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Weddings

Don Mears Photography Reviews

Don Mears Photography

Don Mears Photography

Richmond, VA
4.9 out of 5 rating, 76 Reviews
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Reviews

4.9 out of 5 rating
4.9 out of 5 rating
76 Reviews
99% recommend it
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    4.9 out of 5 rating
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Awards

76
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2018 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2016 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2015 Winner
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    Carolyn S. Sent on 06/16/2021
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    The Only Photographer You Need!

    Don Mears was the only photographer I ever considered. When I was forced to reschedule a week prior to my original date due to COVID, his availability was the only one I cared for my new dates out of all my vendors. This is how much I love the photography and art Don produces.

    On our actual day, it was a relaxed environment and we were able to get every single photo requested in time for the ceremony and cocktail hour. Don was able to wrangle in all of the bridal party and family members quickly for each photo, so that my husband and I could enjoy the rest of the night. I have not stopped hearing compliments from our guests about the work Don has produced. One of my favorites is “Your photographer was one of the hardest working ones I’ve ever seen. I won’t forget watching him bolt up the steps in the lodge to try and capture a moment below”. Watching him pop in and out of the crowd capturing some of our favorite moments will be unforgettable.

    It has been 2 weeks and our photos are already populating on the private website provided. I’ve heard horror stories from other couples who waited 6 months after their wedding. If I have any other life events that need to be documented, Don will be the first person I call.
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    Chris S. Sent on 11/11/2019
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    Don is a Master

    Don and his team were super professional. He kept us on schedule and more importantly captured all the big moments. He is a master of what he does. Hiring Don is the easiest decision you should have to make in your planning process!
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    Natalie M. Sent on 06/26/2019
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    Incredible!

    Don and his assistant Julia were so great and so much fun to work with!
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    Sara H. Sent on 05/31/2019
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    Look no further - Don is a true OG!

