Lena Lakoma Photography

Lena Lakoma Photography was absolutely one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. There was great communication before the wedding to go over expectations, timeline, and to discuss the vision I had for the day. I was able to ask as many questions as I needed before the wedding, and felt very confident that they would capture everything I'd hoped for. I am not photogenic in any way, and this was one of my biggest concerns. So I was extremely happy once the photos came in and I saw so many good ones! Many guests complimented them, and said a few looked like it came from a magazine. If you are looking for professional, high-end photos that might be from a magazine, then I would book this team! My only regret is that I didn't try booking an engagement photo session with her before the wedding, but I will likely contact again for any other photography needs we may have in the future 😊

Let's be honest here, I am a man who does not think photos & flowers are necessary for a wedding. However, my bride to be made me find a photographer and she is the boss. Coming from television, production, & marketing, I know I needed to find someone perfect to fit my style. After sorting through hundreds of your classic wedding photographer portfolios on various wedding websites, I came across Lena's and felt like I truck hit me dead in my tracks. I was stunned! I thought I was looking at a Vogue or GQ magazine cover. Showed my bride and she didn't hesitate before saying, "BOOK HER!". So I did and am glad I did. Our photos turned out amazing! I never thought I looked so good, especially standing next to my girl. We also did another photo session with Lena and those turned out to be stunning also. Lena's artistic style of shooting, directing, accommodating, and the biggest one... editing, are unmatched in my opinion so far. You are definitely getting more than what you are paying for her so do yourself a favor, book Lena, make your girl happy, and cherish the best photos and memories you'll ever get for your big occasions. Great work Lena... we'll see you once it is time for baby pictures :)

Lena is a true artist, and her photos reflect that. We could not love our wedding photos more. Lena, thank you for your attention to detail and for listening to our requests and making it happen! The photos are gorgeous and we will enjoy them for many, many years to come.

Lena is an absolute gem of a photographer and we were so lucky to have her capture our day. We got many hundreds of absolutely stunning images that we will cherish and probably forever be floored by, and not just the “glamorous look like you’re on a magazine cover ones” that she manages to create out of seemingly thin air like a camera wielding, posing, editing, magician, but the candid joyful in between moments too, and so many others that stand alone to tell a whole story and stand together to capture the totality of our day and all its joy and weight. Aside from the amazing images, you’re also getting someone who is so hard working, will go above and beyond for the perfect shot (enter Lena neck deep in Cedar Lake during our engagement session), has energy like no other, will be adored by your bridal party (no surprise), and is so professional, sweet, personable, and funny. From the initial consult meeting to our engagement photos (highly recommend doing these) and all the communications leading up to the wedding, Lena was a joy to work with, responsive to all our questions providing input where helpful, and just made us feel really confident and at ease knowing she was our photographer and would be such a big part of our day. And as this review should suggest, that confidence was so deserved! I couldn’t recommend her highly enough!

We had a fantastic experience with Lena. She and her team were amazing to work with every step of the way, and her photos are a work of art. We couldn't be happier with our experience.

We hired Lena as our photographer for our wedding in August 2022 and it was one of the easiest, and best, decisions we made for our day! After searching for a few weeks and looking at many others' work, it was a no-brainer for me once I saw photos Lena had done in the past. Finally, not only a photographer with a truly unique style, but every picture looked like it came from a magazine, yet straight from the heart. I was blown away. And sure enough, she did our engagement and wedding photos and I can't even begin to describe how amazing they are. Every single photo we got from her is absolutely perfect. From our staged photos (that DO look like they should be in a magazine) to our candid photos of the ceremony, dinner, and dancing, I am continuously returned to those emotional moments that she captured flawlessly. Not only did we get PHENOMENAL (and so many!) photos from her, but she is tremendously wonderful to work with. Her professionalism is out of this world, and not only is she extremely fast with communication (she met with us shortly after first contact, even when she was out of the country!) but so, so kind and sweet and personable in all of her responses. We are beyond grateful for all that Lena did for us, and she is truly one of a kind. I couldn't recommend her more!!

Lena is amazing!!! We are so thankful that we found her, we absolutely love how our wedding photos turned out. We wanted less traditional and more editorial style photography for our wedding and what she delivered was beyond our expectations. She absolutely understood our vision and she elevated it. We were nervous at first because neither of us had ever had professional photos done before, but we had so much fun working with her and she made us feel so comfortable. She was incredibly professional and flexible to work with. We highly recommend Lena, we would hire her time and time again.

