Essence Photo & Video

I can't believe how wonderful everything has been! Everyone should use this company. From my first meeting with Mandy, the design manager all the way through planning with Karen, the director of photography to my amazing photographer and videographer and the final products it has been the best experience!! They even helped with locations and suggestions. They follow through on everything they promise and customize to what you're looking for. They were always friendly and professional and made taking pictures fun! Mike even got my husband to smile- and he hates photos! I always felt like I was in good hands and after the whole experience and my album is now printing, I can say that Essence listens, responds, and are really creative. Thank you to the whole team!

Everybody has been very professional yet friendly! The work they showed us during our meeting really showed their creativity which is very assuring of the work they will do for us as well! The videographer was very polite and professional, and not in your face. We are still waiting for our final video but I;m confident it will come out really good!

Megan was the best! She made me so comfortable, and was fun to have around for the day. She was professional and prompt. We hired her because of her photojournalistic portfolio, and she made our day so stress free! Having professionals around on your wedding day that alleviate stress is one of the greatest services one could ask for! She had original ideas, and I would highly recommend her to anyone!

Essence was superb! Our photographer Eric was on top of it the whole time! We also rented a photo booth and their trolley. Everything was just perfect and I wouldn't trade any of it!

The entire team at Essence was great. From the organizer, to the owner, to the Photographer and Videographer that did our event. Everyone was punctual and put our worries at ease. Great team and very professional.

Everything about Ed, photographer, and Ethan, videographer, was amazing....even though it rained and I thought my pictures spots would be ruined, they had some great ideas and we even took pictures at a local Dominick's. It was amazing and everyone had a ton of fun! I can't wait to see our pictures and wedding video.

Whew, time flew sinc our day and time to write some reviews, starting with my favorite vendor, our photographer Brian from Essence! We are 100% happy with our photos and how we were helped by Essence to get ready for our day and extremely helpful on our actual wedding day as well. Also we love our video! Much Love to Essence from Lori and Dave! :-)

I would absolutely recommend Essence Photo & Video to any bride! We had Eric L as our photographer on 8.5.12 and he was fantastic! He knew exactly what poses would look good and took a good mix of candid and posed pictures. He even broke it down on the dance floor with our guests! The package that we bought cost nearly half of what many photojournalists charge and we feel like we got a steal for our money! Essence customer service was always quick to respond to any questions that we sent them or called them with, and they were even flexible enough to do phone consults and meet with us on the weekends. We are currently in the process of designing our album (after only 3 weeks!) and are having a blast! Definitely a worthwhile investment to use Essence for your wedding photography needs!

Our wedding was July 28th, 2012. We had Lorelei as our photographer and she did an awesome job. She had great ideas, and was open to ours. She brought both enthusiasm and passion that made the photos easy and fun! Lorelei was also very professional and kind to not just us, but our bridal party, family and guests! Essence has a nice feature were you don’t have to purchase your album package till you see what your proofs look like. The communication log with Karen was very helpful and appreciated. There was always a response with in 24 hours. Thank you again! We will be recommending you guys!

We used Essence for both photo and video. Eric Lippe was our photographer. He did an amazing job! He made us feel so comfortable. He took some really cool pictures. Our wedding party really liked him too! Travis was our videographer. He did a nice job too. He didn't say much and blended in with the crowd (which is what we wanted). We are very excited and anxious to see our pictures and our video. We definitely recommend Essence!

Loved our photographer, she was amazing and really made the day a blast. The company was easy to work with, and we even got our pictures and album in early! The album beautiful, we were very happy with everything. Recommend!!!

