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Weddings

Neil Cowley Photography & Video Reviews

Neil Cowley Photography & Video

Neil Cowley Photography & Video

Peoria, IL
4.3 out of 5 rating, 12 Reviews
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Reviews

4.3 out of 5 rating
4.3 out of 5 rating
12 Reviews
85% recommend it
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    4.3 out of 5 rating
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Awards

12
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2011 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2010 Winner
  • Danielle
    Danielle Sent on 06/21/2011
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    We booked Neil to shoot our wedding on May 7th and we are beyond thrilled with the outcome. Neil is very easy to work with and extremely accomodating.

    He captured every special moment that day! He even put together a slide show of about 150 pictures which was a complete surprise. I have lliterally watched the show 100 times.

    We have had so many compliments on our photos. I highly recommend Neil to anyone in search of a professional photograher. His rates are fantastic and I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

    Thank You Neil for capturing our special day. Everytime I look at the photos I am beyond thrilled.. I wouldn't change anything. Perfection!!

    Here's the link to the slideshow. Turn up the volume :)

    http://makelovereal.net/hilton-head-wedding-photographer/


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    Natalie Sent on 04/08/2010
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    We’re so glad we chose Neil for our 1st wedding anniversary. We wanted our first year celebration memorable. Trust me the pictures came out even better than our wedding photos last year. He is very creative. Every special moment was captured in the pictures. He is wonderful. We’re certainly him next time we have a special occasion. I’ve already recommended to all my family and friends.
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    Marta Sent on 04/07/2010
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    We booked Neil for our 10th wedding annivesary and had the whole family come on in. Neil is a true professional and catered to our request and needs for specific shots we envisioned for our special day. The photos were exactly what we agreed upon and wanted....extremely talented and cannot say enough wonderful things about Neil!

    He's a true professional, very friendly, extremely creative, knows what he's doing, and very approachable. Neil took every picture on our "wish list" and snapped a few extras that were just amazing. He captured just about every special moment. He got to the destination on time..in fact a little earlier which was great, he didn't mind following us to several other locations, made everyone feel at ease, and exceeded all of our expectations. We've already recommended him to friends, family and colleagues and will certainly continue to do so.

    Definitely book him! His rates are FANTASTIC and we're still getting compliments on our photos! You will not be disappointed, BELIEVE ME!

    If you're searching for a photographer who will capture the moments you will be very pleased with Neil's work... he is definitely your guy!
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  • S
    Sarah Sent on 04/07/2010
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    Had a great experience with Neil’s photography. He was just fabulous. Everyone who looked at our pictures was just amazed. We love hearing great comments on the pictures. Believe me most of the credit goes to Neil. He is very creative, professional and artistic. Would recommend to all.
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    Jennifer Sent on 04/08/2010
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    My daughter hired Neil for us on our wedding anniversary. We weren’t sure who to book from a list we had of all the photographers. My daughter chose Neil; at the first sight he looked professional. I was pleased to meet him. The pictures were a great surprise for us. They came out even better than we expected. God bless him. Now he’s already booked for my son’s wedding next month.
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    Sami Sent on 04/08/2010
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    My wife and I had an argument over choosing the right photographer for our wedding. But I’m glad she won, because she chose Neil. He was very professional. He did as we told him to, took all the pictures we asked, he also recommended some pictures, which came out absolutely amazing. The prices are great for such an artistic work. if you’re looking for a pro, look no further.
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    Penny Sent on 03/22/2010
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    Neil's work is fabulous, but just one look at his website will confirm that! He was hired because of his creativity and artistic ability, especially with the spectacular adventurous shots he captures. He was more than willing to venture to the top of Whiteface for a photo shoot and crawl through the mush at the edge of a pond to get just the right angle! He seems willing to do just about anything you can dream up! Also, he was very adept at blending in anywhere he was taking shots and we weren't even aware of his capturing certain moments until we viewed the proofs afterward.

