-state weddings per year.
My passion is capturing celebrations of love in an authentic and artistic way. Weddings are one of the biggest ways we celebrate love and my goal as your photographer is to preserve all those moments for years to come!
I offer several packages, as well as custom packages built around your specific wedding day needs! All packages include a complimentary engagement session, custom wedding day timeline, and a digital wedding gallery!
Everyone's story matters. That's why I believe it is important to let my clients know that I am an LGBTQIA+ and BLM ally.
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.
Join couples who chose award-winning vendors for their wedding
Meet the team
Kelly Spaine
Owner
Hi! I'm Kelly, a professional wedding + engagement photographer based in Charlottesville, VA (but available for travel worldwide)!
I've been photographing weddings for four years now and it's my favorite thing ever!
I'd describe my photography style as modern and natural - I love incorporating a mix of traditional poses and more natural, prompted movements into my sessions. When editing, I strive to keep tones true to life overall, with a bit of added vibrancy for a little punch!
Reviews
5.0
out of 5.0
20 reviews
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Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Reviewers praise Kelly as an organized, professional, and kind wedding photographer who makes couples feel comfortable and captures natural, emotional moments. She’s attentive, communicative, efficient with family/group shots, quick with sneak peeks and full galleries, and brings calming, positive energy throughout the day. Clients love her vibrant, true-to-life editing and say the photos exceed expectations.
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
Ann C
5.0
12/27/2025
Long story made short, you should absolutely hire Kelly!! She is an incredible photographer and person. Kelly truly went above and beyond as our wedding photographer. She’s organiz...
ed, fun to work with, and knows how to capture a memory to last forever. Working with Kelly ensured we got photos that truly represented us as a couple. We did all the poses you do during weddings but Kelly can really capture the moments in between without you even realizing! As a lesbian couple, Kelly always made us feel comfortable, seen, celebrated, and respected. This was so important to us to have in a wedding photographer and Kelly did it all automatically. We are a bit of a shy couple and Kelly was able to bring out our personalities and made us feel comfortable in front of the camera.
Jess K
5.0
12/22/2025
We couldn't recommend Kelly more - she was both incredibly professional and incredibly kind. We booked her for our engagement session and our wedding day and the photos speak for t...
hemselves - she perfectly captured the energy and heart of our wedding day. Her coloring on the entire album is fantastic - it's true to life but still so sweet. We wanted a few formal photos, but wanted to be pretty in-the-moment on the day: Kelly and her team managed to capture the most beautiful shots, and honestly, we didn't notice the camera. Multiple of my bridesmaids have said that these were the best wedding photos they've ever seen. Literally couldn't recommend her work more, and we'd be happy to serve as a reference!!
Any questions?
Kendra G
5.0
11/19/2025
Kelly was incredible to work with! She was extremely attentive throughout the entire process and instantly understood the style we were looking for. On the wedding day, she made us...
feel comfortable, kept everything calm and easy, and somehow captured every moment without ever feeling intrusive.
The photos are absolutely beautiful—exactly what we’d hoped for and more. We’re so grateful to have had Kelly as our photographer and would recommend her in a heartbeat.
Cassidy D
5.0
11/18/2025
Kelly was hands down the absolute best photographer to work with. She understood my vision completely and was a dream to have as a vendor. I cannot stop looking at our photos and c...
ouldn’t be more pleased to have them for the rest of our lives!
Edward C
5.0
10/19/2025
We absolutely loved getting to know Kelly and her photography skills are unmatched!! She is so kind and fun, and made posing very natural which is a big plus for us. We will defini...
tely utilize her skills again in the future if we ever get a chance!! We LOVE our albums!
Addie W
5.0
7/04/2025
I highly recommend Kelly for wedding photography! We walked all around the property to get numerous backgrounds/shots. She paid great attention to detail, was super easy to work wi...
th, and helped us feel comfortable in front of the camera. The planning leading up to the wedding was quick and thorough. We filled out an information sheet with all the combinations we wanted for family/wedding party pictures and they got those photos done quickly and efficiently. We are so happy with the final gallery and there are more pictures than we know what to do with!
