Lydia Mckay Photography

so glad that I did! When we met for our engagement session, we felt like we had already known each other for years and that made taking photos such a breeze. I was slightly nervous going into the engagement session because we've never had professional photos taken together, but they were so amazing to work with that we just felt totally relaxed, like we could completely be ourselves around them. They were so sweet and so funny and they are genuinely excited to be a part of your day. In the months of planning leading up to the wedding, they made tons of helpful suggestions that were invaluable to us. On the day, we felt like we were with old friends. They made us feel completely at ease during the photos of my husband and I, and made us laugh so much during our fun wedding party photos that we got tons of candids that are so special to us. During the ceremony, they were subtle yet captured all of the important moments. I can't look at the photos without crying. After the wedding, I had friends, family and even other vendors tell me how great to work with Lydia & Dalton were too. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for an amazing photography team!

them was one of the biggest decisions I made for my day and I would do it a hundred times over again. Their effortless candid shots left us with beautiful, tangible memories of our wedding and I smile every time I look at them. They also captured so many wonderful, small moments of our guests and I am so grateful for that as these are moments that I never got to experience myself on the day. They truly captured the magic of our wedding and I cannot tell you how many compliments we have received on our album. Thank you for giving us both an unbelievably wonderful experience and absolutely gorgeous photos that we can forever look back on and relive the most amazing day of our lives.

emotional. Instead of feeling supported, we felt tension, and it made the day feel more like a transaction for this team rather than a celebration they were invested in capturing. Weddings rely heavily on warm, engaged photographers who can bring out natural joy and that wasn’t our experience. We felt they needed to work on posing when the picture included more than 2 people. We had group photos where some people were facing forward, others tilted at an angle, or unevenly spaced. This made it look like people were edited in to the photos that were very much part of the initial photo.  It was also upsetting to see how they spoke to some of our family members. The snippy, impatient tone used with them was unacceptable and did not reflect the professional demeanor we expected. Before the wedding, they had us adjust our timeline based on their recommendations. However, when we were significantly ahead of schedule, they pushed back when we asked to take more photos before the ceremony. After the ceremony, we were again ahead of time but ultimately cut out photos we had hoped to take because the pacing and structure of their timeline were not working well. While I appreciate them offering to take these at the end, at that point we had already dismissed these people to cocktail hour, which we would not have done had they not given us confidence in the timeline they suggested and/or confidence in their ability to capture that large of a group shot. We had taken this out prior to the wedding day under their direction and we deeply regret doing so, but trusted their professional judgement which led us astray. On top of that, during the group photos, only one shot of each group was taken, and we ended up with no fun or candid bridesmaid or groomsmen group moments—something we had looked forward to. They also only took 1 shot (very rarely 2) of every other group shot we requested, which filled us with significant concern.  For one example that was concerning, my husbands grandma wasn't smiling yet and they took the photo and said it looked good. She told us she wasn't even smiling/ready yet, we had to request an additional second photo. Regarding communication and deliverables, it took 6wks to receive sneak peeks (3pics), which we understand were not contractually required, but they are a meaningful part of the couple’s experience. After waiting that long, receiving low-resolution previews was especially disappointing. These pictures were posted on social media prior to us getting copies of them because the contract stated they had rights to be used for promotional materials. Overall, had we known the experience would feel as cold, transactional, and disengaged as it did, we would have booked someone else. We are sharing this feedback not out of anger, but because couples deserve warmth, guidance, and genuine excitement from the people capturing such an important day.

ook on our special day. They did an amazing job capturing the intimate, silly, and heartwarming moments. From the beginning of working with them; they worked with us within our budget, maintained professional contact, and asked us what we wanted captured most. They were very supportive and attentive to all of our needs. Their altruistic nature, down to earth approach, and their humor added an abundance of joy to our day and put us at ease.  Thank you for beautifully capturing every moment that made our day special. We would highly recommend Lydia and Dalton for all your photography needs!!

es to any couple looking for the best!

iendly. They're flexible if changes come up, (they allowed us to book extra time + were fine with some day-of changes to the photography schedule), and they really made our wedding photos go smoothly. Our photos are colorful and bright, and our whole family loves them.

y flexible with location, date/time, etc. They came very prepared to our wedding day and took all of the photos that we had requested with great quality. They are very organized and thorough in the way that they do their work. They are very open to communication as it is needed as well. Thank you, Lydia and Dalton, for being such a huge part of our wedding day! We appreciate the amazing work!

g felt comfortable and flowed well. If we could have them be our photographers for every event in life, we would.

They got some incredible photos and we are so glad we chose them!! Would recommend them to anyone who wants a wedding photographer who knows exactly what they are doing and will do a fantastic job!

enal. The light was beautiful, and I loved how you captured us with different elements of downtown. Fall colors with glowing trees that picked up the colors in my bouquet, and the photos near the 6th street bridge with the reflections on the water. Then the reception photos were such a warm fun vibe…I was so frazzled that day that I missed a lot, but you captured everything. My Mom didn’t even know that I danced with her Dad that day!! But you got it!! My family was also very excited about the photos. They really are just perfect. Now I need to figure out which ones to print and that is going to be very difficult! Thank you so much! Your work is beautiful.

hotos are so beautiful! 10 out of 10 would definitely recommend!

d I love seeing our wedding captured in such an intimate way, they went above and beyond to snap really beautiful pictures. Capturing moments I didn’t even know they were watching. They made everything feel so relaxed and they are so genuine especially when they share your excitement. We needed them longer than we thought and it was no issue they stayed for us, and was very accommodating. If you are undecided on who to hire I would 10000% recommend them and would definitely hire them again!!

ivate vows, it was like they were not there which made us even more comfortable to be real. We had an 18 person wedding party and they directed everyone perfectly. They know exactly what they’re doing with posing for bridal party photos while also making it a very fun experience. Their personalities were very calming which is extremely helpful on a stressful day like a wedding! I would absolutely recommend hiring Lydia McKay Photography!

