Melissa Durham Photography

rdinate with, and was a joy to work with every step of the way. My husband and I didn’t have the opportunity to visit the park prior to our wedding day, however Melissa made sure that was not an issue. She provided us with a comprehensive list of locations & corresponding photos from her portfolio taken throughout the park in advance, and came up with a suggested timeline for us. She took everything into consideration - the lighting, time of day, travel distance between locations, etc. On the day of she arrived early & fully prepared, having taken every detail into consideration. My husband and I spent six hours in the park on our wedding day with Melissa & a second photographer, Anna. We had so much fun exploring the park with them, as they captured every minute of our intimate elopement while also being respectful of our private moments. My husband & I are thrilled with how the photos turned out - we will cherish the memories we made that they captured forever!

I needed recommendations for lodging, locations, flowers, etc. We talked regularly for a couple months in preparation for our elopement. She used what she knew about us and her extensive knowledge of the Shenandoah Mountains to create the perfect elopement ceremony and photographs. She also helped wrangle the drama that comes with “the big day”. Everything was on a timeline until my hair/MUA was late. Melissa and my husband were able to talk the officiant into staying, after she repeatedly threatened to leave. Melissa helped my MUA do the finishing touches and she snapped some pictures of me getting ready. Due to the new time constraints, the elopement ceremony location was changed to a nearby location Melissa knew of which resulted in AMAZING PHOTOS of our ceremony. Melissa literally saved our day. Not only did she give us what we asked for but she delivered a product that I couldn’t even put in words. She truly loves her craft. You’ll see for yourself when you get your wedding album.

engagement shoot but also our wedding. She takes magical photos because somehow each photo looks straight out of a fairytale! She is willing to travel for photos as well which is amazing because we were able to hit the mountains for breath taking backdrops! She is kind and caring and even helped out on the day of the wedding with some coordinating issues. She helped me make a timeline for the day of even and was essential to making the day go off perfectly! She is simply amazing and I can't say enough about how talented she is!

g. She made us laugh, is a super nice person, and is great at her job. I had never really been in front of a professional camera before with someone I didn’t know, but she made us feel comfortable and kept us laughing. Definitely recommend!

d her. She took our engagement pictures last fall and I absolutely loved the whole process. She made my husband and I feel so comfortable in front of the camera and we had the best time goofing off and exploring! Melissa is SO talented and professional. She doesn't just provide a service, she provides a friendship. She deeply cared for Tyler and I and helped us out the entire duration of the wedding planning process. My entire family and wedding party loved her on the day of the wedding and I am still getting compliments about how great our pictures are! I will work with/recommend Melissa until she gets tired of me lol- she is one in a million!

of lady bugs? This woman's talent is out of this world! We are MDP clients for life and couldn't be more grateful for how beautifully she captured our day. She is worth ever. single. penny.

ous to work with. It was very important for us to have our dogs be apart of the pictures and she was understanding and patient with them. Also, shoutout to her assistant Katie! You ladies did an amazing job and make one hell of a team! Melissa, we can't thank you both enough for everything you ladies did on our special day!

s beautiful engagement shoots and particularly loves elopements or more relaxed weddings. We got all the necessary family/bridal party shots in but focused a lot on the un-staged, real moments of the wedding. She even stayed late till she felt satisfied that she had covered everything. She's also willing to help throughout the entire process by suggesting other vendors and checked in to see how the planning was going. I cannot rave about her enough!

adventurous nature was the perfect fit for creating epic photos. She found amazing cliffs and trails to not only get unique shots, but also let us have a ton of fun in the process! Melissa was amazing at checking in on us long before our wedding day. On our wedding day, Melissa remained a calm and positive force showing me sneak peeks of our Star Wars groom’s cake while I was getting ready as well as remembering detail shots that we will cherish forever! We were blown away when Melissa had a blog post up about our wedding just days after the event. She truly takes the time to make her couples feel loved and we will now always be her cheerleader when it comes to recommending a photographer!

