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Weddings

About

Kiaya Marie Photography is a wedding photography company based in Santa Cruz, California. Owner Kiaya knows that planning your dream wedding is no small undertaking, and she is determined to provide the professional, quality service your day deserves. Kiaya’s approach is all about developing and celebrating meaningful relationships. She wants to get to know you as a person; she wants to understand what moves and motivates you. Kiaya would be delighted for you to count her among your friends, and she can’t wait to turn your wedding dreams into reality.

Services Offered

Kiaya Marie Photography is looking forward to your big day. Kiaya offers a variety of coverage options, including half-day, full-day, wedding weekend, and destination wedding packages. Package features include an engagement session, videography services, high-resolution images, and more. Elopement and proposal packages are also available. Packages can be customized to suit your particular needs.

  • Pacific Islander-owned
  • Woman-owned
illustration popular

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Frequently asked questions

Which of the following are included in the starting price?

2nd Shooter
Engagement Shoot
Hand-Coloring
High-Res Images
Multi. Locations
One Event / Day
Digital Files

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

2nd Shooter
Boudoir Shoot
Engagement Shoot
Hand-Coloring
High-Res Images
Multi. Locations
One Event / Day
Digital Files

What primary photographic style do you identify with?

Contemporary
Film
Natural
Photojournalism
Vintage

What photography services do you offer?

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

What photography items do you offer?

Albums
Canvas
Digital Files
Flush Mount
Matted Prints
Prints
Proofs
Save the Date
Thank You Cards

Reviews of Kiaya Marie Photography

Hope
Hope Sent on 09/27/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Talented, genuine, professional Kiaya!

Kiaya was an amazing photographer to work with from the first time I reached out to her online through receiving my wedding photos and video. I think one of the best parts of working with Kiaya was how genuine she is as a person first and a photographer. I felt she was really invested in giving me and my husband exactly what we wanted on our wedding day and felt she genuinely cared about our big day as much as we did! Kiaya was very professional, but still very personable. I chose to work with Kiaya because after viewing some of her previous work and seeing the quality of it and the look I was going for in photos. You can also tell she is passionate about what she does, and who wants a burned out wedding photographer who just sees you as another couple!? Kiaya was thorough in everything she did, including identifying the specific shots we wanted on the wedding day, with who and made everything feel very customized to us. I would highly recommend Kiaya to anyone considering her as a photographer for their wedding, engagement shoot, pregnancy shoot and beyond, you will not regret it!!
Conner
Conner Sent on 06/28/2022
5 out of 5 rating

The best, a real professional.

Kiaya was awesome!! Her photos looked like they were something out of a magazine. She was so nice and easy and fun to work with. If you need a wedding photographer, you need to call Kiaya!!
Dalia
Dalia Sent on 03/18/2022
5 out of 5 rating

Perfections!

Where do I start? Hiring Kiaya to capture our wedding was the best decision we made during the wedding planning process. She was so kind but also radiated with confidence and was never afraid to take the reins when we had no clue what we wanted. She was the perfect balance that we needed during the craziness of wedding planning. Every moment that went unnoticed that day was captured perfectly and truly helped us relive our wedding day. Investing in Kiaya was the best decision and now we have life long memories we get to cherish and show generations to come. If you’re considering Kiaya all I can say is Yes! She won’t disappoint and is incredibly delightful to work with. I am constantly looking for reasons to hire her again! If you’re looking for pictures that capture every feeling of your special moment, Kiaya is the one for that job!
C
Carolyn Sent on 11/14/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Couldn't recommend more!

Hi Kiaya!
I want to share this review with the world. So I did!
Words cant express how much I enjoyed working with Kiaya. From the start she was kind, interested, and laid back yet professional. Kiaya came out to meet us at our venue months prior to our wedding where she walked the site with us and helped us envision our wedding day timeline. From the start, I knew we were in good hands. Prior to our wedding Kiaya sent a professional wedding questionnaire which allowed me to highlight important details that I wanted in my photographs. She asked questions about my preference of aesthetics, essential shots, and important people I wanted photographed. She was so organized throughout this entire process. She showed up at my wedding with this questionnaire on a clipboard. She doesn't miss a beat. Kiaya came to our rehearsal more prepared than I was! She showed up on time and was ready to go! Throughout my wedding I barely knew Kiaya and her crew where there, except when she casually gathered us for family portraits and sunset photos when the lighting was right. Kiaya provided the perfect mix of I am here and I got you, and I know this is your wedding and I will go with your schedule, without allowing you to miss the sunset. When it was time for portraits with my partner and our families Kiaya made it easy and fun. The final products from her and her team continually brings me to tears. The video is beyond what I could've imagined. It beautifully captures our whole day. Kiaya took what I asked for and utilized her creative skills to make a beautiful video that I cherish. She was there without being noticed, but also felt like a bridesmaid-- right there to help me and keep me in line. The way my photos are now organized on her site is super helpful. I have been able to download them to my Google Photos and my personal hard drive. It has been easy for me to use and has allowed me time to organize our photos into my own system. Thank you Kaiya! You captured the best day of my life and became an instant friend. I can't thank you enough! I will be so excited to see you again! Maternity shots?!
Jade
Jade Sent on 09/12/2021
5 out of 5 rating