Lena was amazing. I cannot express how great of a photographer she is. The pictures are phenomenal. You will be lucky if you can snag her for your special day!!!!

Lena is absolutely incredible. There is no better person to capture your wedding. Besides her immense talent and eye for capturing special moments she is thoughtful, kind, hardworking, and professional. She made us feel comfortable and very much our regular selves while also providing guidance when we needed it. Her passion for her art leaves you with stunning photos to remember your special day forever. Our wedding photos are beyond anything we could have dreamed of and we feel so lucky to have worked with her! Seriously, look no further and work with Lena.

Lena was fantastic. We had several reschedules to our wedding date due to COVID and she was there with us every step of the way. When the day finally came, it was drastically different from what we had first discussed. Lena came with ideas, professionalism, and expertise. I don't love having my photo taken, but by the end of the day, both my wife and I were having a great time. She made us feel very comfortable, and it shows in the final result! Our photos turned out beautifully. No, seriously- they're beautiful. She is truly an artist. Look no further, you've found your photographer.

Phenomenal! Lena was an amazing photographer to work with and capture our magical memories throughout the entire engagement and wedding planning process. We knew from the beginning that Lena isn't just another wedding photographer due to her modern/dramatic examples on her website. You can see through her work that she's got a natural talent for capturing the moment and making it shine. Pair that with her extremely warm personality and you have someone who's the picture perfect wedding photographer. Lena had a rock solid process that made it very easy for us to follow, but also expressed true interest in getting to know us as a couple. We will definitely be contacting Lena again for our future special moments!

Working with Lena was truly a wonderful experience! Not only are her photos absolutely stunning, she is also kind, professional, and so easy to work with. We appreciated all of her flexibility as we navigated through a covid wedding. Highly would recommend Lena!!

Lena was awesome! Our engagement and wedding photos turned out so beautiful and unique. Lena did a great job directing us and making us feel comfortable in front of the camera. She also had great ideas for unique settings and poses so that our pictures look like no one else's. I highly recommend Lena!

Lena was such a pleasure to work with from beginning to end. I initially met with her about two years before we actually ended up having our reception due to a Covid postponement. Lena really wanted to make sure my vision was met and took great care in ensuring the photos we wanted were accounted for before the wedding day (all the way down to specific family groupings). Lena was extremely flexible in scheduling check-ins via Facetime and I overall felt like we had a good sense of who each other were prior to the wedding day. The day of went extremely smoothly because Lena knew exactly where we should be and when. Lena knew that photos of just my husband and I were my priority, so she spent the vast majority of time prior to the ceremony on our private photo shoot. We received sneak peeks super fast and the entire gallery within a very reasonable amount of time. The photos exactly match the style I was looking for and that are presented on her website. Overall I would absolutely recommend Lena for any photography needs--she was such a positive light on our wedding day and was so encouraging.

When we were searching for a wedding photographer, we fell in love with Lena's work right away. We knew that we didn't want our wedding photography to look exactly like everyone else's and that we wanted a shoot with a lot of creativity and passion behind it. While we did the posed group shots with family and our wedding party, it wasn't the heart of what we were after. Lena worked closely with us to get to know us and what was important to capture on our wedding day. She went above and beyond to scout multiple locations and get approvals to shoot in some great spots downtown. Nothing was off limits for her - and, she was diligent about trying to make sure we were sticking to the timeline to get in everything we said we wanted to do. At the end of the day we ended up with some of the most amazing wedding photos I've ever seen (yes, I'm 100% biased) capturing the uniqueness of us as a couple, the love we have for our friends and family, and every last amazing detail I put so much work into pulling together. I cannot imagine our wedding photography being shot by anyone other then Lena and we are so grateful to her for giving us amazing memories that will last a life time.

Lena is AMAZING to say the least. She truly has a gift for capturing the moment and making every photo look beautiful, natural and timeless. Our photos turned out better then I could imagine because of her and I feel so lucky that she was there to capture our day.

Lena came highly recommended by our wonderful wedding coordinator. If you are looking for more than just "your typical" wedding pictures, she is it! They are a perfect combination of classy, artsy, romantic with a bit of an edge. I really am picky about the way I look in photographs as I am not the most photogenic person but our photographs literally took my breath away. We love them and so do our friends and family. Fully recommend!