selecting our photographer, Melissa was a little more than what we were planning on spending on photography. I remember my wife talking me into it, and I am so glad she did. Of all our wedding vendors, Melissa provided the best value of all of them, and we had some great vendors. Melissa really stood out in so many ways. The first is that I have never really been comfortable around the camera. I just don’t like having my picture taken. Think Chandler from Friends. But it ended up being so easy with Melissa. Part of it is how warm and caring she is. She creates such a relaxed environment that you forget that she has a camera. She also really got to know us as a couple and what was important to us. The amount of detail she would remember from one conversation to the next was unreal. It really made working with her fun. She also took some amazing photographs, and the amount of emotion and details she was able to capture in her photos is pretty unreal. Her wedding pictures really captured the entire day. The day went by so fast, but with her wedding album, we can relive the day just by scrolling through them. It was such an amazing day, and I am so thankful that Melissa was able to capture it all. I can't recommend her enough!

as also a joy to be around and get to know. Melissa constantly stayed in touch and checked up on me prior to the wedding. She wasn't afraid to jump in and help when I was stressed with the wedding timeline and took care of the details as if it were her own special day. Her calming presence and caring personality allowed me to fully enjoy each moment of our wedding. I highly recommend Melissa and can't wait to be in front of her camera again!

and could capture emotion in their photographs. She gave us complete rights to our photos, something that was very important for me. She’s warm and friendly, personalizes the experience, and goes above and beyond the call of duty by helping to make sure everything ran on time especially on the day of the wedding. Photography was the thing we blew our budget on since we didn’t do a videographer. And while it was pricey, it ended up being a really good value for the quality of her work. I still have colleagues, family, and friends tell me how beautiful her photos are and my sister is hoping to use her for her wedding in the future. I also highly recommend getting the second photographer, Katie. The two complemented each other well and it adds so much dimension and perspective to your gallery.

ere able to finally meet for coffee it felt like we were meeting with an old friend and could have sat there talking for hours. She made everything so fun and seamless. When our day arrived, Melissa was just as excited to be there as we were. It was as if she was a part of the family and there as a guest rather than our photographer. We can definitely be on the awkward side and she embraced that and made us feel at ease. The pictures we have seen so far are absolutely stunning and we cannot see the rest of them. We cannot recommend Melissa enough - honestly you should stop reading reviews and hire her already! You will not be disappointed :)

ront of the camera. We love that she was able to capture our goofy moments as well as guide us through poses that felt natural. Our favorite pictures are when we are all laughing together! She delivered our gallery in such a timely manner and with hundreds of pictures. We are so excited for her to be a part of our wedding day, but more importantly a new friend! Melissa is the best :)

w months before our wedding and engagement session, I was in an accident that left me temporarily in a wheel chair with a severe broken ankle and paralyzed arm. She drove hours down to us and carefully took her time in placing me so I looked as normal and comfortable as possible (this included wheeling me around in a HUMID garden and handing my my bad arm). Let me just say, even my closest friends couldn't tell the pictures were post accident! She talks to you like you've been friends for years and makes sure all of your picture dreams become a reality. My wedding photos were STUNNING and I've had multiple friends message me asking who this girl was because they NEED her as their photographer! I will be using Melissa's pure talent for years to come, as well as, fan girling over her work!

bridal portraits, and the wedding day. She even checked in on me while my fiancé was deployed for half the year! Her photography is absolutely amazing and her attention to detail is truly inspiring. Her passion, love, and energy for her work is something to be admired. I highly recommend Melissa!

ment shoot and wedding day, she made my husband and I feel so special, like we were the only bride and groom on the planet! She was also so relaxed and helpful on my wedding day. It was great to have such a positive, laid-back personality around amidst all the wedding stress. Melissa and our second shooter (Heather Chipps Townsend) did a phenomenal job of capturing the essence of our day in a discreet way, so our guests felt very comfortable. Best of all, the photos are GORGEOUS! Everyone is so impressed with her work. I cannot recommend Melissa Durham Photography enough! Hiring Melissa was one of the best decisions my husband and I made. Hire her! You won't regret it. :)

ed but she is also one of the kindest people you will ever meet. You feel like you've known her for years when you meet her and she makes you feel so comfortable in front of the camera. She goes above and beyond to get to know her clients and personalize her sessions to make every one unique. Thanks to Melissa, my husband and I now have memorable photos with our family and friends that we can cherish for a lifetime. I would recommend Melissa to anyone that is looking for the perfect photographer to capture their special day.

e was very open to any ideas we thought might make a good picture. She kept everything free flowing between families and friends while taking the photos. Many family members we worried that the photos would last forever, but she knew what she wanted and got them done without dragging it out. She is a friendly person and my wife and I enjoyed our experience with her.

