Skip to main content
Weddings
illustration popular

Vendors you may like

See other vendors that are popular with couples right now

Reviews of Amanda VanVels Photography

L
Maesee Sent on 12/09/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Look No Further - Amanda's the Best Photographer!

Amanda is the most chill and sweetest person during our sessions (both for our engagement + wedding photos)! Her down-to-earth personality and candid-like photos were what drew us to choosing her. She kept in touch with us frequently, even when we had to postpone our wedding due to the pandemic. I truly admire all the hard work she did, running around with us and our crazy schedule, while we changed into 3 different outfits throughout the day. The photos she took were incredibly authentic and really highlights the emotions of the day. I couldn't stop smiling as I went through our wedding photos, just looking at people's reactions and how much fun everyone had. Amanda captures not only memories, but she captures the joy of it all. 1000000% would do it all over again with Amanda in a heartbeat.
Charmaine
Charmaine Sent on 06/24/2020
5 out of 5 rating

We Love Amanda Vanvels!!!!

Where do I begin.... I am so thankful to have found the best photographer EVER!!! 😍 Seriously, Amanda has been amazing to work with from the day I contacted her, she is easy to conect with and so refreshingly personable... She was so flexible even when there was so much uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was able to support us as plans changed. My new husband and I absolutely adore our wedding photos and are so excited to work with Amanda again for our wedding reception in August! We highly recommend her, you are sure to love her sweet nature and her work as much as we do. ❤
K
Kimberly Sent on 05/30/2020
5 out of 5 rating

A Perfect Experience

My husband and I could not have asked for a better photographer for our wedding. Amanda was an absolute dream to work with!! We were looking for something a little nontraditional in our photography, and Amanda's documentarian style of shooting was the perfect fit for us. From our engagement photos to the photos she took for our wedding, looking at them brings us right back to each moment, and we remember exactly how we felt when the photo was taken. On the day, she was a total rockstar- Super organized and focused. When we got our photos back (in a very timely manner!), my husband and I were in tears remembering how special the day was and how Amanda so perfectly captured each element of our celebration. We aren't the only ones who think so, either. Our family and friends have been effusive with their praise of Amanda's work, too! While her photos are spectacular, she is also just an incredibly warm, comforting, and calm presence to have around on your wedding day! She was extremely communicative throughout the entire process with not only us, but with our wedding coordinator, too, and took time to address all of our questions and concerns (whether or not we would need a second shooter, how she felt about the lighting conditions in our venues, how to maximize the amount of time we could spend at our reception vs taking portraits before/after the ceremony, etc.) I am personally not a fan of having my photo taken, but Amanda made us both feel so comfortable for both of our shoots (engagement & wedding). I would HIGHLY recommend having Amanda shoot your engagement photos as well as your ceremony! In our engagement shoot, we got to "test drive" Amanda's photography style, which really helped us with knowing exactly what to expect from her on our wedding day. It was in the planning of that shoot that we really realized how carefully she tailors her approach to each couple. My husband and I decided to do our engagement shoot in our neighborhood where we live, and Amanda found the most incredible spots for photos in a neighborhood we walk in every day and had never noticed. She really has a fantastic eye! She's so collaborative and thoughtful- You really cannot find a better mix of talent and presence. We are so, so grateful for Amanda and will treasure our photos forever!!
J
Janice Sent on 01/20/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Love Amanda

My husband and I could not be happier with how our experience with Amanda turned out. We met Amanda several times before, as she was the photographer for some of our friends’ wedding and I had always admired her photos. It’s a true testament of her work and reputation when she has already photographed several of your friends’ weddings. Amanda’s images are raw and she is able to capture every emotion throughout the night. On top of that, she is so sweet and really easy-going – which makes her subjects feel at ease in front of the camera. Her portfolio really speaks for itself. My only wish is that Amanda was still out in CA so she can capture every milestone of ours going forward! With that said, there’s a lot of amazing documentary-style photographers out there, but Amanda is special because she’s literally the whole package – we can’t recommend her enough
Mia
Mia H. Sent on 01/09/2019
5 out of 5 rating

makes you feel so at ease, you want her to be your new bff!