We were so in love with Lena and her work before we met. She is very organized and professional while still keeping her personality alive! She try’s to get to know you as a couple and your style of fun. We loved working as a couple with her and we think that she excels at personal photography so if you are wanting your photographer to focus on pictures of you as the newlyweds, she’s the one for you. Group shots were a bit more of a struggle especially since we were trying to work with comfort levels with COVID 19. Make it clear if group/family photos are a priority. Keep the photo list simple. She also had an amazing second. Great detail shots and candids. Not invasive or distracting during our ceremony. Ultimately, we are thrilled to have had Lena and now the fruits of her labor for the rest of our life to treasure!

There are multiple reasons why Lena has a perfect 5-star rating! Where to start!? Lena helped my now husband and I through every single question and concern we had for our wedding and capturing our special day. Her portfolio is extremely impressive and she spares no detail or personal touch in her work. Not only is Lena a phenomenal photographer, but she's also a great business person. She is punctual and professional with all communication and will put you at ease, no matter how stressful wedding planning may get. I recommend doing the engagement session as an add-on to the wedding day photography package. The wedding day itself is so much more relaxing after doing a test-run for photography during the engagement shoot!

PERFECTION! Five stars is just not enough! Lena is absolutely amazing - we could not have gotten luckier! From the very beginning we were impressed by Lena's portfolio, and her professionalism. She was quick to reply to emails and phone calls, and eagerly setup meetings to get to know us and more about our big day. We had a final pre-wedding meeting where we went over every single detail of the day and the photos we wanted. We felt so confident after that meeting that everything was in great hands - Lena's. The wedding day was crazy and hectic, but Lena adjusted to every change of plan - including the unexpected all day rain/mist we had that moved photo locations all over the Twin Cities. She captured every moment we wanted, and so many additional behind the scenes takes that we would have never known happened! Lena's style of photos is so classy and fashionable - we know these photos will still be amazing decades from today. We could not be happier with our photos and how truly extraordinary Lena was to work with! I would recommend her to any Bride & Groom looking to have their special day captured in such a beautiful way!

Lena Lakoma is best photographer! We are so incredibly impressed with both our engagement pictures and our wedding pictures. They are absolutely breath taking. We can’t thank Lena enough for capturing us so perfectly. We are having the toughest time deciding which ones we want to frame because they are all so good! We would highly recommend Lena for all of your photography needs!!!

Lena was amazing! Everyone said our photos look like they could be front cover of a bridal magazine and they do. She is detail oriented and has an eye for beauty. She is sweet and easy to work with. I could not have picked a better photographer for our wedding photos. Simply amazing!

From the moment we found Lena on the internet we fell in love with her unique and beautiful style. We met her at her studio and booked her that evening! On the day of our wedding, she gave us fantastic direction and was extremely involved but discreet at the same time. Just perfect. The images we got back from her left us speechless! The gallery was packed with extraordinarily gorgeous pictures! She nailed every shot. We feel so lucky that we had her as our photographer and will cherish our pictures for years to come!

Lena's work is EXCEPTIONAL. When we received our wedding gallery a week ago we were just stunned. Since then, we have gone through the pictures dozens of times because we love EVERY photo. Lena made us look and feel like we belong in a magazine, and at the same time captured the emotions of our day in the most artistic way. We got countless complements from our family and friends about her professionalism and, of course, about how spectacular the pictures are. We are so grateful she was were there with us to capture the memories of our day!

Lena was absolutely perfect as our wedding photographer. We wanted something a bit more unique and she was a great match for us. Her fashion photography background and extensive experience were big draws. We truly loved every single one of our images and she captured all of the shots that we asked for - and more! She is a great example of a photographer that knows how to give direction as well. Our posed photos turned out great because of her attention to detail. Our candid photos show emotion, vibrancy, and the excitement of the day. So, so glad we went with Lena and I highly recommend her!!

Lena was wonderful to work with! She was helpful from our first meeting with her one month before the wedding all the way until the end of the day. And the pictures.... STUNNING. I'm in love with all one thousand of them! Her attitude was wonderful, she worked so hard (for 9 hours straight!!), she was flexible, and she took great shots. You can't go wrong choosing Lena to photography your wedding!

Choosing Lena Lakoma Photography was the best choice we made for our wedding! From the initial consultation, to the engagement session and final wedding photos, Lena consistently delivered exceptional results that wowed not only my husband and myself, but also our friends and family. Lena's fun-loving personality and wealth of knowledge helps everyone feel comfortable in front of the camera. Her skill and creativity shine in every photo, and her professionalism and organization gave us the best possible experience. The magic of Lena Lakoma Photography can only be understood by reaching out and meeting her for yourself. We are so glad we did.

