About this vendor
I'm a world-traveling Seattle-based photographer for couples who love to make a statement.
Details
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
- Bridal Portraits
- Day After Session
- Engagement
- Trash The Dress
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Online Proofing
- Photo
- Printed Enlargements
- Printed Proofs
- Second Shooter Available
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Classic
- Documentary
- Dramatic
- Lifestyle
- Modern
Wedding Activities
- Getting Engaged
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
Awards and Affiliations
2015 '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 5.028 reviews
There are not enough words to describe what it was like working with Melissa! LITERALLY, from day 1 my fiancé and I instantly connected with her; it seriously felt like we had know...
n each other for years! Her work is stunning, she is amazing, and the way she takes care of you both during your sessions and just through communication is OUTSTANDING!
Real talk: unless you’re a model (I am not) we don’t know how to stand and pose in front of the camera... Melissa did an amazing job at taking the hard part out of the equation and helped us feel so comfortable and relaxed in front of her lens! It honestly felt like my fiancé and I went to the mountains with our best friend for the day- (guys, she’s that great, I’m telling you). The whole point of engagement/wedding sessions is to capture love, not us looking awkwardly at the camera to get the “perfect shot” (and trust me when I tell you this- SHE. WILL. CAPTURE. IT.).
I have only done my engagement session with her, but we quickly booked her for our wedding, and (just because I’m an avid planner) I told her I wanted to work with her on all future photography adventures to come. Trust me when I tell you, you need to work with her! :) you won’t regret it
Melissa was UH-MAZING to work with and I would hire her for every future event I want photographed. She was fun, easy to work with, and made us laugh so hard! Even her assistant, S...
ahara, was a pleasure. Melissa was very open to poses and photos I wanted to make sure to capture on our big day. Best of all, she not only documented the events of the day, but she was able to capture the emotion throughout - something that was very important to me. Melissa - we love you and are so thankful to have had you as part of our special day!
To say that Melissa is one with her craft would be an understatement. Her poise, humor and eye to capture our special day was beyond our expectations. Completely professional, very...
personable and forced me to have some VERY hard decisions when trying to figure out which pictures to print out...there are too many good ones to choose from! We decided not to go with a videographer and don't regret that decision. Melissa captured every detail, feel and vision of our wedding. Looking through our pictures you can truly get transported back to the wedding.
Melissa is truly one of a kind at her craft! Not only is she a blast to work with (she makes photo shoots fun even for those who literally hate photos, like my husband) She capture...
s the emotion, down to the smallest details, and tells a story in still frames like none other.
Photos were THE ONE thing I that was super important to me (every bride has their thing) and Melissa blew my expectations away. I literally love EVERY single photo. Quit shopping, book her right now. Thank me later ;)
I searched and searched for a wedding photographer that I knew could catch the vision of our engagement and wedding!! Melissa delivered!! I love how she made the process comfortabl...
e for my husband and I. She's so energetic you can't help but allow that to spill into your photos! I def recommend Melissa..she was awesome!
Words aren't enough to explain the gratitude I have for Melissa! Her work is amazing! From our engagements to our wedding photographs, everything was part of a magical experience t...
hat Melissa made so special! Her pictures of my husband and I bring back feelings from our most special day--she captures romance, raw emotions into pictures that one can keep forever! My husband and I are both shy when it comes to the camera--showing our emotions in front of a camera is not something we are used
To! However, Melissa made us feel so comfortable and relaxed through the whole experience and I was amazed at
How good our engagements turned out! The crazy thing is our wedding photographs are EVEN BETTER..magazine material! I have been told this by many people..all have great things to say about her work! As a vendor, Melissa was easy to work with, professional, on time, and very clear about everything. Compared to other vendors we worked with Melissa made the whole experience easy and stress-free! A negative? The wedding pictures are SO good we are having a hard time choosing the ones to go into our album! Can't wait to work with Melissa again! You made our day SO SPECIAL!!!
Part of what makes Melissa so amazing is her personality, which is priceless. When you have to stand and take group photos for hours before your event you NEED a photographer with ...
a great personality. Not only does she take amazing photos, she's so wonderful to work with. I personally didn't have a meeting with Melissa before my wedding. We only sent a few emails back and forth so it says a lot that I speak so highly of her. I chose her due to falling in love with the love that I saw captured in her photos. By the end of my wedding I felt like she was my friends and truly celebrating in our marriage, not just our wedding photographer. I can't say enough things about her- and the photos you will receive will honestly take your breath away. You won't regret working with Melissa!!! I hope to work with her again. I couldn't be happier with my wedding photos/photographer. Thank you for capturing the most important day of my life so beautifully Melissa!!!