    I can not even begin to do Don justice with this review. He is simply amazing. We had 75 guests at our wedding, so we only hired him (no additional photographer or assistant). I can not believe how quickly he got around and captured EVERYTHING! Looking through the photos, it looks like there were multiple photographers running around. He is a magician and an absolute artist. He is also hilarious and sarcastic, which fit into our family and friends so perfectly. Honestly, he felt like he was just another fun guest at our wedding. 10/10 would HIGHLY recommend!!!
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    Elizabeth Sent on 08/27/2018
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    Don Mears is hands down the best! Look no further -- he is worth every penny! Don and his wife Lindsey were able to blend in the background on our wedding day and capture all the beautiful interactions and details that flew by us in the moment. I normally hate taking time away from events to do staged photos, but Don made the experience painless. He is a expert on finding great spots for photos so you don't have to worry at all about planning!
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    Alaina Sent on 09/26/2018
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    Don was AMAZING! From the beginning, we knew he was going to be a good fit. His calm, relaxed demeanor was exactly what our wedding needed. My husband felt weird being posed and photographed but after our engagement session and really getting to know Don he looked forward to more photos! Don was lighthearted when he needed to be but also serious about getting the perfect shot. He was great for my bridal portraits. We were nervous because of the weather changes in spring and flowers not blooming at Maymont so we got an incredible opportunity to shoot at 2 locations and Don was fully on board! On the wedding day, it was hectic and we asked a lot of him with a long list of must-have pictures with a lot of people but he did it and never lost his cool! He got a great picture of EVERYONE invited to the wedding in front of the cathedral which was not easy but it turned out amazing. I asked for a night picture downtown on Cary St. with the cobblestones and he was so dedicated to the shot he laid in the middle of the street to get the perfect shot and it was beautiful, everything I wanted it to be! He also did things I wouldn't have even known was possible like illuminating under my dress (yes, it sounds weird but it looked amazing!). Finally, what really made my day was the next morning after, I had family come up and say that if they wanted a picture he never said no. Even his second photographer was awesome, they never said no to any picture! It was awesome to feel like I didn't have to worry about this major part of the wedding; he put us completely at ease!
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    Valerie Sent on 05/09/2018
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    We cannot say enough wonderful things about our experience with Don Mears. He has a laid back personality that makes you feel instantly at ease, yet he doesn't hesitate to take charge to ensure he gets the shot. The two compliments we got ALL night long from our guests were about our venue and our photographer. All the guests were impressed just watching him work, and of course even more so once we received the finished product. We couldn't be happier with the photos, and our experience from the very start to the very end, we wholeheartedly would recommend him for your next event!
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    Laura Sent on 12/10/2017
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    My husband and I cannot thank Don and Lindsey enough for capturing our wedding day so perfectly. From our pre-wedding consult, it was clear that Don's attention to detail was going to serve us well on our day. There are lots of photographers in Richmond, but Don and Lindsey have a unique eye, especially in indoor locations that do not have a ton of natural light. Lindsey and Don took such incredible photos and captured moments that we will treasure forever.
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    Emily Sent on 12/13/2017
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    I would recommend Don and Lindsay without hesitation. They're incredible photographers and also wonderful and fun to work with. They make you feel at ease, and their work is just remarkable. We will treasure their photos for a lifetime!
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    Alexandra Sent on 06/17/2017
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    I haven't actually gotten our photos yet, but I was so impressed and happy with Don I feel comfortable reviewing anyway. :) We live in San Diego, so we had to work via phone and e-mail until the week of the wedding. Don always responded to my e-mials quickly. He made us feel comfortable working with him from across the country. When we finally met the week of the wedding, he was incredibly flexible with our ever changing schedule even meeting with us several hours later then expected to go over all the final details. I heard from the bridal party, family and friends that Don was incredibly focused and professional on the wedding day. On top of that he was fun and great with the kids, getting them to pay attention during photos. I know we will be happy with his work, and I absolutely recommend. Thank You Don!!!
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    Stephen Sent on 12/13/2017
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    Don and his Team were outstanding. I had seen his work at other weddings and I knew I needed him for our wedding. He did not disappoint! Highly recommend investing with Don Mears to have your memories captured forever in a way that you're proud of.
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    Abby Sent on 12/14/2017
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    Don Mears was absolutely amazing! He and his wife worked so well with not only me, the bride, but everyone involved. He was always on time and took the most beautiful, unique pictures.
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    Lesley Sent on 12/17/2017
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    Don and Lindsay are amazing to work with and their photography is of the highest quality. My husband, myself and our families are so glad we were able to work with them for our wedding and the photography certainly exceeded our expectations! Don and Lindsay shot not only our wedding day, but also engagement photos and bridal portraits. When I initially reached out to them, Don set up a quick call (we were planning our wedding from out of town) to get to know us better and to learn about our vision for our wedding day and to tell us more about himself and Lindsay. This made us feel really comfortable that Don and Lindsay were dedicated to ensuring they were a right fit for us and our big day!

    Throughout the process (including engagement photos, bridal portraits, and the actual wedding day), Don and Lindsay were so professional yet so relaxed and did such a great job of helping us feel and look natural in front of the camera. I also had a videographer the day of the wedding and Don and Lindsay worked seamlessly with his team to ensure they both got the shots they needed. Don and Lindsay were always prompt in responding to any questions and worked with me to ensure the wedding day timeline was appropriate and allowed plenty of time for pictures so no one was rushed.