Lena did an amazing job with our photos! My husband and I do not take many pictures, but with lena's magic we looked like naturals in front of the camera. Our photos are unique and her work standouts from any other photographer. Book her now!

Lena was fantastic! She was great to work with & the photos exceeded our expectations. We could not be happier with the entire engagement & wedding albums. Please look at her Instagram account to get a preview of the amazing photos she will be capturing of your special day, if you are smart enough to choose her as your wedding photographer.

My husband and I were astounded by the artistry and attention to detail that Lena brings to her work. The photos she took of our engagement, our rehearsal dinner and our wedding look like they belong in a high-end fashion magazine, and simultaneously they embody the vivid, candid emotions of those moments. Her aesthetic perfectly matched what we were trying to convey in our wedding: modern elegance meets warmth and happiness. Lena and her assistant totally nailed it. Also, I've never seen anyone work so hard to get just the right shot. Lena gives 110% of herself to her work, and it's clear to me that photography is much more than a career to her -- it is her art and her passion. I'm so thankful that we decided to trust Lena with our big day. Her photos are an amazing gift to ourselves and to our friends and family that just keeps giving, allowing us to re-experience those magical moments again and again. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND HIRING HER! You will not find a more professional, more talented photographer. She is a delight to work with and she will make your wedding photos a treasure you will cherish for years to come.

BEAUTIFUL GORGEOUS BREATHTAKING SPEECHLESS AMAZING LOVE WOW STUNNING LOVELY ... these are some of the top comments from our wedding and engagement picture "word cloud" Lena is a true artist and professional. From the very beginning she showed such a genuine interest in our story and what we wanted from our photos. She paid attention to every detail and captured everything we wanted so beautifully and with such a breathtaking eye toward composition, depth, and style. Lena captured our day in a way that I couldn't have imagined. Our photos look like they could easily be plugged into a magazine and she caught some of the best candid moments of our friends and family. I am over the moon happy with Lena's work! I highly recommend Lena!

We had Lena capture our wedding day and she did it with absolute perfection! As far as we are concerned, there is no need to look any further. Lena is amazing. She met with us at her super cool studio in NE Mpls. She was organized, punctual, down to earth and very interested about what was most important to us. On the big day, she absolutely nailed everything. There were things that we hadn’t even thought of that she shot with perfection. She went beyond her scheduled time, worked to accommodate both sides of our new family, was fun and extremely professional. The photos are a treasure to us to say the least. Timeless, beautiful, and full of life, with he own artistic touch. We highly recommend her!

Lena was amazing! My fiancé found her website online and it ended up being the best find ever! We were all set for a sunset engagement photo shoot in upstate Wisconsin, when last minute we decided to do a sunrise shoot. It was going to be a super cold, snowy morning in December, so Lena could have easily stuck with the original plan. Instead, she was happy to accommodate the changes. Even though it was a bit of a hike to the shoot location and freezing out, she did everything with smile on her face. It was obvious she loves what she does and she does it well. Our photos were incredible!!! My fiancé and I could not be more pleased! We highly recommend her!

I spent a long time researching wedding photographers in Minneapolis and I was stunned by Lena’s work. As soon as we met with Lena, it was obvious that we hit the jackpot! Having Lena with us on our big day was amazing! We did not have to worry about the schedule, about how to pose or about how my dress looked. We felt well taken care of, and at the end of the day, she felt more like a friend than a photographer. The images we received were, hands down, the best wedding photography I’ve ever seen! Personal and beautiful. She is a magician and we are so happy that she could shoot our wedding!

Lena is absolutely a Top Notch Photographer! Her professionalism and talent were clear from the very beginning: from our engagement session to our wedding and reception. She did an amazing job giving direction and one could tell she really enjoyed her job. She was super organized which did not stop her from coming up with incredibly creative ideas. We felt very well taken care off and so did our parents (yup!), and the rest of our guests. The pictures are gorgeous!!! Our wedding album is proudly displayed at our coffee table and became THE conversation piece for our guests!

Working with Lena was incredible!!! My husband is a photographer, so the bar was set high. We wanted someone who is creative, experienced, fun to work with, and whose work is original. Although our wedding day was planned very well, we had a few stressful moments and Lena was amazingly rock solid. We received countless complements from family members about our photographer. Lena had a way to make us feel comfortable and trust her. When we got our images, we were speechless! The photos are real, intimate and gorgeous!  Having Lena as our photographer was simply a wonderful experience!!!

