Stop looking. You have found the perfect photographer for any and all of your needs. I had the pleasure of working with Chellise for our wedding, and I could NEVER imagine trusting anyone else with such a special day. Chellise's warm + fun personality, her incredible skill + eye, and uncanny ability to capture the spirit of any given moment is unmatched. I would give Chellise a 15 star review if I could. You will not find a photographer better than her.

When we were imagining our wedding photos, we wanted the soul. We wanted the action. We wanted the fringes and the reality and the weird pants creases and the inevitable mess that someone's hair is after 2.5 hours of sweating through your undershirt. But we also wanted to look like goddamn beauty queens and have something that made our parents happy. Enter Mike and Danny on the cameras and Matty on video. They understood the assignment (or maybe wrote the syllabus), and they embodied our wedding vibe so seamlessly that they were guests of honor by the end of the weekend. They drew out the introverts, they amplified the extroverts, they were everywhere they needed to be. Both of our moms still wax poetically about them. And honestly, we'd still love to have a cocktail with them any time. You don't need us to tell you about how good their work is - you can see their portfolio, and it's obvious. But what made this team so special for us is how likeable, how warm, how conscious, and how incredibly additive they were to our weekend and to the feeling in the room. If we ever get around to doing an anniversary party, they're on the guest list.

It was a pleasure working with Chellise and Amber – what a dream team!! We could not have asked for a more wonderful experience for our wedding weekend.

Chellise is a true gem. She is incredibly chill, uber talented behind a camera lens and knows how to capture the absolute rawness of a moment, which is so special and priceless. Working with her made us feel so comfortable and confident that we made an excellent decision to have her document our wedding weekend. Our photos are spectacular, and we are blown away with how everything turned out.

Chellise – we cannot thank you enough for everything you’ve done for us!! The GOAT!

After looking at the team's online photos, we had a feeling that CMP was going to be a good fit. As soon as we hopped on our initial Zoom call, we were sold. Chellise and Michael had an incredible warmth and familiarity to them that were such a big draw in booking them as our wedding photographers. We ended up hiring Michael (though you can't go wrong with anyone on the team), who was extremely flexible in re-scheduling the included engagement shoot. Neither my wife or I are huge on being a focal point, and so we were nervous to do the engagement shoot. Mike ended up putting us right at ease and popping out some great, laid-back shots. Cut to the wedding - you GOTTA get the film package. The shots have such an incredible warmth to them. The photos don't feel staged or stiff - they transport us right back to some of our favorite moments. Aside from getting just a dope set of pictures, Mike was a blast to hang out with. We have heard from countless friends and family about what a presence he had. If he didn't have a camera strapped to him, you would have just thought he was a guest himself. I think this trait really put all our guests at ease and made for much better photos. We can't imagine the wedding without Mike there to document it!

Be forewarned - this is less of a review but a romance novel starring our photographer, Danny Bergin of Chellise Michael Photography (CMP), as its main protagonist.

In photographs I typically have either RBF or a double chin because I’m usually laughing. I also cringe at the standard posed wedding photography and knew right off the bat that it would be a mission to find a wedding photographer that would be up for the challenge. So if you’re like me, you may dread the thought of choosing a wedding photographer.

It was by chance that I came across CMP’s photographs while browsing on Pinterest. They immediately caught my eye; they were editorial, intimate and full of personality. Bottom line - stunning. Fortunately CMP had one photographer available for our date — Danny. We lucked out because he is not only extremely talented in his craft, but also a total gem of a person. The photographs from our engagement shoot (WHICH COMES WITH YOUR PACKAGE AND IS AN AMAZING BENEFIT OF CMP’S SERVICES) made it immediately clear that Danny has a superb eye and was able to capture our personality as a couple. I’ve been non-stop spamming friends and family with our wedding photographs since we've received them; and which Danny delivered in record time. I’m in complete awe of how Danny was able to capture the vibe of our wedding in such a natural way.

It goes without saying that wedding photographs aren’t just for the couple, but also for the friends and family. So I want to share some verbatim messages I received from our attendees (who include people who work in the fashion industry, my highly critical family and people who have gone to at least 8 weddings last year) which really underscore Danny’s stellar photography skills:

“HOLY $H!T YOUR WEDDING PHOTOS!! I’m obsessed with all of them!“
“The photos really capture you guys”
“I’m done. Unwell this aesthetic. who is this photographer?!”
“Your photographer was on it! They did a really great job!”
“This photographer is magic brah”

Last but not least, I want to recognize qualities of CMP that while searching for a wedding photographer I had not recognized were absolutely essential until I saw them in action:

(1) a commitment to easy scheduling for discussing your needs and dates and for the engagement shoot;
(2) clear instructions and constant communication on when the photographs will be delivered, guides for the photo shoots and how to view your photos;
(3) a photographer with great personality that puts everyone at ease; and
(4) flexibility and ability to provide for their customer’s needs and implement their customer’s vision.