    I certainly would recommend Don and Lindsay and am beyond happy with all of our photographs from them!
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    Rachel Sent on 10/17/2016
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    We intentionally skimped on other things/costs in order to be able to have Don and Lindsay photograph our wedding, and we could not be happier that we made that choice. I haven't actually gotten back the photos from our wedding yet, but I have nothing but confidence in how they will look. It was really important to my spouse and me to have a photographer who captured the natural expressions, moments, and people there in addition to staged/posed moments. We want to feel like we were everywhere at the wedding when we look at the photos, and have them be honest as well as beautiful. I've never seen a photographer who is as adept at that as these two. In terms of interacting with them, Don was SO helpful - not just with regard to photos, but he also gave us tips and advice about other aspects of our wedding based on having worked at the venue before, and helped us out with various things that were not on him at all day of! I was wildly impressed. He and Lindsay were so kind, so personable, so funny, and so professional, all at once. I realize that it's his job to make people feel this way, but he really made us all feel like he deeply cared about and KNEW us personally. The fact that we felt that way tells me that our photos are going to reflect US the way we want them to - and it was a pleasure.
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    Sarah Sent on 01/03/2016
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    Don and Lindsay are truly the best at what they do. From the very start of the wedding process, they made us feel so comfortable and confident with our big day. Their photography speaks for itself, each photo capturing a special moment. They are incredibly personable, and made such an impression on our guests that many of them went out of their way to compliment Don and Lindsay. If your are looking for wedding photographers, look no further than these two. We could not have been happier!
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    Marie Sent on 11/07/2015
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    Where do I even begin? Don and Lindsay are nothing short of amazing! We initially met the duo at a friend's wedding, and as soon as we spoke with them and saw their pictures, we knew we had to use them for our wedding. They are extremely talented- their pictures are unbelievable. Not only are they talented, but they are so personable, friendly, and welcoming. They made us feel so comfortable and we had so much fun working with them. Their demeanor and personalities made our night that much better. They're so good at what they do. I cannot speak more highly of them and would recommend them to anyone and everyone. One of the best decisions I made for our wedding was booking them. They're incredible- both as professionals, and as people!
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    Marie Sent on 12/17/2015
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    I cannot speak more highly of Don and Lindsay. We met them at a friend's wedding and instantly connected with them. They have such welcoming, kind, and fun personalities and they added so much to our special day. They made us feel comfortable and happy, by giving us direction but also letting us be natural and enjoy our special day. They also are INCREDIBLY talented. We got our photos back and were just in awe. They captured our day so perfectly, but were not intrusive in the slightest. My pictures were everything I wanted, and more. They are an incredible team and their combination of personalities and talent made them easily the best decision I made for my wedding. I cannot recommend them more- if you want unbelievable pictures, with an awesome duo who make your day fun, comfortable and exciting, then go with them. They are incredibly personable, compassionate, and all around amazing people- both personally and professionally. We couldn't have been more lucky to have had them :)
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    Heather Sent on 12/11/2015
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    We chose Don as our photographer because his pictures seemed to capture the life of a wedding really well. He is fantastic at capturing candid moments that help you recall the feeling of the wedding and reception instead of just how everyone looked in more formal portraits. Not only is he incredibly talented, but he is very friendly and fun to work with. We wouldn't have chosen anyone else to capture our big day!
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    Stephanie Sent on 10/14/2015
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    Don and Lindsay are the BEST! They are incredibly professional, take amazing photos, and are very easy to work with. We initially debated about spending a bit more than our budget for photography, but pictures are the one thing that you will look at and have forever once your wedding day is over and we do not regret spending the extra money at all! They take beautiful photos and were very efficient at getting all the necessary family poses done on a humid summer day. They also design wedding albums that are simply incredible. We would definitely use Don and Lindsay again
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    Brittney Sent on 12/14/2015
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    Don and Lindsay are absolutely wonderful to work with! During the process, we felt like they were truly vested in making our day perfect. They were accommodating and made valuable recommendations in order for us to get all the shots we wanted. And the end results were beautiful! We would recommend Don and Lindsay 1000 times over!
  • User2492122 Sent on 01/03/2016
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    Don and Lindsey were great to work with! The engagement, rehearsal dinner, and wedding pictures were amazing. We loved working with them!
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    Monica Sent on 12/11/2015
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    I cannot say enough about Don and Lindsay. We met them first with my oldest sister's wedding and it was a no-brainer to get them for my middle sister and my wedding. They have turned into family and we could not imagine our day without them. We jokingly say we wish we had more sisters so we can have another reunion.
    They listened to exactly what I wanted and gave each of us a different feel to our weddings to match our personalities which I loved! They are extremely flexible with anything (7-11 runs to get beer, etc). I honestly cannot put into words how amazing them are!
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    Whitney Sent on 12/11/2015
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    Hanging out with Don during our photos was one of the most fun parts of the whole wedding experience. The results are gorgeous of course but who would've thought the process would be so great!
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    Eric Sent on 12/19/2015
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    I wish I could give Don and Lindsay ten stars on a five star rating system. They likely were our best vendors - personable, professional, and talented. Don and Lindsay deliver a world-class experience with the one-on-one attention of the husband and wife team they are.

    Not only were Don and Lindsay great at every photography aspect of our wedding, but when a rain storm struck our reception during dinner and threatened to flood out our tent and drench our food, Don and Lindsay helped the event staff and caterer weather proof the tent and get the dinners in dry.
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    Richard Sent on 12/28/2015
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    The photos speak for themselves... best asset to any event/function is certainly having Don and Lindsay be apart of it.
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