About this vendor
For the free-spirited lovers, adventurers, city dwellers, cool kids, & party people ♥︎
You can trust that while you and your love revel in each other, we'll be seeking emotion-rich moments, beautiful light, & all of the details that tell your unique story with sincerity. We use both modern digital & vintage film cameras to create wedding collections that are timeless in character and emotion.
And while we adore the breathtaking beauty of places like the Pacific Northwest, even a small patch of wildflowers in a midwest backyard holds its own charm. From botanical gardens & private estates to small dive bars & industrial lofts ~ wherever we find ourselves, you can trust that we'll artfully capture what will become your cherished memories. We'll help you shed inhibitions, guiding you into real scenarios that get you laughing, moving naturally, & authentically connecting. No pressure or pretending to be someone else.
Get in touch for pricing, or if you just want to connect more directly and share your vision. Always happy to chat!
Details
Business Attributes
- 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
- Film Photography
- Online Proofing
- Photo
- Printed Enlargements
- Printed Proofs
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Classic
- Documentary
- Dramatic
- Lifestyle
- Modern
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
Awards and Affiliations
2024 '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.
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help
you make those big decisions with ease.
5
out of 5.027 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
WHERE TO BEGIN! Mariah and team are photography angels that we were lucky enough to work with for our Sept 2025 wedding. We immediately fell in love with her combination of candid ...
moments and high-editorial style. She had such a beauty, artistic vision for the day and I loved that she also incorporated film and polaroids into the package. I also arranged for a secret boudoir shoot as a gift for my husband, and I've never felt more confident or had more fun of an afternoon. Mariah is truly an artist and we are in love with all of the memories that she preserved for us.
King and Opal did a phenomenal job at our wedding. We worked with Mariah and she was exceptional from start to finish. She helped a shy groom come out of his shell and did a great ...
job capturing great photos while dealing with drunk personalities. Mariah is super nice and personable, and the photos themselves are amazing! Not only did she capture every special moment throughout the day, she was super efficient working through the plan we discussed day-of and very communicative with the timeline for edits. I appreciate how responsive she was on top of taking amazing photos!
We cannot say enough wonderful things about Mariah from King and Opal! From our initial call, she instantly put us at ease with her genuine, laid-back vibe and warm energy. She has...
a way of making you feel like you’ve known her forever, which made the entire process so enjoyable and stress-free.
Mariah was incredibly thoughtful in planning ahead, taking the time to truly understand what mattered most to us (including encouraging us to get shots on our Harley - BADASS!). She made sure to prioritize capturing the shots that were most meaningful, which gave us so much confidence going into the big day.
On the wedding day, Mariah brought an incredible energy that made everything feel exciting and effortless. At one point, she even jammed out to our favorite artist (Rihanna) in the car with us. Her creativity and lively personality infused so much life to every moment, and she had a way of keeping things relaxed while making sure every detail was beautifully captured. Her second photographer, Kevin, perfectly balanced the dynamic with his calm and kind presence.
One of the moments that stood out to us was when Mariah sat with us after the ceremony. She was fully present with us in such a genuine way, making it feel like she wasn’t just documenting our day but truly sharing in our joy.
The photos she captured are nothing short of breathtaking. Mariah has an exceptional eye for detail and emotion, and her talent for meticuolous editing brought everything to life in the most stunning way. She captured every moment with such authenticity and heart, and we know we’ll treasure her work for a lifetime.
If you’re looking for a stellar photographer to capture your special day, we wholeheartedly recommend Mariah and the King and Opal team. Her talent, thoughtfulness, and warm energy are unmatched, and she made our wedding day even more magical than we could have imagined!
To start off this review, Mariah of King and Opal is such a bright and shining presence with a radiant personality and an eye for beauty.
We found K&O through Instagram and were d...
rawn to the images and just knew we had to contact her. During the first meeting it was obvious that she was the one for us. Her enthusiasm and passion for her art shines through her speech and you can tell she is a wedding photographer because she truly loves it. Kevin, whom we met on the day of the wedding, was the 2nd photographer and was also phenomenal. He had a vision and he executed. Not only were they personable they were professional.
All in all working with K&O was an experience to remember and to cherish. If we had to do it all again we’d choose them 100 times over!
Love August & Amber
We couldn’t have been happier with choosing to work with King & Opal for our wedding day. From our first interaction to the delivery of our photos, Mariah was professional, creativ...
e, and so easy to work with. On the big day, Mariah made us feel so comfortable capturing every moment with stunning detail and emotion. The photos turned out absolutely beautiful – each one perfectly captured the essence of our love and the joy of the day. If you are looking for a photographer who is not only talented but also genuinely passionate about their craft, we highly recommend King & Opal. Thank you for making our wedding memories last forever!
