Melissa Montoya Photography

special. Melissa knew everything about the courthouse wedding process and took advantage of every opportunity to take additional photos which made it even more special. We will definitely recommend Melissa to anyone who is interested in a court wedding. We would love to work with Melissa again for future photos.

ment even more memorable! She is extremely knowledgeable about all the cute spots around the courthouse and amazing at making the most out of the time we booked with her. I'm not a photogenic person and tend to be shy in front of cameras, but she guided us with cute poses and angles, and the photos turned out beautifully. 😊 Highly, highly recommend her!

th her, but she really shone during the photo shoot. She was super creative in using spaces around the courthouse to our advantage, turning unassuming concrete walls, ramps, trees, and hills into beautiful backdrops. She helped wrangle us and our guests for photos (harder than it sounds!) and helped us feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera when it didn't necessarily come naturally. She turned our final gallery around within 48 hours of our wedding, and our friends and family were thrilled with the results. Also, we weren't necessarily looking for a bilingual photographer, but this was very nice bonus, and helpful for ushering our guests through the process. Melissa is energetic, fun, and professional, and I would be pleased to work with her again and recommend her to others.

her work, thank you Melissa!

on the gallery turnaround (does this woman work nonstop??). Her rates are also very reasonable. My partner and I are not used to getting our photos taken and I am normally very awkward in front of the camera, but she made the whole 2 hours feel natural. The moment she shows up you can smell her level of experience! She knows her shooting sites in and out, she has a plan, she knows how to pose you without you even realizing she's posing you. She prioritizes you and your comfort as the photo subject! Not a second of your time goes wasted. And of course, the photos are absolutely beautiful - goes without saying. If you are on the fence about picking Melissa, let this be your sign from the universe to message her!

a few raw shots during shoot and we knew immediately we made the best choice by reaching out to her. Somehow the final photos shocked us even more. We couldn’t recommend anyone better than Melissa! She captured our elopement beautifully!

were absolutely amazing and turned out better than we thought! She is so talented, her hard work shows in all of our photos. We can't wait to print some of the photos and put them up in our home.We had so many compliments. It was such a FUN experience from start to finish. All we're left with are timeless, romantic photos. We both highly recommend her to anyone looking for beautiful photographs and a great experience. Raquel & Jason

ouse wedding, followed by some couples' portraits at La Jolla beach. The photos came out incredible. Melissa helped cue us on our posing and positioning. It felt easy and natural thanks to Melissas' guidance. Not to mention, the turnaround time for our photos was extremely fast. In fact, we received our complete photo package (200 photos with editing) during our honeymoon. It was a pleasant and unexpected surprise. Thank you, Melissa, for capturing our special day.

ortable with her professionalism and positive personality. She has a charm that just brings out smiles and laughter for the most beautiful photos. During the walkthrough the week before our wedding, she provided insight on how the check in process for the paperwork and where the wedding ceremony would take place. My now husband and I wanted our photos to have a nature/floral vibe and Melissa knew exactly how to incorporate that vision. She showed us various spots around San Marcos that just hit that vibe and it turned out even more spectacular than I could have imagined the day of the wedding with the moments she captured. We will definitely seek out her services again for future events.

e is passionate about photography and extremely talented ! This shows throughout all her photos. We are so grateful to have her document all of our memorable moments during our big day. I look forward to working with her again , and would highly recommend her for all events. She is worth the investment 1000%. Thank you again Melissa for going above and beyond for Manuel and I .

questions and great advice as we were not too familiar with the area. Based on these initial exchanges we decided to go with her. Best choice ever! Melissa took the time to bring us around the site where we would be taking the photos so we could familiarize ourselves with the terrain before our special day and we could understand the vision that she had for the various shooting locations. On the day of our wedding Melissa put us at ease with her bubbly and pleasant demeanor. She was very patient and went above and beyond to get the most amazing shots of us on our special day. The day turned out perfectly— we had a blast shooting with her! Melissa was punctual and very professional throughout. She also had a really quick turnaround— we got a selection of our photos the day after our wedding, and got the remainder a few days later. We were extremely happy with the photos and our choice of photographer. We would recommend her to anyone looking to capture special moments !

