King & Opal

r her and vice versa. I really appreciate that Mariah meets with potential clients beforehand to understand their personalities, their story, their wedding vision and how she can bring that to life. She customizes her approach based off her clients’ preferences, whether that means being in the background or taking charge and giving directions for photos and poses. We opted for the latter, as we are not an overly romantic/PDA couple, and Mariah was incredibly helpful. She took control and gave easy-to-follow instructions, but also encouraged us to play around and find our own poses. We felt incredibly comfortable with her and it was like she was another friend on our big day, which really emulated in our photos. The King and Opal team has a sharp eye for unique surroundings and photo opportunities - they found murals behind our venue that we didn’t even know existed and asked us if we wanted to take some additional photos in front of the murals. We opted for the murals and I’m so glad we did - these became some of our favorite photos! Their attention to detail is incredible. Another example: while we were in the bridal suite getting ready, Mariah began taking photos and our wedding planner started to tidy up empty champagne glasses on a desk to make a clean space for the pictures. Mariah told her she didn’t need to do that since these details all tell the story of the day. I really respect that, as I want photos that bring our wedding day to life, even in the minutiae, which Mariah does so beautifully. I can’t recommend King and Opal enough - it was such a pleasure to work with this team.

bang party just two weeks ago. Finding a photographer who had both dates June/Sept open as well as someone that we liked seemed impossible. We did a video consult with Mariah and the stars literally aligned with our chemistry as well as the dates. Bridal miracle. In June we arranged a day where we wore our full wedding gear and took a limo around the city to get shots in some fun Chicago places. Mariah hopped in the limo with us and just made the day INCREDIBLY fun. My husband and I are super playful and aren't much for being "models" but we were both so happy and comfortable the pictures came out so unique and special. Headline: Everyone that sees the elopement photos wants to book King and Opal because of how uniquely she captured our spirits. We didn't want standard posing and we got way, way more. In September we had a party with some of our best, wildest pals from NYC and Chicago and our nutty families. I was genuinely in the middle of a panic attack while getting ready when Mariah walked in and she just made me feel like a new friend showed up to support me. Within 20 minutes I was enjoying being photographed laying on a couch really fellin myself in my bridal glow. Headline: The energy of the person capturing you and your people at your most overwhelmed and vulnerable MATTERS. I could go on forever but really, do yourself a favor and choose the gal with grit and grace. You'll remember the experience forever.

k City and having to plan a wedding in another state was a challenge since I don’t have many creative connections in Illinois. From the moment we met Mariah for our consultation meeting last Fall, we IMMEDIATELY clicked with her energy and it was a no brainer to us that we would love to work with her. Mariah came to New York on a cold Fall morning to shoot our engagement photos and came to shoot our engagement party as well. My husband and I are admittedly awkward and didn’t think we would feel comfortable with getting our pictures taken, but Mariah made us feel like we were just being ourselves as she captured us on camera. Our photos were always a top priority when planning our wedding vendor list and we could not have asked for a better match in creative expression than Mariah. With our engagement/engagement party photos as a teaser, we absolutely cannot wait for our rehearsal dinner/wedding day photos. Our guests were in awe of how she made everyone feel at ease and are equally as excited as we are to see what she captured on our big day!! Mariah is a creative genius and we are so happy to have been able to be added to the King & Opal family!!! Message her NOWWWWW to set up your consultation!!!!!!

t comes to affection but Mariah knew just what to do to make sure our photos showed our happiness and love for one another. She spent tons of time capturing little moments including a few belly laughs and looks to one another. She also really took the time to capture not only us, but the beautiful city of Chicago as our beautiful backdrop. She is also SUPER responsive and you can tell she not only loves her craft, but loves capturing your love. I seriously can't stop looking at our photo gallery. Daily, it's something I scroll through because it brings so much joy. Your photographer is one of the few things you don't want to screw up at your wedding and trust me when I say you couldn't hire anyone BETTER in Chicago than Mariah.

nd candid photos. She was an absolute joy to work with and all of our guests commented on how great her and Rich were!

s so easy-going, knowledgeable, skilled, and knew exactly how to make me feel at ease. Our engagement shoot was so fun and easy, Mariah really knew how to bring out our best sides and capture them. When it came to the wedding day, Mariah knew exactly what to do! She took control, captured every moment we wanted (had out her list that I sent her and made sure to get every single one of them) and every moment I didn't know I wanted but I now see I needed. Her eye for the perfect moment and pose is inspiring; she knew we had to go outside during that brief period where it stopped raining and captured my most favorite pictures ever. Talking to Mariah is like talking to my best friend of 10+ years. Not to mention, her editing skills are jaw-dropping! The amount of compliments I have gotten on every single picture I have posted is not-countable. I honestly cannot say enough amazing things about Mariah and King and Opal!!!

own away with the results. We also did a small assortment of posed photos as well as obligatory group shots and we felt very comfortable in all situations. Again, I cannot stress how smooth Mariah was at adapting with the event and taking the opportunities provided by downtime/transitions to either get a few more posed photos or to check in with us and the planner to see what else we may have wanted. Deliverables were phenomenal: the site and image quality she shared with us are top rate and tastefully designed and easy to use. Turnaround time was also excellent. highest recommendations

y beautiful. The photos ooze so much refinement and class. Mariah elevated our little COVID wedding and made it look like a really grand time. Working with Mariah felt like a true collaboration. She was so keen on understanding our vision and giving us exactly what we wanted. She even captured a very sentimental moment with me wearing my mother’s jewelry and honoring her despite her physical absence. She collaborated effortlessly with our friends and family on the actual day. As an introvert I was so nervous about wedding photography, thought I would just have to grin and bear it, but she made the whole process so easy, fun and effortless – it was like hanging out with a friend. We picked her because of her aesthetic sense, her artsy vibe and her keen eye for detail. Our wedding photos did not disappoint one bit! Seriously cannot tell you how many people complimented the photos. Do not think twice about booking her – she is an absolute genius and a gem!!!

in Mariah and she went above and beyond. She constantly checked in with me and put my concerns first. The pictures she delivered were beautiful, personal, and high quality. As every bride may mention there is always something they wish they could change about their wedding day because no day is perfect. But I wouldn't change my wedding photographer, that's non-negotiable. Stop looking and book her, she's worth it.

r wedding she had amazing positive energy, providing emotional support and navigated the unexpected with grace and kindness. She did a wonderful job capturing the setting, and got great family, friends, ceremony and reception photos. We got our photos back faster than anticipated and could not have been happier with both the digital and hard copy qualities. I could not recommend her services more highly!

ies and sweet surprises of caught moments among our family and friends. The presentation and care of which she mails your hard drive, album and prints is beautiful and SUCH a present when opening! Professionalism is 💯as well as all our experiences and communication with Mariah pre, during and post wedding! We love you Mariah and are so so so happy you captured our most joyous day with friends and family. ♥️”