Amanda was the sweetest, best photographer I could have ever wanted for our wedding. I feel weird in front of a camera, especially in intimate moments, and I somehow get a weird staged face when I know my picture is being taken. Taking couples photos felt easy, because Amanda made me feel relaxed and actually made us enjoy a little time together, away from the party. Communication with Amanda was outstanding, I immediately felt like she was my friend and would recommend her 100%.
L
Leah Sent on 03/04/2017
5 out of 5 rating
Amanda photographed our engagement session & wedding this past July. She was great to work with and most importantly our photos are amazing! She is super sweet and easy going, good at guiding you and helping you with locations/poses and also totally open to incorporating anything you want/any suggestions or ideas you have into her work. She was professional, reliable, prepared, sent all our photos to us within the promised time frame and we got numerous compliments from friends & family regarding how beautiful our photos are. We are thrilled that Amanda was our photographer and would definitely recommend her to others! Thanks Amanda!!
S
Sharon Sent on 01/13/2017
5 out of 5 rating
My husband and I had an amazing experience working with Amanda for our wedding and engagement photos. We are both Art Directors in the advertising and design field, so you can only imagine our scrutinizing eye when it came to the photography on our big day. For Amanda’s photography style, quality and coverage, her prices were beyond reasonable. My husband and I are also used to working with photographers behind the camera, not in front of it, and her warm personality really made the whole shoot a lot less awkward for us.

The overall process, was such a breeze. She was collaborative and respectfully provided her expertise and point of view when we needed it. We provided a shot list of all the shots we really wanted captured on the day, and agreed on when photos will be delivered. All of which she fulfilled. She even packaged up all the printed photos in a beautiful wooden box with matching USB drive.

She did such a beautiful job capturing the day, we even got featured on wedding blogs!
L
Lisa Sent on 12/19/2016
5 out of 5 rating
I've been a fan of Amanda's work for several years. As a native Michigander, I'd run into her work on social media, and began following it for several years-- way before I ever thought about to whom/how/when I'd get married, and certainly not what that day would be like. I was just so drawn to her ability to capture gorgeous, life-filled images of families and couples coming together. When my partner of many years and I decided to (finally) get married, I got right on trying to book Amanda for our photos. We were married in Minnesota and on a relatively short timeframe (3 months of planning), and all of the logistics, planning, and decisions about photos were totally supported by her long-distance. She was incredibly helpful to me (especially after I dubbed myself the 'dead-beat bride') in planning the schedule for our wedding day, because, well, she's been to TONS of weddings. Expert! When we received the final product we were just blown away-- incredible pictures of us, people we love, the beautiful space where we held our wedding... Uniquely ours, but with her signature style that we love. What stands out the most to me about working with Amanda is her attention to capturing the entire experience of our wedding-- and what it meant to us-- through still images. nI think couples also get incredible value in working with Amanda-- her wedding package pricing seemed very comparable, she was incredibly flexible and reliable, we received tons of images, the were so beautiful and full of the emotion of the day.
L
Lauren Sent on 11/15/2015
5 out of 5 rating
What a pleasure it was to be able to work with Amanda. Living out of state I relied on referrals from the first two vendors we booked and I was given the name of two photographers. Those referrals were already hired on our wedding date, however they BOTH suggested Amanda as an alternate. I am SO glad that those other photographers were not available because Amanda did an INCREDIBLE job! People cannot stop talking about how gorgeous the wedding looked and how great our pictures came out. When I looked Amanda up online before contacting her I was very impressed with her online gallery, however I can honestly say I'm not sure this portfolio does her work justice! My husband is obsessed with the pictures, my mom is calling dibs on some of them for her Christmas card, our sister-in-law ordered a huge print of the family for her home, and so on! Everyone wants copies of these pictures! If you are looking to duplicate wedding shot ideas found on Pinterest, Amanda may not be your girl (although she will probably accommodate you). When we go through our album, it is as if we are reliving the day and we could not be happier.
U
User2423555 Sent on 11/12/2015
5 out of 5 rating
I'm so glad we used Amanda as our photographer! She was really great to work with, super nice and made us feel comfortable and directed us gently. She delivered our photos to us exactly when she said she would, and we LOVE THEM! She was a total professional and didn't miss a thing. I couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out!
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Awards

12

Map

Addresses map

Other vendors in Grand Rapids for your wedding

Wedding Vendors