x4 Award winner
Award winner thanks to recommendations from couples on WeddingWire.com.
- 2025
- 2024
- 2023
- 2022
Maria Kandalova Photography
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"We feel incredibly lucky to have had Maria Kandalova capture our wedding day. From our first..."
"I could not have asked for a better photographer to capture our special day. Her editing style is..."
Why couples loved this vendor
- Capturing memories
- Seasoned with weddings
- Pristine quality
- Photographer
About this vendor
Maria Kandalova Photography is a luxury wedding photography experience based in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, serving couples throughout the Outer Banks, Hampton Roads, Virginia, and destinations worldwide. Specializing in emotional storytelling with an editorial approach, Maria creates imagery that feels effortless, cinematic, and deeply personal — blending genuine moments with refined composition and timeless style.
Inspired by modern European editorial photography, her work focuses on authentic connection, movement, atmosphere, and the in-between moments that often become the most meaningful. From intimate beach elopements to multi-day wedding celebrations, every gallery is thoughtfully curated to feel romantic, elevated, and emotionally rich.
Known for her soft coastal light, candid storytelling, and luxury editorial aesthetic, Maria offers both digital and 35mm film photography to create imagery with depth, nostalgia, and timeless character. Her approach is relaxed yet intentional, allowing couples to fully experience their wedding day while every detail, emotion, and celebration is documented with artistry and care.
Whether exchanging vows on the beaches of the Outer Banks or celebrating abroad, Maria Kandalova Photography is for couples who value emotion-driven imagery, intentional storytelling, and photographs that feel like art.
Experience
-
17 years in business
-
We speak English
Weddings with this vendor
Ariana & Brian
45 photos
FAQ
Which of the following are included in the starting price?
High-Res Images
Trash The Dress
Digital Files
Which of the following are included in the price of your most popular wedding package?
High-Res Images
Multi. Locations
Trash The Dress
Digital Files
What primary photographic style do you identify with?
Natural
Photojournalism
Traditional
What photography services do you offer?
Additional Hours
Boudoir Shoot
Destination / Travel
Engagement Shoot
Second Shooter
Video
Wedding Portraits
What photography items do you offer?
Albums
Canvas
Flush Mount
Matted Prints
Prints
Still have questions?
Reach out about anything you didn't see answered here—no question is too small!
Reviews of Maria Kandalova Photography
This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.
Review summary
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Reviewers rave that Maria is professional, communicative, flexible, and delivers stunning, dreamy photos. She guides posing, creates timelines, recommends vendors, and accommodates elopements or last‑minute changes. Guests praise her energy, organization, photo booth/drone teasers, and ability to capture candid, timeless moments.
Kylie Sent on 05/20/2025
5 out of 5 rating
The Photographer of Our Dreams!
We feel incredibly lucky to have had Maria Kandalova capture our wedding day. From our first communication, it was clear we were in the hands of a true professional who genuinely cared about telling our story. She went above and beyond in every way—not just with the quality of the photos, but with the entire experience.
Maria is extremely professional, knowledgeable and passionate about her work. She was always in the right place at the right time, yet never intrusive. She caught the most emotional, candid moments we didn’t even realize were happening—and turned them into timeless images we’ll treasure forever.
Leading up to the wedding, her communication was flawless, she created a photography timeline which really helped in crafting our final wedding timeline and she worked closely with my planner to ensure the timeline flowed smoothly. During the wedding, she guided us with posing tips and effortlessly organized our large group for photos—no small task with a tight timeline, but she handled it with grace and precision.
Our photos are absolutely stunning—full of light, love, and life. If you’re searching for a photographer who is talented, professional, and will go the extra mile for you—stop searching and book Maria you won’t regret it!
Maria is extremely professional, knowledgeable and passionate about her work. She was always in the right place at the right time, yet never intrusive. She caught the most emotional, candid moments we didn’t even realize were happening—and turned them into timeless images we’ll treasure forever.
Leading up to the wedding, her communication was flawless, she created a photography timeline which really helped in crafting our final wedding timeline and she worked closely with my planner to ensure the timeline flowed smoothly. During the wedding, she guided us with posing tips and effortlessly organized our large group for photos—no small task with a tight timeline, but she handled it with grace and precision.
Our photos are absolutely stunning—full of light, love, and life. If you’re searching for a photographer who is talented, professional, and will go the extra mile for you—stop searching and book Maria you won’t regret it!
Britney Sent on 11/05/2025
5 out of 5 rating
Dreamiest Wedding Photos!
I could not have asked for a better photographer to capture our special day. Her editing style is everything I was looking for and more. We also loved that she offers smaller packages for the bride and groom who are eloping and having a smaller wedding ceremony and reception. She was very thorough with finding out what exactly we were hoping to capture and prompt with replying back. She ended up capturing every moment we had requested her to take. I am absolutely in love with how our photos turned out and can’t stop looking through them all! She was even able to make each pose look effortless considering neither of us are very good at posing our bodies. I HIGHLY recommend Maria if you are looking for the perfect dreamy photos.
Carly Sent on 10/27/2025
5 out of 5 rating
Book maria!
If you want a photographer who is not only talented, but also incredibly kind and professional, then you need Maria! She took my bridal portraits shown below, then had an unfortunate accident before our wedding which led to her being unable to shoot our wedding. She sent Sarah, who was also unbelievable and wonderful to work with! She and Sarah made sure our day was perfect! Thank you to both of you for making our day wonderful!!
Abigail Sent on 08/06/2025
5 out of 5 rating
Maria is the Best!