    Neil Cowley Photography & Video's reply:

    Thanks Penny - for anyone's interest her wedding slideshow is available here: http://makelovereal.net/lake_placid_wedding_photographer/
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    Deanna Sent on 03/12/2009
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    Neil Cowley of Make Love Real was the first vendor I booked for my wedding 2 years in advance. I saw his photos at a local venue and was immediately attracted to his unique style and colorful images. I had to have him!!

    I was looking for a wedding photographer who didn't practice traditional methods and I'm so glad I chose Neil, because every person who has viewed my wedding photos says they're "unbelievable". That's how I remember my wedding day so I think the photos definitely portray that!

    As for the wedding day, I didn't even realize Neil was there most of the time, which I thought was really important, and yet everything was captured in such a unique and beautiful perspective.

    I highly recommend Neil as a wedding photographer and will hire him again for important events in my life that I want to be documented with his artist flair. Thanks Neil!

    Neil Cowley Photography & Video's reply:

    Thanks Deanna - for anyone interested her wedding slideshow is available here: http://makelovereal.net/big-bang-slideshow/
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    Joel Sent on 03/07/2009
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    We got married on a mountaintop in New Zealand and we thought the location was the best thing we'd ever seen. Until we saw the pictures! We couldn't take the location with us after we were married, but the pictures are such an amazing, artistic interpretation of the location that we love them just as much as being there.

    If Neil is willing to travel to New Zealand for our wedding - I'm sure he'll make your location look as spectacular!!
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    Christina Sent on 02/19/2009
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    Neil and Liesl are extremely talented photographers. Their experience and professionalism made my husband and I feel immediately at ease. They welcomed us into their home to review their portfolio and explain the details of the wedding day. In the days leading up to the wedding, they were easy to contact and very responsive to questions or concerns. On the day of our wedding, they were prompt and aware of our agenda. They were in the midst of every key moment while being unassuming and discrete. I never once felt like they were stealing the show. Their friendly and made me feel comfortable with them in our most intimate moments together. I was thrilled to see the pictures and relive each minute of our special day. They are truly worth every penny! My friends and family have commented that my photos look like they came out of a magazine. What a true blessing it was to have Neil and Liesl share in our day!
  • LolaRe
    Caryn Sent on 01/23/2020
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    "Good luck with your lawyer" - Neil

    Make sure you have a contract and are ready to get a lawyer . We paid $3,000 for a package that was supposed to include unwatermarked photos . Neil replied every few months to my emails requesting them, saying his drive crashed, but he'd send soon. Asked what songs we liked for a slideshow- never got the slide show. After talking to numerous couples who were dissatisfied, we are more than willing to file a class action suit. When I said I would connect with an attorney, his response was "Good luck with that, they will take all your money and run you around. " Can he take a nice picture, sure? But there are a million *professionals* who can do the same. And knowing what I know know, I'd pay double. Thanks for ruining the best day of my life, Neil.
  • User2054948 Sent on 03/01/2015
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    Initially our experience with Neil was great. He took beautiful pictures at our wedding and designed a great album. We were very happy with everything, until we tried to get our albums. We ordered a package that included 3 albums for our parents. We signed the contract and placed the order December 2013. We are still missing the parent albums. We received our album in May and were told their was a misprint with the parent albums and they would be coming soon. In July, I emailed for an update. Neil apologized and said he would put the order in and we would have them in a few weeks. Since that time he will not respond to emails, calls, voicemails or Facebook messages. We spent over $2000 on the albums so we are pretty unhappy at this point and actually having to consider taking legal action. It's really tainted the whole experience and now when we look back at our album, we end up feeling sad and frustrated. After our wedding I never expected to say this, but I would not recommend make love real for your wedding. I'm still hoping we get have this resolved, but after over a year and half, it seems unlikely.
    Update: Neil never did come through with our albums. After filing a claim with the better business bureau, he finally found the time to reply to my email. He stated that because he went bankrupt we could take no further action. Since all that should have been required at that point was shipping, and we would have paid for that, we were pretty upset. Clearly in addition to being a bad businessman he is not a great person. Find another photographer!