She’s very detail oriented, punctual, super quick to respond and return photos, and she is extremely professional. We love our wedding photos and are so happy that we chose her to capture our big day.

to a concert, but that didn't stop her. Melissa still walked us around and got us as close as possible to all of the shooting locations she had in mind and she has a lot. Way more than you would expect. She promptly answered all of my questions by phone and email. And was even quick to respond post wedding when we discussed which photos to share on her website (which is completely optional). On our wedding day, she helped us stay on schedule and had fun with us and our family. She made us both feel so relaxed behind the camera and helped us pose, which was key as we are not models. Thank you Melissa and don't be surprised if we book again soon. Oh and her turn around time was fast, less than 4 or 5 days!

mpany for the afternoon. The weather being stunning helped, yes, but Melissa made our day so much more fun. The photos turned out AMAZING and we will cherish them forever. Melissa took our engagement photos as well, and we did not hesitate to book her again for our wedding. She is very efficient (and high energy!) and will work with you to get as much variety of shots as possible in the given timeframe. We cannot thank Melissa enough!

ldn't see myself using any other photographer and Melissa didn't disappoint. It's obvious she loves her job and puts in the effort to make sure the customers are happy and have all the information they need before the big day. Melissa did a walk-through with us before our wedding day so we knew what to expect. We decided to do our photoshoot before our ceremony. The day of, driving to the shoot, I realized I had forgotten my bouquet!!! I called Melissa about a minute away from the meet-up to decide if I should drive back or go without the bouquet. We decided to go without the bouquet until someone could deliver the bouquet. When we arrived at the shoot location Melissa had picked wildflowers and made a bouquet for me!! The bouquet was so beautiful and made for wonderful pictures. At the end of the shoot, my bouquet was delivered and I also got pictures with them. If this doesn't convince you about working with Melissa I don't know what will.

stressed about finding a good photographer because I had a short window. I got engaged on 4/20 lol and wanted to get married on 6/16. In comparison to the other photographers my husband and I reviewed, her website was EXTREMELY detailed and unique. We did a courthouse wedding and her website made us feel that she was truly an expert in the process. She was affordable, responsive, detailed, passionate, and fierce when it came to getting the perfect shot. We are blessed to have found her and will always recommend.

knowledgeable in the courthouse procedure, so we knew what to expect on the day of the ceremony. During the photoshoot, we could tell Melissa knew what she was doing. She was friendly and made us feel at ease. Even though we have no modeling/posing experiences, our pictures turned out phenomenal! It was so hard to believe we were the ones in the photos. We highly recommend Melissa. She was such a pleasure to work with. We love our photos, and we are so happy we had Melissa as our photographer to capture our special day! (:

kind and professional. Highly recommend!!

ing memories. I highly recommend Melissa!

epared to work around the weather (rain) and all the random construction projects around the County Administration building. Melissa was also great at directing our large group of 30 people for our friends and family portraits. We are happy with the photos she took to capture our special day!

ent, and understanding. She truly went above and beyond to ensure that we had a flawless and unforgettable experience. Melissa has a rare gift for understanding the unique vision of her clients, and she worked tirelessly with me to execute every detail perfectly. She took the time to help plan and scout locations a weekend before our event, demonstrating her unwavering commitment to our satisfaction. San Diego is blessed with countless picturesque locations, but Melissa's extensive knowledge of the area allowed her to recommend the most enchanting spots for our photoshoot. She even went as far as suggesting different outfit colors for each location to ensure that the resulting images would be visually stunning and harmonious. Her keen eye for color and composition is unparalleled, and the results speak for themselves. One of the most impressive aspects of our experience with Melissa was her willingness to accommodate our relatively last-minute request. Despite the short notice, she remained incredibly flexible and ensured that everything went smoothly. Furthermore, her prices were extremely reasonable. In summary, I couldn't recommend Melissa more highly. She is a phenomenally talented photographer, and her ability to create breathtaking images while making her clients feel at ease is second to none. If you are in need of a photographer, look no further than Melissa – she will undoubtedly exceed your expectations and ensure your special moment is wholly captured.

