It's safe to say that we're absolutely floored with our experience with Kate. Not only is she a phenomenal photographer, she's also incredibly easy to work with. From the planning process to viewing our gallery, communication was seamless and predictable. Kate's photos tell the story of our day without need for further context. She has a light, candid attitude and an ability to give easy-to-follow directions that made our photoshoots together incredibly stress-free. We're recommending her to everyone we know for weddings and smaller shoots alike. Be sure to book boudoir with her, too, it's so much fun. She's seriously the best!

I lack the vocabulary to describe how amazing it was to work with Kate. I was immediately drawn to how warm her photos were. A quick scroll through her gallery told me she was EVERYTHING I was looking for in a photographer. Very few photographers in my area could show their work with darker skin tones, but not Kate. Kate’s commitment to social justice and capturing queer couples is what drove us to say yes to her. We had so much fun working with Kate and her team. We immediately fell in love with the photos from our engagement shoot and don’t even get me started on our wedding day photos! I mean she even won an award for one of the best photos of 2024 through Junebug Weddings. If you’re looking for a photographer to deliver phenomenal photos, uplift you, maintain timely communication, and keep you calm on your big day, then Kate is your girl!!

Kate was AMAZING! We booked her for our wedding/engagement shoot and she was extremely accommodating. The weather was NOT on our side for our scheduled engagement shoot and Kate was so kind and flexible to make our dreams work.

And our wedding photos… WHAT A DREAM. Kate has an eye for gorgeous aesthetic. Truly, you can trust her to make anything look gorgeous. Our wedding was at a golf course that I didn’t care for the layout/looks of it (it fit the budget if we’re honest) but she found the highlights of the place and our photos are AMAZING! I’d book her every time.

Kate & AJ were top notch and beyond for both our engagement session as well as our wedding! We had all of the shots that we came into our wedding weekend wanting and left with those and even more that we hadn't even thought of! The photos were edited gorgeously and the engagement album we have already received is such high quality. We had such a fun time with Kate & AJ shooting us, we have recommended them everytime when asked! Obviously we highly recommend Katherine Elyse Media!

We purchased a wedding package from Kate, which included engagement photos and wedding photos. This also meant that Kate was with us from the very beginning of the wedding planning process. I can't really express how much of a blessing that was because my fiancé and I immediately had both a wedding expert and new friend on our side. :)

In fact, Kate was the first vendor we booked. In the midst of all the choices we had to make and the angst of all the decision making, hiring Kate as our photographer was the one thing we were certain about. We loved her aesthetic and the types of photos she captured. She is very involved in the community. And she is just as responsive behind the scenes.

Kate way, way, way, exceeded expectations of a wedding photographer for us. Her photography packages were great deals. She met with us on multiple occasions before our wedding to get to know us. She is warm and funny and supportive. She goes above and beyond to get great photos of you. For example, when we couldn't finish our engagement photo shoot in one day, we were able to meet up again with her at no charge. She didn't rush us. She made us feel comfortable. And we got a ton of photos.

Kate also surrounds herself with an amazing team. For example, we added her photobooth services to our package. And for our photobooth photos, I had a very specific vision in mind for how I wanted the photobooth templates to be and how the printouts would come out (ie as 4x6 photos). The things I asked for were things that her partners at OhReilly Productions were NOT yet doing. But they literally went out of their way to make my vision come true, including purchasing new software for me to design and offer the 4x6 photos I wanted. Lol. And I couldn't be happier with the result.

Furthermore, the second photographer Kate had along and her videographer were equally amazing. They really helped us get through our wedding day. They helped us carry our things. They cheered us on and encouraged us on how great our wedding was and how we were getting awesome shots on photo and video. They also captured what would end up being some of my favorite photos and videos from the day/evening. Having Kate's team on our side meant that we had an entourage with us all day and we loved having them around. Again, Kate and her team went above and beyond for us. At one point in the evening, we did an impromptu photography line where we posed with these performers we had at our wedding and Kate's team had to capture all these photos of us with our guests. It was not part of our wedding plans. And it was stressful for my husband and I. But Kate's team went for it and got our photos and they were so cool and chill about it.

And did I mention that on our wedding day, it was POURING rain? We got married on 12/31/22, a day full of storms and winds that were taking down trees. That didn't deter Kate and her team though. Kate helped us find creative ways to get really great photos indoors for our wedding. But not only that, we got some really awesome shots in the rain. And again, there were no complaints from her team. And actually, they were really into it. After our reception, Kate also stayed with us late and went with us downtown to catch some Post-Wedding New Year's photos. She helped make the magic last all the way through midnight. All I can say is, whenever I look back on our wedding day, I am always going to think to myself, "Thank GOD Kate was there to guide us through it all."

I think the most important thing for me was that our guests really loved Kate and they loved her team. All of my guests commented about how great Kate was and how friendly she was. Everyone loved her partners like those operating our photobooth and our second photographer and our videographer. And Kate also really got along well with our day-of coordinator and our MC. And in many ways, I think it was Kate's personality and demeanor and also her professionalism that made that happen. Kate really is the best.

We discovered Kate through a recommendation from a friend of a friend. Kate was amazing to work with, creating images that represent fond memories from our wedding ceremony and reception! Her artistry and attention to detail elevated everything! Can’t wait to see the rest of our photos! Her live streamer sub-contractor, AJ, blew us away, we received comments from some of the virtual attendees who said it was like they were there in person. Can’t wait to see the recording from that too!!

We were lucky to have Kate & her team photograph both our engagement & wedding. Kate was organized, creative, friendly & effortless throughout the whole process.

She made everyone feel welcomed and appreciated throughout our entire wedding. I can't imagine our celebration without her.

Her final images were pure art - thank you Kate for everything!

Can't recommend Kate enough! We booked her somewhat last minute, less than two weeks before our elopement.

We had met with a few other photographers that were available in short notice but we chose Kate for a couple of reasons:
1) She is experienced in photographing queer couples and made us comfortable throughout the whole process
2) She listened to our vision for our laid back elopement and picked such perfect spots to photograph around Sacramento - a city we were not very familiar with
3) She helped us make something like an elopement at the county clerk's office more special and memorable than we ever expected. We didn't have any of our family or friends with us, but having Kate there felt like we had a friend by our side

The final photos were even better than we expected. The editing and final selection were on point, with exactly the style we initially discussed. We will definitely be looking to Kate for future engagements!

We chose Kate for both our engagement photos and wedding. I do not consider myself to be photogenic and prefer to be the one behind the camera. I would even say that I'm a bit anxious about getting my photo taken and how I look in pictures. However, working with Kate has really helped me find more confidence. Her guidance and encouragement from behind the camera made me (and my husband) feel so at ease and you can definitely see it in our photos. I honestly had to do a double take on some of the photos we got back because I wouldn't believe that was us. haha. I felt beautiful and looked beautiful, which Kate was able to capture.

If you are looking for a photographer to invest in for your event, choose Kate. She was nothing short of amazing every step of the way, from booking to our event. Kate's technical skills and personality set her apart from other photographers we spoke with. We absolutely loved working with her !

You cannot beat Kate and her team! She has such a keen artistic eye, can capture amazing candid moments, will make you feel comfortable in front of the camera, and is a very versatile photographer. We will cherish all of the amazing and beautiful moments she captured for us on both our wedding day and 1st anniversary celebrations!