All in all, due to Danny — our knight in shining corduroy — we will live happily ever after.

THE CMP team is awesome. They were so flexible and so real with us throughout the entire process. We hired Danny as our wedding photographer and can't say enough positive things. We really wanted an authentic, non-cheesy feel and Danny delivered! He was a calming presence, so much fun to work with, and overall we felt like he really went above and beyond our expectations. Most importantly, our pictures have come out AMAZING. Thank you Danny & CMP!

Danny was our photographer for our wedding and engagement shoot and we seriously couldn't have asked for anyone better. We got married in July during peak NYC summer heat and Danny was such a trooper during the scalding temperatures. During the engagement shoot it really felt like we were just hanging out with a friend and during the wedding he was nonintrusive, yet there at all the right moments. We ended up doing our engagement shoot pretty close to the wedding date and Danny wanted to give us a quick turnaround on the photos, so we could see them in advance of the big day. We really appreciated this (esp since they turned out amazing). Chellise and team were also really great to work with throughout the booking process and made things so seamless and efficient.

When we started looking for photographers, we wanted someone with a candid, realistic style who would capture the day as it was with a minimum of formal portraits/ shots. We were immediately drawn to Chellise Michael's style when we found them online, and spoke with two of their photographers. As soon as we got onto the phone with Mike, it was clear that he was a different kind of wedding photographer. I am not comfortable in front of a camera and needed a friend to help me get out of my own head and just enjoy the day without worrying about the thousands of photographs that would be taken, and Mike was that and more. He is warm, funny, a little wacky, kinetic, thoughtful, and an all around good time. Our included portrait session was a delightful afternoon in our home, getting to know him so that by the time the wedding came he was like an old friend. He skips most of the formalities and goes straight for the good stuff - photos of people actually being present in the moment. I flip through the photos now and all I see is our joy, the love of our family and friends, and the magic of the day captured beautifully.

Chellise clearly stood out among all of the photographers we looked at. Her work is distinctive in its authenticity and vitality. Taking the time to get to know us must be the secret. From our first introduction where we chatted in her studio for probably two hours, we felt she was a trusted friend. Many months later she came to our apartment for the portrait session. Taking these in your home is such a great idea and produced some photos that will be awesome to look at years from now. She captured not only us but the art, toys, and furry kitties that are part of our daily life. It's our personal New York experience, which honestly is most often at home =)

On the day of Chellise showed up full of energy and ready to go. She shot well over 1,000 photos: us, the venue, the guests looking their best and some totally real moments too, the food, the flowers, the performers, Japanese glow in the dark toys — everything. We had a few performances lined up for our wedding and she got great shots of all of them, getting out on the dance floor and capturing all of the action. Some video captured her nearly getting hit with a whip of a Dominican Diablo Cojuelo! Google it.

Our wedding theme was “Wicked Garden” with a dark side driven by the 1977 Italian Giallo horror film, Suspiria, directed by Dario Argento. This part really came out at the reception with lighting, decor, and some amazing centerpieces from Hudson Botanica. What really nailed it was Chellise's Lit Lounge where our guests got portraits amidst a variety of Suspiria-influenced lighting and an awesome backdrop that Chellise sought out specifically to make it even more awesome. Props also to Rijard who shot all the portraits and did his homework on Suspiria!

We got a sneak peek of some shots just 4 days after the wedding. You don’t really know what you’re going to get but these shots and the rest that followed just in time for Christmas let us reminisce every time we see them. Chellise captured the day as we saw it.

Wow, wow, wow!!!!!!!!!! I cannot thank Chellise Michael Photography and Falcon enough for their outstanding services for my wedding. If you are a normal person, who wants to work with normal, laid back, artsy, warm people, this is the way to go. All interactions were seamless, easy, and fun. The whole vibe and attitude worked VERY well for my camera avoidant groom who was able to relax, smile, and take some great shots. One million thank you's!!! Also, these folks throw in a free engagement session to get to know the couples- this really helped. As soon as we met Falcon we knew doing our wedding shots would be easy and stress-free.