Choosing our photo/video company took some time but, in the end it was well worth the wait. We met with three different companies to compare apples to apples and see what our options were. The first company I assumed we would go with because three of my friends had recently used them at their weddings over the last few years. However, I was wrong about that. We met with Mike from Essence Photo and Video (our third appointment). I should note that our appointment was for later in the day. However, Dave and I finished a cake tasting earlier than anticipated so we contacted Essence to see if they could get us in earlier as we were in the area. They were very flexible and got us an appointment fifteen minutes later. Instantly, Dave and I felt very comfortable with Mike, kind of like we had known him for years. It was nice to go into a private room with a comfy couch to sit on while hearing all about the company, album options, and viewing portfolios of photographers and videographers. Dave and I felt really comfortable and most like ourselves at Essence. A point I had made was we wanted to enjoy our night and not constantly get pulled during the reception for pictures which, thankfully, Essence was all about. They know you want to enjoy your night which is why they take care of most of the formals after the ceremony. We viewed three photographers’ portfolios and we fell in love with Eric’s work. Dave and I left our appointment, got into our car, and knew we wanted to book with Essence. I guess the saying is true…third time’s the charm. We signed a contract with them days later. Planning forms were all online to input and update our information on my own time and at my own pace. Being a mother of a 15 month old and a teacher, this was a life saver. Any questions were answered by immediately by Karen the director of photography. My photographer Eric and videographer Travis contacted me before the wedding to go over all my forms. I felt very comfortable with them and was anxious for the wedding to be here. Eric arrived at 11:00 AM and spent the next twelve hours with us crazy girls! It felt as if we’d known Eric for years (must be something about the company…insert smiley), as opposed to just meeting him that morning. He was so polite and helpful throughout the day and treated me as a precious gem which is how every bride should feel. He was so complimentary to all my girls and I and he really made us feel so at ease. Travis, our videographer, we didn’t have as much contact with but, when we did he was nothing but nice. Both men were very polite and non intrusive to and with our guests! I could not have asked for better individuals (Eric and Travis) and service on my wedding day, and I haven’t even seen the final product yet but, I know everything will be superb! Dave and I are so happy that we chose to go with Essence photo and video. If you’re looking for a company that will make your night about you, treat you like gold, listen to your wants and needs, give creative direction, and make your day about you, then I would HIGHLY recommend you go with Essence Photo and Video. We weren’t disappointed, and I promise, you won’t be either.
All the best,
~Shannon ~

Got our album from our wedding over a month ago and we are still looking at it weekly. Essence did a great job - not only our photographers but also their designers made our album so beautiful I can't stop reliving memories of our day. We got a "Masterpiece" ablum with a picture cover and everyone says how awesome it is. Brings back memories every time. Also our video does the same. We have already recommended Essence to my cousin who's getting married next year - we would suggest them to anyone who wants great memories and a company that's very easy to work with and not too expensive!!

Our videographer was Nick and he did an amazing job! I was really hesitant at first about using a videographer but it was worth every penny! He did such a great job of capturing everything I could of imagined. I highly recommend using essence video as they do such a great job without being in anyone's way the whole evening.

Absolutely amazing. Everything on the day of my wedding went perfect. Our photographer Dave was awesome! I would HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend Essence and specifically Dave! He did an amazing job. He made us feel comfortable and everything went so smooth! So happy with my decision to go with Essence and our photographer!

We are awaiting our wedding proofs and album, however, we have reiceved consistently great service from Essence P&V. We felt with some other photography options the company operates like a big box business but Essence has the small company feel with lots of personalized attention. You are able to communicate with the owner and your photographer through an online portal and they have many helpful tips on their website as well. Our actual photog, Paola, was fun yet professional and helped us feel at ease in front of the camera. We had a large wedding party (18) and she handled the group so well! The only negative was that we were unable to match schedules with our wedding photographer to do an engagement session. Essence did make up for that by pairing us with another great photog and our photos turned out amazing! We were slightly disappointed that we could not meet and work with our wedding photog early, but overall it was a minor detractor. If you are interested in doing an engagement session, we recommend scheduling it early if you are looking to shoot during a particular time of year.

We went through Essence P&V for videography only and were extremely pleased with our videographer! His name was Josh and he was the nicest, most helpful and considerate person! I couldn't have asked for a better man to do this job. I can't wait to see the finished result because it was extremely apparent that he took his time, put thought into his work and wanted us to be happy with the product. I will be forever grateful for his kindness on my wedding day. At one point it started to shower a little and I became worried we wouldn't be able to have our ceremony outdoors, so he took out his phone and showed me a picture of the storm radar, reassuring me that it was passing over us quickly. How sweet is that?! Go with Josh if you decide to book through Essence! :)

Our videographer was Travis and he did a great job. He was timely and seemed to blend in with the crowd which is what we asked for. He worked well with the photographer as well.

I absolutely loved my photographers and videographer from Essence. Their professionalism was outstanding - one of our photographers was a half an hour early and I was so impressed - she started shooting right away!

Even before we booked, we were very impressed with their professionalism and the process of choosing photographers. All of our questions were answered in a timely manner, and they have four convenient locations - so we were able to go to the location closest to our home. They are very technology friendly - all of our questions were submitted through an online portal, and answered within hours (even on the weekend!).