s would be orchestrated, but where to go and how to navigate the courthouse. She was extremely flexible and was able to assist our guests the day of of wedding when the courthouse was taking longer than expected. Melissa made each of feel comfortable and captured the most amazing photos that we will cherish forever. Melissa is extremely professional, but her personality is also so energetic and fun helping ease all stress and allow for an amazing experience. We would absolutely request her services and expertise for future photo sessions.

g feel and Melissa nailed it. She listened to everything I envisioned and gave her feedback which was comforting and reassuring. She was funny and professional, made us feel relaxed even with all the craziness that comes on wedding day. I highly recommend. She was so quick to give us sneak peeks!

and very professional. She made getting married at the SD Courthouse easy as she knew so much about the process. Most importantly, our photos are absolutely beautiful and we are complemented on them often. I am so grateful to have met her and may even try to fly her out for our Panamanian wedding in 2024! That is how great she was! She is also bilingual which made family who did not speak English even more comfortable! I don't speak much Spanish, but I noticed it was an added bonus that she did. The process was easy and she had pictures ready with in her stated time frame which was super nice as well.

the best photoshoot locations so we could get a better idea of how things would flow the day of. Melissa is super personable and very talented at her craft. She has loads of experience and knows exactly the perfect angles and positions for beautiful and flattering shots. We highly recommend her!

ves. We did our Engagement with her and the pictures turned out better than we could imagined. She also gave us a wide variety of pictures to choose from which is great. Highly recommend and will definitely hire her for future photoshoots.

of planning and scheduling a breeze. I loved her energy during the shoot- she made my fiancé and I feel at ease throughout the entire process. Now for the best part - the photos. They came out STUNNING! I loved that we could pick 100 from the raw files, then she edited that (quite large) subset. We are so happy with how they came out, and have gotten so many compliments from friends and family. I'd highly recommend Melissa to anyone in the San Diego (and beyond) area!

work with. Throughout the process she was quick to respond and more than accommodating in her recommendations. During the shoot, she was patient and thorough so that we could have the best photos possible. I would 100% work with her again and can't recommend her enough!

was very responsive given that we were coming from Austin, Texas to San Diego, California. Melissa made us super comfortable during the session, coaching us prior and during the shoot to get our best sides and best photos possible. We highly recommend booking your time with Melissa. Again, big hugs and THANK YOU to you Melissa!

were at a government building. Melissa met with us the day before our wedding and walked us through the entire process and around the building. Her knowledge of just the courthouse wedding process put us at ease, but it was truly her creativity in seeing/explaining her shots that blew us away. Melissa produces BEAUTIFUL pictures and we are obsessed. The turn around for our sneak peaks and our full gallery was so quick and well within her quoted time. I cannot recommend Melissa Montoya Photography enough. Thank you so much, Melissa, for helping make our little courthouse wedding feel so magical.

y with the quality of photos that she captured and would highly recommend Melissa to anyone looking to capture special moments.

the experience fun for everyone. Melissa processed the photos the same weekend and they are incredible beautiful! Thank you Melissa!

ceremony and I knew we would have the best time together. She walked us through shooting locations nearby our venue and gave us a few tips for the day of - showcasing her knowledge of wedding photography. I showed her specific color schemes and editing I was looking for and she went above my expectations. The day of our ceremony, she arrived early and had already scouted where she wanted some of the bridal portraits. We began shooting and I, unfortunately, had a moment of feeling incredibly overwhelmed. Melissa paused shooting for a few minutes while she grabbed me water, fixed my makeup and helped center myself before we moved on. Her kindness and attention to my mental well-being throughout the day made a huge difference and I am so appreciative. Throughout the night, she helped direct some of the timing so we could stay on schedule and continued to capture amazing photos. I am so pleased with the end result and cannot thank her enough. If you are looking to find a photographer who goes above and beyond, please choose Melissa!

