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Weddings

About

Wedding, Elopement, and Couples photography. Located in Chicago, Illinois, and available for travel destination weddings worldwide.

  • 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
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
Engagement Shoot
High-Res Images
Multi. Locations
One Event / Day
Digital Files

What primary photographic style do you identify with?

Photojournalism
Traditional

What photography services do you offer?

Additional Hours
Destination / Travel
Engagement Shoot
High-Res Images
Second Shooter

What photography items do you offer?

Canvas
Digital Files
Flush Mount
Prints

Reviews of Melissa Ferrara Wedding + Elopement Photographer

K
Kaelyn Sent on 11/01/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Look no further for the best!

Is there an option for more than five stars?! My husband and I cannot say enough wonderful things about Melissa and her assistant Floyd and are so happy with them as our choice of wedding photographers. Starting with the planning process, Melissa was very responsive and helpful in answering any questions I had. She went above and beyond when our venue fell through two months before our wedding and was so kind as to provide me a list of alternative venues as possible options for us. She was so thoughtful, and many times reached out seeing if we had found a new location. That’s the thing about Melissa and Floyd; you can tell right away that they are good, kind people that you would want to be your friends. My husband and I didn’t realize that we would spend more time with Melissa and Floyd than we did our own friends and family on our wedding day, and honestly you could not ask for two better people to shadow you for the day. Both Melissa and Floyd made us feel so comfortable helped direct us in a way that felt natural and carefree. We trusted them with their vision, and I know our photos are going to be better because of it. One look at Melissa’s portfolio and you can see her eye for capturing beauty and making it seem as if it came from a high fashion magazine. So many portfolios I looked at had photos that I dub “background photos when you buy a picture frame”. I wanted our photos to have life and not just take a picture but capture and create a moment. When I found Melissa, I could see the warmth in her photos; it almost felt like the photos were transcending the camera and freezing the moment in time. I cannot wait to see the moments that Melissa and Floyd captured of our special day, and I would encourage and recommend Melissa to anyone for their photography needs. I know our photos are going to be extraordinary thanks to Melissa’s eye!
Julia
Julia Sent on 08/27/2022
5 out of 5 rating

We highly recommend Melissa!!

Melissa was incredible to work with; my husband and I highly recommend her! After sending an initial email inquiry, Melissa and I connected on a phone call, and I appreciated how clear her process was and how well she communicated each step in working together. Melissa addressed all my questions and was helpful in sorting through which elements to include or avoid when putting our wedding details together. All of her communications, timelines, and processes were super clear & communicated in advance. With all the wedding chaos, I was so grateful to be in Melissa's incredibly professional hands! 

On our wedding day Melissa and her assistant, Pavel, were a joy to be with! We spent most of the day with them and Melissa provided really helpful direction & was organized, ensuring we got all the shots we wanted & clearly communicated with our guests to make the photography process smooth & simple. We loved working with them on the day of the wedding, and when our photos were ready for us a few weeks later, we were even more sure we'd picked the perfect photographer for us!

The images that she shared with us were incredibly thorough- not a single special moment was missed! Even more than this, the images were GORGEOUS!! I love Melissa's aesthetic style, and you can see her keen eye in the thoughtful composition of our images. She has a great sense of light that makes the images feel both magical and still very natural and true to life. Her artistic direction made the resulting photos something my husband, myself, and our families will cherish for many years to come. 
Anelle
Anelle Sent on 11/29/2021
5 out of 5 rating

AMAZING photographer

We hired Melissa for our wedding and cannot recommend her enough! She was very responsive to e-mails and so easy to work with. We just got our photos back and LOVE them. SO HAPPY! She is so talented. She made us feel very comfortable in front of the camera and captured everything so beautifully. I feel all of the emotions from our day looking at these amazing photos. We will continue to use her for all of our professional photography needs. THANK YOU Melissa!
Maggie
Maggie Sent on 11/24/2021
5 out of 5 rating

The photos speak for themselves! 10/10

I chose Iron and Honey after seeing Melissa's work, and then having her shoot our engagement - I had never seen pictures of myself that I loved before, and after I saw our engagement photos I was in love, and knew we needed her for our wedding. I am so glad we did! I cannot be happier with the amazing gallery she delivered. I would recommend her without any reservations. She took time to get shots I could have never dreamed of - our wedding day was magic and the pictures show every moment of it.
Bella
Bella Sent on 09/25/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Couldn't have been easier!