Haley W
5.0
5/03/2025
We couldn’t be happier with our experience working with Kelly! From our engagement shoot to our wedding day, she went above and beyond in every way. On our wedding day alone, we ha...
d five different location changes, and she handled each transition effortlessly. Not only did she capture every important moment beautifully, but she also brought such a calming and positive energy to the entire day—which made a huge difference for us and our families. If you’re looking for a photographer who is not only incredibly talented but also genuinely invested in making your day special, look no further. Kelly is simply the best!
Amanda H
5.0
12/17/2024
I must confess I knew Kelly and her work prior to hiring her as our wedding photographer, but it's precisely because I saw the quality of her work and her professionalism both on a...
nd off the job that I knew long ago I wanted to have her for our wedding. She's the best hype person both during and leading up to the wedding and an amazing resource for those doing a lot of their own initial planning (as we did). I love how full of life and color her editing style is, and she made the entire process of photo-taking incredibly easy and comfortable. We even got sneak peeks of some highlight shots back within a few days of the wedding! I'm so grateful she was able to shoot our wedding, and I'll recommend her endlessly to anyone who asks. Thanks so much Kelly! You're the best!
anonymous u
5.0
8/24/2024
Kelly was a great addition to our wedding day vendors! She is very kind and aware of how you are feeling during the day and has a great sense of artistic ability. We also got our w...
edding photos back very quickly!
Casey B
5.0
8/01/2024
We can’t recommend Kelly Spaine Photography enough!
Kelly started with a Zoom call where she clearly laid out her services, approach, and expectations. Since neither of us had ev...
er had professional photos taken, we were happy that she is so clear with directions. That said, she very much makes her photos a collaborative experience and prioritized the two of us getting the photos we wanted.
On our wedding day, she continued to bring that level of professionalism. She was very communicative and flexible through the whole process, always making sure we got the photos that we wanted with family, friends, and by ourselves. We especially appreciated that she told us 30 minutes before she left that it was our last chance to get the photos we wanted. Overall it was a great experience and we love our pictures.
Kaleigh P
5.0
7/22/2024
We couldn't have asked for a better photographer for our special day. From the moment we met Kelly, we knew we were in good hands. Her artistic vision and attention to detail shone...
through in every shot, capturing moments we'll treasure forever.
Kelly was not only incredibly talented but also a pleasure to work with. She made us feel comfortable and relaxed, which truly reflected in the natural and candid feel of the photographs.
Communication was seamless throughout the entire process, from initial planning to the final delivery of our photos. Kelly was responsive to our ideas and preferences, and her expertise in guiding us through the timeline ensured everything ran smoothly.
The photos themselves surpassed our expectations. Each picture tells a story, and we are amazed at how she captured the emotions and atmosphere of our wedding day so beautifully. The quality of her work is outstanding, and we've received countless compliments from friends and family.
Without a doubt, choosing Kelly was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. We cannot recommend her highly enough to anyone looking for a photographer with true talent and passion. I can honestly say we will use Kelly for every photography need we have moving forward. HIRE HER NOW!!!
Allison K
5.0
2/05/2024
My wife and I are so grateful that we chose Kelly to be our photographer for our wedding this past October. She brought so much positive energy and our photos look absolutely beaut...
iful! Neither of us love being in front of a camera, but Kelly made us feel so comfortable and confident. We highly recommend Kelly for her photography skills, as well as her calming and fun presence! Out of all of our vendors, we spent the most time with our photographer, so we are very glad we had Kelly by our side! We can't say enough good things about Kelly and our photos!
Jessica C
5.0
12/15/2023
Kelly was the perfect addition to our wedding day! Her and her equally talented photographer partner were able to capture all the best moments of our wedding, family, and friends! ...
Beyond being very skilled at her craft she was such a delight to work with. Planning a wedding is so stressful, but luckily with Kelly the photography portion was so chill. She also did a GREAT engagement session with us and was able to integrate the beautiful scenery so well! We have received so many compliments on the pictures!