We feel SO LUCKY we found Lena! She came highly recommended by our venue in North Loop, Minneapolis and we immediately fell in love with her pictures. She was extremely organized and helpful throughout the photo planning process. On the day of, she made us feel relaxed in front of the camera, and at the end of the day, she felt like a close friend. The results were amazing! We got beautiful, romantic and authentic photos that are a real work of art. We will be always feel fortunate to have had her as our wedding photographer and are already recommending her to our friends!

Lena was wonderful to work with and she took a lot of time and care with us to make sure we got the photos we wanted. We have a great selection of photos of our wedding day. Lena has a wonderful personality and she is easy to communicate with. I highly recommend her.

Working with Lena was one of the best parts of our weddings. Her professionalism, ability to handles stressful situations that inevitably come up on the day of the wedding, communication throughout the entire process, and most importantly her incredible level of talent absolutely blew us away. She did such a good job that my sister almost immediately hired her for her wedding, which is a year after mine! Not only did our pictures turn out unbelievably beautiful, with multiple locations, capturing every important part of the day, but Lena was also exceptional to work with. I’ve told her this myself, but I also want to share with any brides/grooms out there looking for a photographer: I do not have an easy time trusting people to live up to expectations and follow through. This said, I was easily able to hand over the stress of the photography situation to Lena. She did impeccable research, was super organized, and communicated consistently from the day we hired her, to the time surrounding or engagement session, to the day of the wedding! I have a huge amount of gratitude for how much she eased my mind and for how our pictures turned our. I highly recommend her!

My husband and I are very happy to have had Lena as our wedding party photographer. She helped us a lot by suggesting what postures would look best. Both my husband and I are not used to having someone take professional photos of us, or any photos at all, but Lena made the whole process a lot easier. She was very polite and professional the whole time. I would definitely recommend Lena to friends who are looking for a photographer.

I cannot even begin to express how impressed and delighted I am with Lena's photography for my wedding! From the first time we met, Lena made my (now) husband and me extremely comfortable. She is highly organized so we knew exactly what shots we wanted to take before the wedding and she really made sure to get a sense of what style and feel we wanted (and delivered - our pictures look candid and "natural" just as we wished!!). Lena even scoped out or venue several times before the wedding day to find the "best" spots and guide the shoot and to understand the lighting of our unique venue. Because of her preparation and easy-going personality, we felt so relaxed and comfortable taking all of our wedding photos. She is truly a JOY to work with and produces beautiful photos that look like they belong in the pages of an elite magazine or art exhibit! Stunning work that will be cherished for a lifetime. Lena's commitment to excellence is unwavering - she arrived at my venue the day of the wedding ahead of schedule and continued to shoot all the things I wanted without me (the bride) ever having to point anything out... she's a truly one of the very best parts of my entire day. I would HIGHLY recommend her services!

I spent a lot of time looking for a photographer who understands the difference between “staging” and “documentary” approach.I do not really like posed photographs. When I met Lena, I knew I found someone I could trust. She not only “got it”, she made me and my fiancé feel comfortable in front of the camera – I do not know how she did it. And the results? Outstanding. She is an artist at heart and super creative. She did exactly what she said she would do! I cannot recommend Lena enough!

Our day with Lena was PHENOMENAL! Thank you again for so much fun, for all the great ideas, for seeing all that we could not see and, most importantly for the fantastic pictures!

We absolutely LOVED working with Lena. The pictures were consistently amazing, she made us feel feel like rock stars and was on top of every detail. Super creative, great listener and so much fun to have around! Would recommend to anyone!

We couldn't have been happier with our wedding pictures, thanks to Lena! The images were wonderful, Lena really managed to captured the atmosphere, full of moments we didn't even notice at the time, as well as beautiful portraits of family and friends. We found Lena to be very reliable and professional, as well as personable and friendly to our guests. I would highly recommend Lena!

It was a pleasure working with Lena. Her photos are amazingly creative and unique. I would not want to work with anyone else - I highly recommend her if you want beautiful pictures and a photographer who listens. Professional and fun.

Lena is an amazingly talented photographer. She is incredibly gifted and produced pictures that belong in Vogue. She is super detail oriented and fastidious about quality. Her pictures of our wedding will forever be cherished by us! She is incredibly creative and fun to work with! I guarantee that you will be amazed at the pictures Lena produces!