We absolutely LOVE Mariah and King & Opal! From the start, Mariah was wonderful to work with. Not only is she responsive, organized, and reliable, but her creative eye and photogra...
phy skills are unmatched! We are beyond thrilled with all the photos we received from our wedding weekend, including candid, detail-oriented shots that really captured the feeling, mood, and ambiance of it all. We cannot recommend Mariah and King & Opal enough. Best decision we made!
From our first consultation to our wedding day, it was obvious the time and attention Mariah at King & Opal puts into both her craft and her business. Nothing was left to chance (s...
omething a Type-A bride like myself appreciated!) while room was still left for fun, creativity, and those *magic* moments. Communication and coordination were seamless without rigidity, her fun approach never compromised her professionalism as a key vendor, and she created a calm collaboration to identifying the vision for telling a story through photographs. It is a balancing act that comes with experience and intentionality, and something not often executed with the precision that is found with King & Opal.
But, more importantly, it is the end product of all the planning, attention to detail, and following the magic that places King & Opal at the front of her craft. Her work is exquisite and attention to detail unmatched. The quiet editing and unseen touches create actual art- not just generic wedding photographs. She finds the beauty and dials it up, taking the most special wedding moments and freezing them in a multi-faceted story that is timeless and will be shared generations- deep.
We LOVED working with Mariah for our wedding this summer. From the first call, we could tell she had great energy and would be perfect for our special day. Our engagement photos tu...
rned out perfect and have loved everything about our Wedding photos. She is meticulous and every photo we have has come out amazing. We will cherish these photos forever!
We can't say enough good things about Mariah! She was absolutely amazing photographing us for our reception in Field Museum last summer!
She is an incredibly talented photographe...
r and we love her unique and creative photography style. She was kind, patient
and totally got our vibe and made us feel really comfortable through the entire process. All our photos turned out amazing!!
She not only takes awesome photos but also makes you feel like you're hanging out with a friend. She's super cool, and also so calm and chill which helped us relax and be ourselves. We are thrilled that we chose King and Opal and incredibly grateful for Mariah's exceptional work at our wedding reception. Seriously, she's the best photographer one could ask, hope and dream for!
The best in the biz! So easy to work with. Knows how to match your personality with the pictures. Very caring and fun.
Mariah with King and Opal photographed our cozy, winter Chicago wedding this year. Words cannot express how wonderful it was working with her for our special day! Our experience wa...
s better than we could have ever imagined. From our initial meeting, we immediately felt comfortable. Mariah is easy-going but still made sure we had everything organized for our big day. She provided a very helpful template to make sure we covered all shots and provided numerous tips. She was always readily available by email, phone, zoom to answer any question/concerns.
As for the big day, everything flowed with ease. She kept us on our timeline and made sure we made it to all our stops. Mariah was easy to work with and blended well with our guests- we received so many compliments. She made us feel so comfortable and confident.
Our pictures are amazingly beautiful!!! She captured our day perfectly. Her work is so different in her unique approach to details. We did not want a cookie cutter photographer and she hit the vibe perfectly- romantic, sexy, fun, and classic.
We would highly recommend King and Opal for weddings and/or other important events. We are beyond grateful that she worked with us and was able to capture the best day of our lives. Thank you, Mariah.😊
Where do we even start! Mariah is hands down the most realest person you’ll ever meet– and that translates through her photography. She’s been with us through an engagement shoot, ...
our downtown city hall elopement, and (finally) our wedding celebration with family and friends. We love her approach and artistic styling. We get SOOO many compliments from our pictures when we share with family and friends. She’s super easy and chill to work with and knows exactly how to get the perfect shot. Thank you so much, Mariah! Can’t wait to see you at our next life milestone!
Mariah can turn anything into gold. My partner and I were nervous and overwhelmed with planning our wedding, and neither of us were comfortable with photos to begin with. She met u...
s up over pizza and beer and we hit it off immediately because we knew we made the right choice going with King & Opal. She helped us envision our engagement photos and encouraged us to have fun during the shoot. She made us feel so comfortable that we were giddy upon receiving the pictures. We were so smitten with her style of photography, and being uncomfortable with photos, we were uncertain how we would look in them: she essentially turned us into love story protagonists. The quality of the photos were outstanding and I am sure we will have to go to Mariah for any future photo needs.
When the wedding day came, several things went wrong but she helped us keep it together, going way beyond what a photographer should do, like helping get things moving along on time. We had our coordinator drop out last minute but Mariah helped us keep on track for the day, and got incredible photos of us despite the chaos. Everything was perfect, from the candids of friends and family, to more formal wedding party pictures, and we especially loved the small Polaroid snaps she took. She and her team will get you truly stunning pictures. She has an eye for telling your story as it unfolds around you with her photography. She knows which moments should be left unstaged and when to get you posed. Mariah is your chill big sister who knows how to boost your confidence, and you should absolutely choose King & Opal for your photography!