Maria was absolutely amazing and were so lucky to have had her as our wedding photographer. From the very start Maria made the wedding planning process so easy and was there throughout the whole thing. She even gave her own recommendations and we ended up hiring our hair/makeup artist and wedding coordinator from her recs. Maria is extremely professional and has everything in place to make sure our day was the best it could be. She has an eye for photography and knows exactly what poses will look best in pictures. She made sure before we even got to wedding day that everything would run smoothly. From timelines and inspo pics made sure wedding day was flawless. Once we got our photos back I was just truly stunned at how amazing they were and just so beautiful. She gave us so many photos that it is hard to even choose my favorite. These will be photos that we will truly have forever and look at constantly. She is truly the BEST. You will not regret hiring her for your big day. We can't wait to use her again in our next stages of life.
Danielle Sent on 06/24/2025
5 out of 5 rating
Out of Town Surprise Proposal
I had the pleasure of assisting my daughter’s now fiance in finding the perfect photographer to capture their surprise proposal in the Outer Banks. Considering we were from out of town, I was concerned that arranging for a photographer would be a challenge, but Maria made the process easy. She was prompt with all email responses, was reassuring that she would handle all aspects of the surprise, and she made us feel confident that she would deliver. The pictures taken that evening are STUNNING, even with the intermittent storms that night, and my daughter and her fiance could not be any happier with the final result. Maria is a gifted photographer with attention to detail, and she made this moment for them so special.
Allison Sent on 08/30/2024
5 out of 5 rating
Absolutely perfect!
Maria is a very gifted photographer. After talking with tons of OBX photographers, she was the only one that would let us hire her for a few hours since we were having a small intimate wedding. She was accommodating and professional. The photos are absolutely stunning. Everything about her was perfect and more importantly I ended up with pictures that exceeded my expectations! Book her now, she is a gem!
Aryn Sent on 07/13/2024
5 out of 5 rating
She is the best
She was amazing! 10/10 would recommend. She was so professional. I’m so thankful and grateful for her. Our pictures are amazing. She’s who to thank for that!
Kathy Sent on 07/06/2024
5 out of 5 rating
Helped to make my daughter's dream wedding come true!
I can't say enough about Maria Kandalova, Outer Banks Photographer!! If I could give her more than five stars, I would. From day one of planning til the big wedding day (and even beyond), Maria's patience, kindness, expertise, guidance, attention to detail, talent behind the lens, talent working with all of our guests...she is a true gem! Maria's energy, professionalism and friendliness really set her apart. She truly went above and beyond to help capture all of the special moments and little details of my daughter's day. She listened to my daughter's special requests and made so much magic happen. The pictures she has already shared with us in the days following the wedding amaze me - I can't wait to see them all! Maria's photography skills shine through - as does my daughter's and her husband's beautiful personalities. Maria also provided a photo booth for the wedding day which was a HUGE hit with our guests and super fun because we were able to see those pictures right away! Again, Maria is a true pro! THANK YOU!
Micah Sent on 06/25/2024
5 out of 5 rating
We love Maria!!
Maria is amazing!!! She photographed my wedding this past weekend & also was able to jump in and take welcome party photos at late notice! All of the welcome party photos we got back look incredible and I can’t wait to see the wedding pics!! 💕 My new husband & I (mostly me haha) have 0 idea what to do in pictures & Maria gave us super specific guidance to get the best possible shots. She was patient with us and super friendly!
At the welcome party, she was running around the whole time getting photos of every single guest & my whole family was raving about her energy & positivity. On the day-of, she arrived to the venue early to make sure everything was set up properly, & was fantastic at keeping us on track with bridal party photos, family photos, & sunset portraits! She coordinated with the venue & our DJ to make sure everyone was on the same page which led to a smooth evening!
For our sunset portraits, I had a vision of wanting to get in the water in my dress, and she gave me lots of ideas to help those pics look dynamic! She also took videos on her phone (and on her drone which looks cinematic) for social media throughout the day which was fun to get to see the day after as a little teaser! I’m soooo excited to see our gallery!❤️
10/10 would recommend!
At the welcome party, she was running around the whole time getting photos of every single guest & my whole family was raving about her energy & positivity. On the day-of, she arrived to the venue early to make sure everything was set up properly, & was fantastic at keeping us on track with bridal party photos, family photos, & sunset portraits! She coordinated with the venue & our DJ to make sure everyone was on the same page which led to a smooth evening!
For our sunset portraits, I had a vision of wanting to get in the water in my dress, and she gave me lots of ideas to help those pics look dynamic! She also took videos on her phone (and on her drone which looks cinematic) for social media throughout the day which was fun to get to see the day after as a little teaser! I’m soooo excited to see our gallery!❤️
10/10 would recommend!
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Maria Kandalova Photography frequently asked questions
Maria Kandalova Photography includes the following photography services in the starting price:
- High-Res Images
- Trash The Dress
- Digital Files
Maria Kandalova Photography includes the following photography services in their most popular wedding package:
- High-Res Images
- Multi. Locations
- Trash The Dress
- Digital Files
Maria Kandalova Photography offers the following photography styles:
- Natural
- Photojournalism
- Traditional
Maria Kandalova Photography offers the following photography services for weddings:
- Additional Hours
- Boudoir Shoot
- Destination / Travel
- Engagement Shoot
- Second Shooter
- Video
- Wedding Portraits
Maria Kandalova Photography offers the following photography materials for weddings:
- Albums
- Canvas
- Flush Mount
- Matted Prints
- Prints
Maria Kandalova Photography is recommended by 100% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 5.0, with the same score awarded for quality of service, flexibility, value, professionalism and average response time.