I was immediately impressed with the elegance and timeless feel of their portfolio. We booked them almost 2 years in advance and not once did we ever second guess our decision. They do so much more than take the most beautiful pictures. We are both camera shy but you would never be able to tell because they are experts in the field who made us feel relaxed and confident. They are marvelous at what they do and I cannot give them both a higher level of recommendation.

elped ease our stress with their humor, and took many creative and formal photos of my husband and me as well as those with our family and friends. They took pictures of us on the beach of Lake Michigan down the street as well as on the property in which we had our ceremony and reception. They listened to our vision and took many beautiful pictures of our day. Now we have pictures and memories we can cherish for a lifetime. I would highly recommend hiring Lydia and Dalton for your wedding or formal event!

ighly!!

eir artistic flair to them. We had pictures at Lake Michigan and they were able to capture the personalities of my Husband and I, and also our wedding party. Some of my favorite pictures were of the guests before the ceremony. I wasn’t able to mingle with guests before the ceremony and the before ceremony pictures of guests were so beautiful. My husband was able to mingle and seeing those pictures brought a smile to his face. We will definitely cherish these pictures for many many years to come! Thank you, Lydia and Dalton.

do. This is so important yet so hard to find, but we found it with Lydia and Dalton. I instantly fell in love with their work and after speaking with them, we didn’t give it a second thought. They are the most incredibly talented and hardworking couple we’ve ever met! Not only were we astounded by the quality of their work, but also that they were able to truly capture our personalities and those of our guests too. They delivered gorgeous images, were such a delight to have around and we are so grateful that we chose them!

ng! Their photography skills are unmatched and their demeanor is warm-hearted and fun. When we first met them at our engagement session, it already felt like we were old friends and on the wedding day, they fit right in with my family, like we'd all known each other for years. They made us feel so comfortable and relaxed which helped make the photos turn out so beautifully. The weather on the day was a mix of sunny, cloudy AND rainy, yet Lydia & Dalton continuously rolled with the punches, always being prepared for every situation and completely equipped to handle anything Mother Nature had to throw at us. No matter the conditions, ALL of our photos are stunning. These two were absolute perfection and we could not be happier! We can't thank you both enough!

eel comfortable and natural. They are personable and talented and the overall best decision I made for the wedding. I can't thank them enough for capturing our day in a way that let us see all the things that were going on that we didn't get to see at the time! Their ability to endlessly catch those authentic moments and genuine emotions is just mind blowing! They were also incredibly knowledgeable and professional, all the while being warm and funny, which helped us relax and it made the day have a very smooth flow. And of course, we are absolutely in love with our photos! The candid images of us getting ready and doing our first look are so emotional and sentimental and the ones of just my husband and I are not only creative and artistic, but drop dead gorgeous! With much credit to Lydia and Dalton, our wedding was nothing short of perfect and we could not be more happy with our experience with them and the result of our beautiful, beautiful photos.

he way up to Mackinac Island with a super enthusiastic attitude and my whole wedding party vibed with them great! They were extremely organized while still being completely down to earth and it made the photos both fun and easy. Not to mention, they all turned out stunning! Lydia + Dalton are top notch photographers and I truly don't believe I could have found anyone better or anyone else that felt like they just fit right in with my friends and family. I received tons of compliments both on my photos but also on how amazing of a job they were doing throughout the day. I trusted them completely and they absolutely exceeded my expectations! Their work is beautiful and it speaks for itself but their personality is what draws you in because they are such a joy to be around and that is what you need on your wedding day! They are a one-of-a-kind team and their photography skills are breathtaking. Working with them was a dream and we are forever grateful. To all who read this, I without a doubt recommend booking Lydia + Dalton; you will be so happy you did!

lped us figure out the best way to time the logistics of the wedding to make the photography seamless - which we greatly appreciated. I highly highly recommend!

ion leading up to, during and after the wedding was great, and they were prompt and professional on the actual day. They were unobtrusive and discreet which was important to us, yet they were there for all the special moments. Our day consisted of so many different parts at different locations: a tea ceremony, our first look, the church ceremony, the reception and even an impromptu stop by the beach, and Lydia and her team captured them all beautifully. The pictures are awe-inspiring and we're so happy we have them to look back on and forever cherish our special day!

captured like seeing my groom get ready to the first time we saw each other in the church, it was such a wonderful experience to relive. Our photos are absolutely stunning - both engagement and wedding, we could not have been more thrilled with how they turned out! They were incredible to work with in understanding our personalities and making the photos look and feel so natural. My entire wedding party, family and even the venue commented on how great they were throughout the process too! Thank you guys so much for making our day so special and the final product was utterly amazing! XOXO

stressed without her! She has a great eye for locations to create breathtaking photos and a truly special way of reading a room to genuinely capture the energy. She even managed to wrangle our unbelievably high-energy dogs for some of the most adorable photos we will cherish forever! We were impressed at her attention to detail while still shooting completely in the moment. We have received endless compliments on our photos and absolutely love them ourselves! Thank you, Lydia, for your remarkable work!

eat eye for beautiful shots! Our photos turned out to be better than I ever dreamed they would be. They also arrived early, ready to go with fantastic attitudes and looked and acted extremely professional throughout the day. Wonderful, wonderful experience. If you want a photographer who makes you feel comfortable, she's your girl. She's friendly, approachable, and professional; everything we ever wanted in a photographer, and we recommend her a million times over!