**look no further! **

Kiaya went above and beyond from the beginning of our planning to the actual wedding day! She was flexible, accommodating, organized and has such a beautiful spirit. A true breath of fresh air. She captured our love and the love/support from our family and friends beautifully… it shines through each and every one of our pictures. Not only is she an amazing photographer!! Her presentation represents her work so well! From her website, communication style and let me not ever forget the “app” she creates for each couple she works with. To be able to access my wedding pictures whenever I want from my home screen has got to be the greatest gift. I wish I could give you 10 stars! Kiaya, Thank you so much for your support, your craft, and for helping make our day the best one yet. You are truly Heaven sent and I would book you all over again with no hesitation.
S
Seth Sent on 12/12/2023
1 out of 5 rating

Find a different photographer

We got married in late January. We had our complimentary engagement photos in October. Kiaya showed up for our engagement photo session and was quick to provide us with “sneak peaks”. However, after providing us the sneak leaks, Kiaya was impossible to reach. She never provided a full engagement album. We were so concerned in her lack of communication that we had to arrange a second photographer in case Kiaya never showed up for our wedding.

She actually showed up to our wedding day, but didn’t really have a plan. She was disorganized and was asking us what kind of poses we would like.

For the pictures themselves, her lighting is bad, we hardly have any portraits that we like and there is always something in the background and poor editing.

Please do not commit to any of her work. You’re opening up your wedding day for unneeded stress.
M
Megan Sent on 10/20/2022
1 out of 5 rating

unhappy with her work

She's still green and has not mastered the wedding photography yet. Lacks experience. Quality of work is not the best.
S
Sam Sent on 10/20/2022
1 out of 5 rating

Inexperienced and Overpriced

Lacks experience! Needs more years under her belt. Her pictures are bad quality. (Too dark) it’s okay to use flash! 🤷🏻‍♀️ Folks: Save yourself the headache and go with someone else! She is non-responsive when you ask for the engagement proofs. I gave this young lady a chance and she failed miserably!
A
Adeline Sent on 08/24/2022
1 out of 5 rating

Do not book

DO NOT BOOK. We are 17 days away from our wedding. We have not heard from Kiaya since February.

She never gave us our full engagement gallery (photos were taken in February - she said we would have them in 4 to 6 weeks.
It has now been 7 months). We have heard from other couples that she has not given them their full wedding galleries - and they have been waiting over a year. She has ignored every email, phone call, voicemail, and text message.

We already paid her in full and if her silence is any indication, she is not going to refund us. Being this close to the wedding with this level of nonexistent communication indicates she either had no intention of showing up, or was planning to show up completely unprepared. She would not even respond to emails regarding what time she would show up on the wedding day - basic questions needed for timelines for other vendors.

We have had no choice but to start searching for a new photographer less than a month out from our wedding - even if Kiaya showed up, I am doubtful we would ever receive all of our photos.

Kiaya - you clearly need a step back from this. Please do the right thing and stop taking bookings. All you ever had to do was give us a heads up that you weren't going to be able to do this - but instead you chose to say nothing, take our money, and continue to do so to other couples. You have caused us an indescribable amount of stress and put us in an absolutely horrible position financially.

Brides &/or Grooms - Save yourself unnecessary countless restless nights. Book with someone else.
K
Katelyn Sent on 07/30/2022
1 out of 5 rating

Wonderful photographer, never got our photos

PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU HAVE HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE, PLANNING ON SUING.
contact at katelynpri1@gmail.com

Kiaya is really amazing as a photographer. Right after our wedding I left her a great review because she was just fun and really knows what she’s doing. Unfortunately we only got our sneak peek photos back and it’s been almost a year (got married in September). She hasn’t responded to our emails, phone calls or texts. We reached out to some other couples through Facebook who had posted on her page with a message like, “haven’t heard from you, can you call us.” And those people told us that they went through the same thing. We paid in full right after our wedding. I don’t know what’s going on but please don’t book with her, would hate to have others go through this :( would understand if she needed more time to do the photos, but she hasn’t even responded to us since the end of last year. Something just isn’t right… it’s too bad because our sneak peeks were wonderful.
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Kiaya Marie Photography frequently asked questions

Kiaya Marie Photography includes the following photography services in the starting price:
  • 2nd Shooter
  • Engagement Shoot
  • Hand-Coloring
  • High-Res Images
  • Multi. Locations
  • One Event / Day
  • Digital Files
Kiaya Marie Photography includes the following photography services in their most popular wedding package:
  • 2nd Shooter
  • Boudoir Shoot
  • Engagement Shoot
  • Hand-Coloring
  • High-Res Images
  • Multi. Locations
  • One Event / Day
  • Digital Files
Kiaya Marie Photography offers the following photography styles:
  • Contemporary
  • Film
  • Natural
  • Photojournalism
  • Vintage
Kiaya Marie Photography offers the following photography services for weddings:
  • Additional Hours
  • Boudoir Shoot
  • Destination / Travel
  • Engagement Shoot
  • High-Res Images
  • One Event / Day
  • Second Shooter
  • Wedding Portraits
Kiaya Marie Photography offers the following photography materials for weddings:
  • Albums
  • Canvas
  • Digital Files
  • Flush Mount
  • Matted Prints
  • Prints
  • Proofs
  • Save the Date
  • Thank You Cards
Kiaya Marie Photography is recommended by 56% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 2.8 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 2.8 in quality of service, 2.8 in average response time, 2.8 in flexibility, 2.8 in professionalism and 2.8 in value.
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