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Weddings

About

As a wedding photojournalist, my approach to shooting is unobtrusive and intuitive, with an attention to detail. I take great pride in photographing beautiful portraiture, but the essence of my work is artfully capturing those joyful moments in-between. Those brief instances help tell the beautiful wedding story of your day and will make you remember what’s ultimately most important: how your day FELT.

Since 1998 I’ve shot well over 500 weddings, countless portrait sessions, been published by magazines and blogs that I'm truly proud of and worked with the best of the best in the wedding industry -- I really couldn't imagine doing anything else. So please check out mywork everywhere, and if our vision is in sync I hope to hear from you soon!

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Frequently asked questions

Which of the following are included in the starting price?

Matted Prints

Which of the following are included in the price of your most popular wedding package?

2nd Shooter
Add'l Hours
Engagement Shoot
Albums

What primary photographic style do you identify with?

Contemporary
Natural
Photojournalism

What photography services do you offer?

Additional Hours
Boudoir Shoot
Engagement Shoot
High-Res Images
One Event / Day
Second Shooter
Wedding Portraits

What photography items do you offer?

Albums
Digital Files

Reviews of Echard Wheeler Photography

Angelica
Angelica Sent on 05/17/2023
5 out of 5 rating

The Perfect Photography Ninja

As a wedding planner, I have had the pleasure of working with numerous photographers, but Echard truly stood out with his exceptional talent and professionalism. From start to finish, Echard Photography exceeded all expectations, leaving a lasting impression on both myself and the couple with his calm and grounding demeanor.

Echard has a keen eye for composition, lighting, and capturing candid moments that truly reflected the emotions and joy of the day. His ability to blend seamlessly into the background allowed him to capture authentic moments without ever feeling intrusive.

From the exchanging of vows to the heartfelt speeches, Echard skillfully documented the most significant moments of the wedding, ensuring that no detail or emotion was missed.

Furthermore, the level of professionalism demonstrated by Echard Photography was exemplary. He and his second shooter were prompt, reliable, and friendly during every part of the day. Their ability to adapt to changing circumstances was commendable and wildly appreciated, making the entire process smooth and stress-free.

Echard's work was outstanding, and I would highly recommend him to any couple looking for a wedding photographer on the Virginia Beach area who goes above and beyond to capture the most precious moments of their special day. Their exceptional talent, attention to detail, and professionalism make them a top choice for couples and wedding planners alike. With Echard, you can trust that your wedding memories will be beautifully preserved for a lifetime.
KatieFriedenMoss
Katie Sent on 03/16/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Echard is phenomenal!

We honestly can't say enough good things or recommend Echard Wheeler highly enough! Given that my now husband is also a professional photographer, when we got engaged and started to plan our wedding, I can tell you that choosing our photographer was something that was definitely NOT taken lightly! We both knew right away that it had to be Echard, and we couldn't be happier with our decision. From the engagement photos he took to the wedding photos captured on the day of, he absolutely exceeded our expectations and we are forever grateful to be able to re-live those moments & memories through all of these gorgeous images. You can really feel the emotions in the photos he takes, and we love his ability to capture so many of those special and real candid moments as well. Not only is Echard undeniably talented, but he is also incredibly kind, easy-going, and professional- he made us feel so comfortable every step of the way, and he and his wife Leesa (who we were lucky enough to have with us as his amazing second shooter at our wedding!) are truly two of the nicest people you'll ever meet! On our wedding day, Echard and Leesa were there to document every aspect of our big day, from getting ready to the ceremony & reception, and everything in between- they made us feel totally at ease and relaxed, and made the entire process even more fun throughout the entire day, from start to finish! The ability that Echard has to be able to blend in to the background during everything going on (we'd sometimes forget he was even there, that's how good he is) while capturing every single special moment is so impressive and something we really appreciated and love about his style as well! We feel so thankful to have had Echard as our wedding photographer, and we are truly blown away by all of the beautiful images taken, as well as the volume and amount of photos captured- he really goes above and beyond and his work speaks for itself! We are beyond grateful and couldn't have asked for a better experience. Endless thanks to both Echard & Leesa for everything!
Hallie
Hallie Sent on 06/27/2021
5 out of 5 rating

The photos speak for themselves!!!!

Echard is absolutely wonderful. First of all, his experience and reputation in the business is phenomenal. Just look through his website/blog and you’ll find every wedding is stellar and you’ll find every kind of celebration you could dream of and many you can relate to — that’s why I felt comfortable choosing Echard to document our day. My husband and I aren’t that comfortable being photographed but from the start of our engagement session we were totally fine — Echard has a calm demeanor and is very laid back. HOWEVER he is also a true pro and will be able to wrangle your people for portraits on your wedding day; he finds the details lighting etc etc etc that we’d never think of. Somehow he was in the middle of the action all during our wedding day but also blended seamlessly into the landscape. Echard is so kind so talented. Experience unmatched. Hire him you
won’t regret it! I didn’t even want to put our faces and wedding photos on wedding wire so I chose just a few to include that show his creative eye. All the staples and moments posed and candid-Echard finds a way to capture the feeling of the day and get it all. Here is just a couple from our day.
Thank you Echard!!!!!!
C
Corey Sent on 06/11/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Absolutely amazing

Echard was incredible from the start and I can’t imagine having a better set of photos to look back on.

He did our engagement photos and made the whole experience so comfortable and relaxed. The photos turned out so well and it really felt like Echard captured our personalities as opposed to have just a selection of staged photos.

Echard stuck with us through multiple wedding date reschedules and a venue change, continuing to be positive and supportive with each adjustment we had to make.