Anna M
5.0
10/02/2023
Kelly was awesome to work with. She was extremely professional, very communicative, and took fantastic photos! She sent us a large sneak peak a few days after our wedding, and had ...
our entire gallery finished in less than a month. We highly recommend her!
Mary B
5.0
8/13/2023
Hiring Kelly was one of the best decisions we made wedding planning. Firstly, she was extremely responsive leading up to the wedding. We found out it was going to rain a few days b...
efore the wedding and were panicking. Kelly showed up promptly on our wedding morning and took over the reigns. She found a new spot for us to do our first look and played the role of both weatherman and photographer throughout the day -- grabbing us whenever the weather cleared up and finding dry places to take pictures. She was a dream to work with and went above and beyond what we expected.
Our photos are absolutely stunning! She captured the magical essence of the foggy/rainy day on the mountain perfectly. We are so grateful for all of the beautiful moments she captured that we will remember for the rest of our lives. Thank you so much Kelly!
Seneca A
5.0
11/17/2022
BOOK KELLY TODAY! Kelly was truly the glue that kept everything together on our wedding day and I'll never be able to thank her enough. Choosing her as our photographer was the bes...
t choice we made throughout the process. She not only took the greatest photos we could imagine, but she wore several hats day of (making sure I stayed hydrated, had food, best angles, stayed on schedule, etc). I would not have been able to enjoy my wedding day as much as I did without Kelly. She was the MVP of all of our vendors. She was so professional, efficient, diligent, and always stayed in contact with us throughout the process. Cannot say enough good things about her! 10/10 Recommend!
Sarah B
5.0
11/14/2022
Kelly Spaine was above and beyond our expectations of our engagement and wedding photographer. She made the picture taking process such a breeze. She went out of her way to capture...
our dream sunrise photos on the beach for our engagement, and every detailed planned of poses so it was effortless and comfortable for us to jump right into our session. Our wedding day photo album brings tears to my eyes every time I look at our photos. She captures the natural emotion and comfortably of my husband and myself, along with our giant family. Planning was down to the minute which kept our wedding day organized and made sure we got every photo we wanted to be captured done. I could not recommend Kelly enough to capture the most amazing day of your life. I hope one day she will capture our future family photos whenever that will happen!
Brenna H
5.0
10/28/2022
Kelly took our engagement AND wedding photos this past year. We were so incredibly impressed! She was wonderful to work with—very professional and personable. She made everyone fe...
el so comfortable and relaxed. She is an expert at her craft! At the wedding, she captured all posed photos we wanted, made wonderful suggestions, and didn’t stop all night with amazing candid shots! There was not one bad picture and she didn’t miss a thing! You must have Kelly to photograph your event!
Daren E
5.0
10/15/2022
Kelly is an amazing photographer and the consummate professional. She was very attentive to our needs and made sure everything went well. Kelly went above and beyond what we expect...
ed from a photographer. She made sure the bride had enough to eat for example because sometimes It is easy to forget to eat.. I highly recommend Kelly for any photography needs. Kelly also did our engagement photos
Theresa N
5.0
8/19/2022
If I could give more than five stars I would! Kelly is the absolute best! Kelly is professional, supportive, calm, yet assertive (needed with a large bridal party). She is absolute...
ly everything we wanted in a wedding photographer and more. Kelly shot our engagement pictures as well as our wedding day. Both shoots were available for us within a very reasonable time which is great when you are anxious to see the result. The wedding photos are filed into categories which makes it very easy when downloading your favorites. We had way more wedding photos than we thought we would get which is a fantastic surprise. Kelly's photographs are soft, but also true to color which was exactly what we wanted. Kelly made us feel completely comfortable during photos and is so kind. She also worked super well with our other vendors (videographer, etc.). We absolutely love her work and are unbelievably thrilled that we chose her to be our wedding photographer. If you are considering using Kelly, do it! You will not be disappointed.