Melissa is not only an amazing photographer and business woman, she is also an amazing person and now, dear friend. Melissa is truly passionate about what she does, and has fun doi...
ng it! She puts her clients at ease, and ALWAYS listens to what they want, and the vibe that they are going for. When I received my wedding photos back I was absolutely in awe. They look like something straight out of a bridal magazine! Melissa went above and beyond her duties as a photographer on our special day, and I can not thank her enough. She truly is the best!!!!
I couldn't have been happier with my experience working with Melissa. She is very professional and so much fun to work with! My husband is a little camera-shy and Melissa was quick...
ly able to loosen him up and start having fun. She makes you feel like a million bucks while taking photos and the entire coordination process was a breeze.
Melissa did such a great job capturing every little moment throughout the wedding day and the turnaround time was super quick!
And did I mention every single photo looks like it belongs in a wedding magazine?! The hardest part will be narrowing down which photos to frame - there are too many to choose from!
I wish I could explain Melissa in one word but her personality is too beautiful to fit in one category. She is so fun, kind, relatable and talented. She met up with me and went out...
of her way to come to my husbands show in Seattle to get to know us before the wedding. It blew my mind. I would recommend her to anyone I know! She has a loving and glowing personality I will never forget! She is SO talented at her job and is great at making the day about you!
There are simply not enough complimentary adjectives in the english language to describe Melissa and her talents. Melissa shot my wedding on the 4th of July - not only giving up he...
r holiday with her family, but in only a short period of time, began to feel like our family. Melissa has a rare and unique ability to make even the most formal moments and pictures feel comfortable...and FUN! Melissa will instantly fit in with your group, family, bridal/groom party and capture the most phenomenal photographs that will leave your jaw on the floor. Melissa is flexible, accessible, very prompt to respond, and 100% accountable and trustworthy. When I went into neurotic bride mode about 1 month before the wedding, Melissa answered my every question quickly and thoroughly. There was no detail that she hadn't already thought of. I felt like I was in the best hands imaginable. From the moment we hired Melissa as our wedding photographer, I knew she'd exceed my wildest expectations. She goes above and beyond what I would expect a typical wedding photographer to do, using her inspirational, unique and artistic visions to capture the most perfect shots. I have had numerous people tell me that our wedding photos need to be in a magazine: and I would agree - they are perfection! The lighting, the poses, the sentiment and emotion captured....Melissa has a keen eye and will leave you in tears as you scroll through your engagement/wedding photos. I will cherish my wedding photos for the rest of my life, and I couldn't be more thankful to Melissa for providing them to us. If you do nothing else for your wedding, hire Melissa - it's the BEST decision we made!
Melissa was an absolute pleasure to work with and she captured our day beautifully! We couldn't be happier with our decision in choosing Melissa for our wedding photographer. Her p...
assion and love for photography and her clients shines through in each picture. She did a wonderful job making us feel special and at ease. I would recommend Melissa to any Bride and Groom, she is truly worth the investment. We cannot thank her enough for the amazing moments she captured on our special day! Truly the best!!!
I could never say enough amazing things about Melissa Kilner. My husband and I hired her for our July 2014 wedding and we could not be happier with the results! Not only did our ...
package come with an engagement shoot, but she worked with us to schedule it during the Christmas holiday because it was the only time my then fiancé could make it as he was home on leave.
Our wedding photos are more than I could ever ask for. I simply adore them. She made us feel comfortable and laugh during the entire day and our photos reflect that. She pulled off a miracle by getting my husband to smile his REAL smile for a photo. I will never be able to thank her enough for capturing that! That single photo is one I will treasure forever.
The only difficulty I can say is that now we have to pick only a couple photos from the entire set to display in our home!
After my now-husband and I got engaged in 2013, a photographer friend living in the Midwest happened upon Melissa online, and suggested her as someone we should consider to capture...
our wedding day. Melissa did not disappoint. As soon as we met her, it was apparent that there was no need to interview anyone else for the job. We were taken by Melissa's infectious energy and ever-positive outlook on life, always accompanied with the highest degree of reliability and professionalism expected from someone with such a responsibility. She was always on time and consistently communicative, and desired to capture our engagement session and wedding in the ways most appropriate for us, our style, and the venues. And above all, her talent and vision is unparalleled--one look at her portfolio will convince you of that. She is also just a kind, considerate, and truly generous individual who has turned into one of our dear friends. When you choose Melissa for your wedding photographer, you are making one of the smartest, most solid decisions surrounding this great day in your life--you won't regret your choice!