Echard arrived the day of the wedding ready to roll. He was so easy going and fit right in. We never felt rushed, nor did we feel like we were taking pictures for hours. Echard made sure to get all the shots we asked for and did some choreographing on his own too. The photos from our wedding are truly incredible. You can see the love and laughter in the photos. You can see all the joy that was filling the room that evening. I absolutely love the candid moments and Echard has such a knack for capturing those. Even in the more staged photos, my husband and I look like ourselves and look comfortable and look at ease. We’re not the photo types, so it says a lot about Echard’s approach.

We feel so incredibly grateful for Echard and his talents. We’ll have the best photos to remember all of the details of this day.
Lisa
Lisa Sent on 10/28/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Exceptional Wedding Photographer

My husband and I chose Echard for our photographer after he came highly recommended to me by another vendor. I looked through his photos and really liked his portraits, I thought they were very natural which is what I was hoping for. We got married on September 5th (mid-pandemic), and were a little concerned that we might not be able to pull off the day with all our vendors and all the added security measures. Luckily, we had no issues at all. Everyone showed up and worked fabulously together. Echard was extremely professional, and you would never know from our photos that people were in masks all around us! It felt like a very "normal" wedding, and our photos turned out incredible. We still can't decide on our favorites to make an album as we love ALL of our pictures! We highly recommend Echard and are so happy that we chose him to capture our day - he is certainly a 5 star vendor! Truly couldn't be happier.
j
J Sent on 03/31/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Exquisite work

Every time I see Echard's work the first word that comes to mind is "exquisite". I can't tell you how beautifully he captures each moment on film. It's wonderful how every second of love, joy, warmth, laughter, and bliss are so delightfully frame with his artistic eye. Your love story is told and lived over and over again with every shot. Best of all, he's truly a kind and personable professional who will make you feel comfortable. He will effortlessly help you remember each amazing memory of your big day.
Kara
Kara Sent on 11/16/2019
5 out of 5 rating

A Master of His Craft

When we chose an indoor venue, one of my biggest concerns was finding a photographer to capture our big day, despite the added challenges of artificial lighting. Echard exceeded all of our expectations! We chose a package with an engagement session, and I’m really glad we did! It was the perfect opportunity to get to know Echard. We had so much fun, and we left knowing that our wedding photos were in great hands. In fact, we loved our engagement photos so much, that we added a bridal portrait session! Echard made taking pictures feel effortless and natural, and our photos are spectacular!

On top of being an incredible photographer, Echard knows weddings. We relied on him for vendor recommendations, ideas, and advice. Whether it was choosing where to take certain photos or how to incorporate a special moment in our timeline, Echard had a solution. He was always patient, kind, and responsive. We truly can’t recommend him enough!
L
Liza Sent on 10/04/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Echard Wheeler Photography: best wedding decision!

Besides choosing each other, hiring Echard was the single best decision my husband and I made for our Labor Day weekend wedding at Historic Tredegar in Richmond, VA. Starting with meeting him for coffee prior to the wedding weekend and then throughout our entire 9-hour day together, Echard was calming, professional, and brilliant.

My husband and I, despite having dated for a decade, had never taken professional photos before and didn’t really know what to expect. Echard immediately put us at ease, encouraged us, and never once felt intrusive. Echard and his lovely wife (who assisted him for part of the day) were a bottomless well of creative ideas for shots. Looking at all the photos a month later (can't beat that turnaround time), we are floored by the volume, quality, and emotions of the images he took. He took all the shots we could've possibly asked for and also surprised us with so many incredible pictures of moments we missed entirely.

Also, you'll spend a lot of time with your photographer on your wedding day, and we couldn't have asked for a more professional or warmer person to be around than Echard. Truly. We will always treasure Echard's gallery of 1500+ images from our wedding and appreciate how much joy and warmth he added to our day. Thank you, Echard! 
R
Rachel Sent on 12/17/2018
5 out of 5 rating

Great photography on our wedding day!

I highly recommend Echard Wheeler as your photographer for your wedding day. I luckily booked Echard in advance as he appeared to be frequently recommended by venues in the area. He was on time and professional. He took beautiful photos that Phill and I are so happy we have to remember our day. You can tell that Echard takes pride in his work. He also gives you online access and a jump drive of the images which he sends to you with lovely packaging. Thank you, Echard, for your talented work to remember our day!
M
Meaghan Sent on 07/19/2017
5 out of 5 rating
Echard was the perfect photographer. He took phenomenal photographs and has an exceptional eye. He was undetectable, extremely kind and easy going yet professional, efficient and precise. Clearly he has polished his craft. He delivered an enormous album of stunning photos just weeks after our wedding. We're blown away with the quality of the images and are grateful to have had such a talented and unique photographer capture our big day. Thank you, Echard!
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Awards

51
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2015 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2014 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2013 Winner

Professional Network & Endorsements

8 Endorsements
Lesner Inn Lesner Inn Banquet Halls

We LOVE having Echard shoot at Lesner Inn! He is the most easy-going person and always rolls with the punches on a wedding day. One of our favorite memories is a wedding that he shot here last summer where it was pouring rain but he still managed to get the most stunning portraits of the bride and groom. Nothing was going to stop him from getting the perfect picture and he will go above and beyond to make sure he gets it. And that's the best quality you could ever want in your wedding photographer!

Rev. Cory Newell and Associates Rev. Cory Newell and Associates Wedding Officiants

LIke a silent photo ninja artist, Echard takes pictures, magnificent photos, and you had no idea he was there. I've worked with him at several weddings and his are some of my favorite!! Consider him, he's an expert, and your pictures would be perfect. Love, pastor cory <><

Style Events Style Events Wedding Planners

"The Team with Style" just had the pleasure of working with Echard this past weekend at a Norfolk wedding! Echard is sure to capture your special day in an elegant and detailed way! He is always professional and such a joy to work with! We look forward to many more events with Echard Wheeler!

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