Choosing Melissa as our photographer was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding day! She was so incredibly flexible and accommodating, and managed to stick it out with us through 85+ degree heat and humidity. Melissa also put us at ease immediately and effortlessly led us through the day to make sure we got all of the best shots! She is a true talent and we feel so lucky that we got to work with her!
Emily
Emily Sent on 09/14/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Melissa is the best out there!

We worked with Melissa for our engagement and wedding photos. On the day, she was calm, cool, and fun to work with! She made us feel like our best selves in front of the camera and they resulted in the best photos. Looking back on them, we can feel the emotion of the day, not to mention they are STUNNING photos. I would work with Melissa 100x over!
L
Lauren Sent on 07/31/2021
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing experience + photos!!

Melissa from Iron + Honey was a dream to work with! We booked Melissa for our October 2020 wedding, which turned into a June 2021 wedding, and we did an engagement session with her beforehand. Melissa was highly responsive, professional, and we appreciated that she was willing to customize a photography package for our small, bridal-party-free wedding. I should start by saying that my husband and I are two people who are pretty uncomfortable being photographed and often dislike photos of ourselves. During our engagement session, Melissa immediately put us at ease and made the hour and a half we spent with her so fun and enjoyable. On our wedding day, Melissa was great about wrangling family members for pictures and making sure to get photos of all the important moments. We just got our wedding photos back and for two people who generally don't enjoy photos of themselves, I can tell you that we honestly love each and every one of them! Melissa captured every moment so beautifully, her real talent is in snapping amazing candids that capture so much emotion. We cannot recommend Iron + Honey highly enough!!
Brian
Brian Sent on 12/01/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Quality Photographer!

Bella and I really enjoyed shooting with Melissa for our engagement session. I'm not terribly comfortable in front of the camera, but Melissa made it easy. She was even willing to climb onto the roof of a building to make some of our favorite shots. We're really happy with how our photos turned out, and would highly recommend you give her a look for your own session!
Carmen
Carmen Sent on 11/30/2020
5 out of 5 rating

The best photographer one could ask for

We had a very spontaneous elopement, and are incredibly thankful that Melissa said yes only a day before. From the very start, working with Melissa was an absolute dream. She was really genuine, down-to-earth, professional and felt like a friend we've known for ages. We felt comfortable instantly and were able to both be in our own world and stay connected to Melissa. She has a great eye and instinct, and we had a lot of fun exploring the city with her and getting photographed from the riverside to the middle of the street(!). Our photos are incredible - we look amazing, and Melissa captured our moments, emotions, movements so beautifully. Honestly, everything went so beautifully on our elopement day and having Melissa right there with us to immortalize our moments was just perfect.
M
Mike Sent on 11/29/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Professional & Friendly

You can expect high quality finished results from Melissa, who displays the perfect balance of professionalism and friendliness.

Given the circumstances of 2020, we were so impressed by her flexibility and patience throughout the adversity of planning our wedding. We had to scale down our event, let alone change the date multiple times, and she was so empathetic about everything.

Melissa did an incredible job capturing our memorable day. We have so many amazing photos that we will cherish forever.
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Awards

24
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2021 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2020 Winner

Map

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Melissa Ferrara Wedding + Elopement Photographer frequently asked questions

Melissa Ferrara Wedding + Elopement Photographer includes the following photography services in the starting price:
  • 2nd Shooter
  • Engagement Shoot
  • High-Res Images
  • Multi. Locations
  • One Event / Day
  • Digital Files
Melissa Ferrara Wedding + Elopement Photographer includes the following photography services in their most popular wedding package:
  • 2nd Shooter
  • Engagement Shoot
  • High-Res Images
  • Multi. Locations
  • One Event / Day
  • Digital Files
Melissa Ferrara Wedding + Elopement Photographer offers the following photography styles:
  • Photojournalism
  • Traditional
Melissa Ferrara Wedding + Elopement Photographer offers the following photography services for weddings:
  • Additional Hours
  • Destination / Travel
  • Engagement Shoot
  • High-Res Images
  • Second Shooter
Melissa Ferrara Wedding + Elopement Photographer offers the following photography materials for weddings:
  • Canvas
  • Digital Files
  • Flush Mount
  • Prints
Melissa Ferrara Wedding + Elopement Photographer is recommended by 94% of couples who have used their services. Their overall rating is 4.7 out of 5 with the following breakdown: 4.8 in quality of service, 4.8 in average response time, 4.8 in professionalism, 4.7 in value and 4.6 in flexibility.
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