Melissa Kilner is extremely talented in many ways. Not only is she very personable - she chatted with my parents, my grandparents, my cousins, my friends, and even danced everyone ...
at the reception, she makes you feel completely at ease in front of the camera! Her photos are beautiful and they capture so much emotion and personality! Every single person in my family and bridal party (and that's over 40 people) raved about Melissa's ability to literally show how people felt in the exact moment they were photographed. That is a true talent! Melissa is directive yet relaxed- she goes with the flow of things but is still able to get the shots she needs. Melissa did our engagement shoot at 2 different locations and adjusted the time in order to capture the sunset and twilight hours and she stayed with us for 10 hours on wedding day so there was no stress of having to choose between morning photos of getting ready and late reception pictures (she also has an unreal amount of energy). Melissa is very fun, energetic, thorough, reliable, and talented. Her delivery is timely and her photos are of great quality. I am so glad we chose to work with Melissa!
Melissa is an amazing photographer and person. Her personality and energy makes you feel at ease the moment you step in front of the camera & her smile makes you want to smile righ...
t back at her. We love our engagement photos & are so excited to see our wedding photos.
She was an easy choice to make to be the documenter of our milestone day. Cheers!
I had a very short amount of time to plan my wedding. So I did a quick google search and found Melissa. Man did I stumble across the most amazing photographer I ever seen. Her pict...
ures do not compare to anyone's I ever see . They're so beautiful! Over the years you forget the food, the venue, even the brides dress, but with pictures as beautiful as Melissa's, they bring back all your favorite memories. Everyone always told me to spend a little more on your pictures and I am so happy I did! She gave me such beautiful pictures that I will be able to hold onto for a life time. I cannot thank her enough.
Melissa is an amazing photographer with an eye single to her bride or subject as is evident in the results. She allows you re-live every moment and capture the feelings you had on ...
that very special day. Don't miss the opportunity to meet this amazingly talented woman!
Melissa did our one year anniversary pictures when we traveled to Washington. Not only did we have an amazing time with her during our session, but we LOVED our photos more than we...
could have imagined! I could never recommend her highly enough.
Seriously. Melissa Kilner is by far the BEST photographer I have ever worked with or seen in action! And I've been to A LOT of weddings. She is so interactive, fun, and energetic! ...
She knows exactly what to do and makes it happen. Everyone asks who did our photography and how they can get in touch with her when they see our wedding pictures. She is just phenomenal!! So down to earth, kind, and loving, yet so sassy and fun! Highly recommend!
Melissa did such an amazing job on the pictures for our engagement shoot! She is so fun and makes you feel like a million bucks. Melissa instantly made us feel at ease and her expe...
rtise really showed. She knew exactly how to pose us and what adjustments to make to make us look like models :) Her pricing is fairly average but her service and quality are well beyond my expectations. She is prompt with responding to emails and is very flexible. We last minute wanted to change some aspects of our wedding and she not only came up with the perfect location for our pictures, but after offered to drive 30 minutes to a new location so we could get a good variety of shots. Our pictures could not be more unique or stunning. We never felt rushed and she made sure we were getting the pictures we wanted. She is great at being in charge without making you feel like she is in charge. And how amazing she makes you feel really shows in the photos. I have to say my Fiancé was not the most receptive to having our pictures taken, but she put him right at ease and he is still talking about how much fun he had. I can't WAIT to have her photograph our wedding!!! Highly recommend!!!
Melissa is an amazing photographer, and that is putting it lightly. My wedding is booked at the Monte Cristo Ballroom, so she is a preferred vendor there, but I had many photograph...
ers to choose from. I chose her, because not only do I feel our personalities are exquisite (let me tell you, she is probably the nicest, sweetest, and very bubbly person besides myself that I have ever met), but her personality is what I needed to make my shy-er hubby-to-be come out of his shell. Our photographs have turned out amazing. She is so skilled at what she does. She really uses her personality and her amazing skills to bring out the best photos in a couple. I personally never thought about what it would be like if my fiance and I had professional photographs done, and she made it fun and easy and the best time. Which is another reason why I chose her, her portfolio is BEAUTIFUL and our photos were tear-jerking mementos that I still can't stop staring at. I can't even, I don't have words to describe it. I highly recommend Melissa, not only because it's like you've known her since forever even though you just met, but because she loves what she does and it shows in every word, gesture, and photograph.