My husband and I worked with Mariah for our micro-wedding in October 2022. It was a lovely experience from start to finish! It’s clear that Mariah cares about her clients as people...
and is a true-born artist. We had a fairly extensive shot list and even an unforeseen mishap on the big day, but Mariah didn’t miss a beat. We would highly recommend scheduling plenty of time for couple’s portraits—Mariah does them SO well, and these ended up being some of our favorite photos from the wedding. Also, she’s a natural at suggesting poses and shot locations, so come with an open mind and be ready to have a great time! We’re so pleased that we chose to work with Mariah. She not only captured our aesthetic and vision perfectly, but also contributed to our happy memories of the wedding day.
One word- exceptional! Actually there are so many words to describe Mariah @kingandopal and Kevin that it will exceed the max characters allowed. We would get married all over agai...
n just to have her work with us again. I will never forget how sweet and patient she was with showing my mom how to properly place my veil and then photograph the moment. It’s the small things. Oh, and obviously our photographs are to die for!
Oh my goodness, where do we even begin with Mariah from King and Opal Photography? Five stars just don't seem like enough to express our gratitude and absolute adoration for this a...
mazing photographer!
From the moment we met Mariah, we knew we had struck gold. She's not just a photographer; she's a guardian of our wedding dreams! Mariah fiercely protected our vision for the day, and her unwavering commitment to ensuring we got every single shot we wanted left us feeling like true VIPs.
What we love most about Mariah is her infectious laid-back attitude combined with unwavering confidence. She radiates a calming energy that made us feel at ease throughout the entire process. Her confidence in her craft assured us that we were in the best possible hands, and she absolutely delivered on that promise.
Planning a wedding can be a whirlwind of stress, but Mariah's exceptional organizational skills took a massive load off our shoulders.
And then there's her style! Mariah's artistic eye and unique approach to capturing moments is the reason she caught our eye. She has an incredible knack for finding beauty in the ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary. Every photo she took tells a story, and we are beyond thrilled to relive our special day through her lens.
But the most incredible part of working with Mariah is that she's not just our photographer; she's become a cherished friend. Her warmth, kindness, and genuine care for us as a couple go beyond anything we could have ever asked for. We feel truly honored that she was the one to document our wedding day.
Mariah, you are a treasure, and we couldn't be more thankful for the stunning work you've done and the friendship you've offered us. Our hearts are bursting with gratitude.
Mariah is a master of her craft. Once I got engaged and reached out to her to check her availability, she set up a preliminary call for my then-fiance and I to meet with her and ge...
t to know each other, to ensure that we were a compatible fit for 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.
If there were 5,000 more stars I'd click them all with joy. This woman was a gift from the universe and I couldn't recommend her more. My husband and I got engaged February of 202...
2 and planned to elope at City Hall June of 2022 and threw a big 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.
You NEED to have Mariah as your wedding photographer – YOU WON’T REGRET IT!!! My husband and I got married July 23rd, 2022 and we had the pleasure of having Mariah by our side for ...
the last year to help document our love. We are based in New York 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!!!!!!
Mariah is hands down one of the most talented photographers in the Chicago area. Our big wedding is in 2023, but we eloped at city hall this year and KNEW Mariah was the one to cap...
ture the big, secret day. We aren't the most lovey couple when it 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.
Mariah has found her calling! Rich and I felt like she understood exactly what we wanted and when we got our photos--we were floored by how gorgeous they were! She captured intimat...
e moments between us and the joy of our guests through planned and candid photos. She was an absolute joy to work with and all of our guests commented on how great her and Rich were!
Mariah was the most amazing, perfect, best, amazing, best, professional, amazing photographer (and person) I could have ever hoped would capture the most special day of my life! F...
rom our initial conversation, I knew Mariah was my person; she is 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!!!
Mariah was a blast to have capture our wedding. Despite having to delay the event by an entire year, she was supremely flexible with the rescheduling and on the day was ready to sh...
oot.
We asked for a natural/photojournalistic style and were blown 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
We had a COVID wedding at City Hall in February in Chicago. While we may have compromised on a thing or two, what did not feel like a compromise at all was our wedding photographs....
I had no idea our small low-key wedding could look so incredibly 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!!!
Trust is the most important thing that I wanted to have in my wedding photographer, trust that they would capture every moment, trust that they would put my requests at the forefro...
nt, and trust that would deliver what we wanted. I put my trust 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.
Mariah captured amazing photos and provided phenomenal services for our wedding. She provided great communication and feedback, which was a huge stress relief for us while we were ...
preparing for and organizing our wedding plans. On the day of our 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!
"Mariah has a naturally comfortable energy, a fabulous eye and captured the moments we wanted and didn’t know we couldn’t live without. I cherish all of the photos from our wedding...
day. When going through them I laugh and cry at the happy memories 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. ♥️”
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Chicago & destination
King & Opal's photos