rt period of time and had hoped to do a sunset photoshoot – Melissa noticed that the weather was forecasted to be cloudy and she was very accommodating in changing the time for the shoot on the day of so that we still got good lighting. Commutating with her was easy and she always replied to emails promptly. She was also very enthusiastic during the shoot and made us feel at ease. We would love to work with her again in the future!

ke our “courthouse” wedding feel very special. Melissa met with us ahead of time to walk around the area and showed us where we would be taking pictures, and also where we would for the paperwork and ceremony. It was very helpful for us to get an idea of what to expect for the actual wedding day and it’s clear she’s an expert on all the best spots around the building. She was incredibly efficient with all our group photos, noticed all the little details, and made us feel very comfortable throughout the process. Plus, her turnaround time to send us the photos was very quick!

shoot. She went above a beyond in every way possible; including the recommendations on the location and the best time of day to correlate with what we wanted, and spending extra time to get the most perfect photos. If you need any kind of professional photos taken, hands down, I recommend Melissa!

relaxed; when you are a stressing bride this means a lot! Melissa has an amazing sense of setting and light; her artistic eye made our photos phenomenal. Melissa truly is an exceptional photographer. Hire her; You will not be disappointed.

emailed her after hours 2-3 weeks out from the ceremony, and had gotten a response 3 hours later that night. Melissa eased the stress and worries about what we had to do on our ceremony day; she gave us a walkthrough inside the San Diego administration building on what to expect the day before, and showed us where our shots would be taken around the building. The day of the ceremony, she took pictures at every possible moment and guided us on how to pose. She queued our families when it was their turn to take group photos and took lots of photos of us with them within the 30 minutes before our portrait shots. When it came to our shots together, it was honestly a fun time and Melissa made the time go by an instant. My husband and I made a request iwhen we had first emailed to get shots taken at the Midway statue, and with the last 15-20 minutes with her, she drove us down to the Midway and took amazing shots of us. We loved the service we got from Melissa and we definitely loved all the photos that she took of us. I would 100% recommend Melissa to photograph your special day!

rime spots within our location. She was careful to consider lighting and angles, and most of all, she was able to help us push past our wedding day jitters and let our personalities and love for each other shine through. While we may not have gone the traditional wedding route, Melissa captured our special moments and helped make it a truly memorable day.

d passionate. On the big day, she provided fantastic creative direction and made my husband and I feel very comfortable. Her energy and passion for her work are undeniable, and we were absolutely thrilled with the pictures and special moments she captured on our big day. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a photographer for their elopement/wedding!

re early and helped me plan out ideal locations for the proposal. She was very professional and took some amazing pictures that we will remember forever. Not to mention she was able to provide our edited photos back in less than a day! Highly recommend Melissa for any photo shoots you may need.

os and can’t wait to get them up into my home . When we do our honeymoon we will be having her do more photos !

s fun, creative, and great at helping you feel relaxed in front of the camera. We wanted to have natural wedding photos, mostly with documentary style photos with only a handful of portraits for our small courthouse wedding, and she absolutely nailed it. She went above and beyond to make sure to capture the perfect moments and also did a great job of getting the photos to us quickly. The photos look gorgeous and so natural. I will cherish our photos forever and I highly recommend Melissa!

everal vision changes for our big day. We also received our beautiful photos within a week of the wedding which is unheard of. Super bubbly personality and she is an absolute joy to work with. I 100% recommend her for your special day

feel so good and gave such good feedback (while taking pictures) to ensure the best angles and photos. My family even commented about how much they enjoyed and appreciated her personality after the wedding. The pictures turned out amazingly beautiful and the best part was the quick turnaround. We got sneak peek photos within a few days and the rest of our photos were delivered shortly after. She is also very organized ensuring the process goes smoothly and easing the stress of the process. HIGHLY recommend her for your special day!