Melissa Kilner is FABULOUS at what she does! Not only does she have an eye for what will look good, she's creative, and fun to be around. She pays attention to what her client want...
s, and is always offering an energetic confidence boost! I've had the pleasure of seeing her in action multiple times, and have never been disappointed. 5 stars from this professional Bridesmaid!
We just started working with Melissathis summer. She will be shooting out wedding next summer and we cant wait. Ever since we made contact she has been great to work with. She real...
ly helped accommodate our tight schedule for our engagement shoot and got our photos to us in great time. Her eye for lighting and the mood is phenomenal! ! She also has a way of making everything relaxed and fun! We are so happy we found her!! Definitely worth the investment!!
Let me start off by saying that Melissa is more than a photographer. She is a good person, mother, wife, daughter and most importantly, a friend. Second thing I'd like to say is I'...
m the bride with the back in her wedding icon above, (yes, my dress rocked) but point being, my review is legit.
We had a small wedding in Cannon Beach and I debated having a local photographer but after talking with a few others and then meeting with Melissa, there was no question. Despite the sideways wind on our wedding day, she managed to capture the special moments and intimacy that I'd imagined. I think the most important part is being comfortable with someone, it truly reflects in your pictures. Both my husband and I aren't big posed picture people but with Melissa it was easy. She makes you laugh and will spend enough time with you that come wedding day, she's not your photographer but your friend with a camera. (Just a really nice one!) I absolutely recommend the engagement shoot because those are almost more special to me than my wedding pictures and it gives both yourself and Melissa an idea how you photograph and how she works. Melissa gives great guidance and is very creative. I'm so grateful for her and she will forever be taking photos of myself, friends and family.
It's honestly difficult to put into words how happy my husband and I are with the quality work Melissa delivered. She pays attention to every detail and captures special moments th...
at you'll want to remember forever. She is organized, punctual and knows what she's doing. We knew Melissa would do a fantastic job, but she somehow managed to exceed our expectations. Her personality made our wedding even more enjoyable. We could not have asked for anything more, truly. I can't wait to hire her again someday when we need maternity pictures :)
MELISSA KILNER IS AMAZINGGGGGG! Thank you for everything
Melissa is fabulous at making you feel fabulous - and when you feel fabulous, it shows in your photos! She feels immediately comfortable with you and your family and friends, and i...
s at once totally in charge and unobtrusive. When you don't know how to get your veil properly on your head, she will show you how. She's smiley and all-around nice to hang out with - which is important, because you'll be hanging out all day on one of the fullest days of your life. She texted me on her way to my parents' house the morning of my wedding to offer to bring me a coffee (and if I were a responsible bride, I would have had my phone nearby to reply!). She chose an equally friendly, fabulous, and talented second shooter (this girl has connections). She includes an engagement session with her packages, which was a really nice way to get comfortable with each other and her camera (nice perk for camera-queasy grooms-to-be) and the photos from the more casual session are really fun to have too. I was living in California while planning my wedding, so Melissa recommended we meet over Skype to discuss plans, and she sent me her phone number and email address and it was pretty easy to communicate that way. Of course, if you are more local she'd love to meet with you in person. She was VERY accommodating in squeezing in my engagement session when I was in town at the same time as my fiance for just a couple short days. She's committed to getting you the results you want - I sent her a list of 'must-have' wedding photos, and she printed that list out and made sure everything was checked off before she left! On top of all this, her images are really top-notch, and you'll treasure them forever.
AMAZING! Melissa is not only the sweetest, fun girl ever! She is so talented and totally gets the vision of everything wedding ! She is a forever friend and I am so happy and bless...
ed that she was a part of my special day!
All of my wedding pictures are drop dead amazing, she captured everything I wanted and everything I didn't even think of. This truly was the best day of my life and I have Melissa to thank for capturing every moment so perfectly. I will remember the wonderful friendship and gift she gave to us.
Her style is impeccable, her attention to detail and attentiveness is perfect. She listened to us and really connected with our vision. Really her work says it all.
I will continue to recommend her to family, friends and total strangers! I am a forever client. You will not be disappointed if you hire Melissa Kilner for your wedding!
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