eeds but someone who could make my husband not dread pictures. Melissa did just that, during our 2 hour engagement session and all through the wedding pictures my husband who HATES pictures, did not complain once! Melissa really understands your needs and will do everything you ask of her. She truly captures your special day to a tee. I often go back and look at our pictures and fall back in love all over again. If you are looking for the best photographer in Virginia, Melissa is your girl! She lets you relive your special day over and over again :)

ecking in and following up. Everything was very clear and up front. Her website made the package info, payments and messaging easy. The price was very affordable and fair. A great value. She welcomed our ideas and preference of styles. We were able to share a Pinterest board to let her know our style. Melissa was quick getting our pictures to us soon after our shoot and the downloading process was smooth and uncomplicated. She was a pleasure to work with and I'd definitely hire her again for other occasions and I'd recommend her to my friends and family. Thank you Melissa! -Rachel

r. She goes above and beyond to learn about her clients and truly cares about them and the photos she takes. She helped make my engagement and wedding wonderful!

o marrying my husband of course!). Melissa’s skillset, talent, and passion are so easily seen in her pictures, and you can tell she genuinely loves what she does. Melissa closely listened to what I was envisioning during the whole process and put me at ease. She was always there if I had a question and would go above and beyond, checking on me to make sure I was as happy and calm as possible throughout the planning process! I could not be more impressed with her quality of her work, and could not be more grateful for the person she is. With photography being one of the few things that you take with you after the wedding day, you want to make sure you choose a photographer of the highest quality so that the most important day of your life is perfectly captured. With Melissa Durham as your wedding photographer, it most certainly will be.

She was always responsive and so easy and fun to work with. I gained more than a photographer but also a friend when I booked her. I would recommend Melissa a million times to everyone I know!! My husband and I could not be more thankful for her and her amazing service and care and compassion for her brides!

her and talked through our wedding, I knew she would be the perfect photographer, and I was right! She cares about you (and your friends and family) in capturing your perfect day not only in a professional matter, but also on a personal level as a good friend. You not only have faith and trust as Melissa being your photographer, but you have fun! It was so natural and easy to take pictures with her, and our entire experience with family, the bridal party, the reception, etc was easy flowing and enjoyable because of Melissa. Now that her year in 2015 took off and her portfolio is jam packed, I couldn't be more honored to call her my friend and look back on Austin and I's special engagement and wedding day with the beautiful and talented photo's she captured! My grandpa was a wedding and portrait photographer after he retired from being a state trooper (before the days of digital photography - I loved being in his dark room while he processed the pictures). He told me "Love watching and sharing Melissa's gorgeous photographs. Truly an artisan". You will not be disappointed in ANY way with choosing her as your photographer. I LOVE Melissa and the Durham family!

engaged, she climbed up hills in the deep snow to get my bridals done for my winter wonderland theme and was there the whole day of my wedding even helping me with my dress. She was helped out with my wedding day timeline, ideas, and everything. We talked so many times a met up a few times over a cup of coffee to go over the details. She puts so much emotion, time, and dedication into her work. I not only found the most amazing talented photographer around but made a life long friend.

just aren't enough words to describe what she did for us. Most importantly, Melissa wants to know what your vision is for that day bc her goal is to make sure that it comes to life and it's captured. I can not even tell you how many people commented on what all she had done throughout the wedding day and how gorgeous our pictures were. Every single one reflected my husband and I with so much passion and excitement and how we TRULY are on a day by day basis. Even when you couldn't love her more professionally, she has become an amazing friend to our family. You cannot go wrong with using Melissa and her services. She pours her heart and soul into her work & we will forever be grateful for her and the gift of keeping our wedding day alive and treasured for the rest of our lives.

best friends for years and we could talk for hours. Melissa is very down to earth and genuine. She gets know you as a person as well as a couple. She listens to your visions and ideas and makes the come to life through your pictures. She helped make not only me feel comfortable in our engagement sessions but also my husband. She is excited and loves helping to tell each couples love story. I continue to tell people other than my wonderful husband, she and her talent are the best decision I made throughout my whole planning process. You will not go wrong if you book her, she makes your whole wedding experience the absolute best and you can trust her to capture all the beautiful memories on your special day!