We loved everything about Essence - they made everything very easy, and worth our money. We did not want to settle, and I believe we got exactly what we wanted, and it was worth all the pennies. I would recommend them to any of my friends.

Choosing the photographer was our most stressful task when it came to picking vendors for our wedding reception. We missed out on one photographer in the beginning – one I thought would be a great match for us. We were planning from afar (we live in Houston, TX – got married near Chicago) so saw challenges as we couldn’t meet with anyone face to face before we chose. We had seen some wedding photography from other companies which were atrocious (photographer standing in front of guests in their row during the ceremony, getting in peoples faces and snapping shots repeatedly, etc) so we were quite nervous about picking the right person to shoot our special day. Once we found Essence and spoke with Karen, we felt more at peace. Once we saw our options of photographers, we knew from first look which one would match us best. Paola was absolutely amazing. She was better than I could have imagined. She interacted with us and our guests very well. She directed people without being pushy. She captured great action and candid shots without being intrusive. She was responsive to our ideas and helped form fun poses. The streets bordering our wedding/reception site were under construction as was the nearby park so there were additional challenges in finding the right place to take pictures. Paola arrived early to make sure she found those spots – and she did. I can’t wait to see the end result in a few weeks!

When looking for a photographer I came across Essence Photo and Video. After checking out their website I knew they would be a perfect fit for our wedding, so I called and made an appt. After meeting with Tim over at Essence we knew this was the one. He made us picture our wedding and what the day would be like...he also showed us sample pictures. Once we choose the style of photography that we like he recommended 2 photographers to us. We would up choosing Travis and I wouldnt have choose anyone else. From the moment he arrived at my house on the wedding day I knew he would be fun and great to work with. He listened to everything we wanted and didnt want. He got along great with us and our bridal party because we tend to get a little rowdy...I even caught him doing the Cha Cha Slide which I thought was awesome, to me that showed he was comfortable with us and was having a good time while working. We also booked a Videographer with Essence, while we didnt get to choose our videographer I wouldnt have choosen anyone else other than Nicholas. When he first called me on the Monday of my wedding I knew he would be a perfect fit. We finally got to meet him on the wedding day. He was on time and knew exactaly what he was doing and where to be. He is very outgoing and fun to be around.
Thank You so much....I cant wait to see our pictures/video

Both my fiance and I loved working with Mike Belec, he was professional, fun, friendly, and knew how to take wonderful artistic/fun/elegant photos. We cannot wait to see the Highly recommended! Great time :)

You must go with the Essence and if you can...go with Dave as your photographer and Nick as your videographer. It was revealed to me that they were part of the elite team and they were excellent, especially paired together. I can't wait to see what the finishing products look like!

These people are the nicest and most helpful photographers. We had a beautiful wedding day and Tom & Shirley made it so pleasant and easy for us. They guided us through even the hectic times, they were so professional and yet felt like family. Our album and video are amazing, could not ask for anything more. We are lucky to have chosen them.

We really enjoyed working with essence - they were very professional and provided a great online planning tool. Our photographer was Megan S and she was SUPER - very fun, outgoing but professional and our photographs turned out great. Their prices were slightly higher than some other places we reviewed, but we felt that Essence's quality was slightly better. In addition, we really liked the fact that once our album was ordered and printed, the copyrights for the pictures became ours.

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVED ABBY SHE WAS PERFECT!!!!!!!!

We used Essence for both photography and videography. Eric was our photographer and was amazing!! He was so nice and did such a wonderful job. Nick was our videographer and the same goes with him. Karen, the sales rep was so nice and answered all of our questions when we first signed the contract. I highly reccommend them!!

My husband and I got married this past June 2011 and we used Essence Photography and Videography! We are the 3rd in our families to have used them and they did an exceptional job all 3 weddings. We couldn't have asked for a more friendly photographer. She got shots that we didn't even know were being taken and they turned out incredible. The videography was great as well. The wedding video was beautiful and it was just incredible how the whole night was put into that video so smoothly. ONE thing that was a little upsetting was the placement of the videographer during the ceremony when the wedding party was walking down the aisle. Half of the screen was on the guests in the pews, so when the couples were walking down the aisle the person to the far right got cut out after just a few steps because the camera was too far to the left. Other than that, we really enjoyed them, we payed them extra to stay another hour at the reception as well, and it was pretty cheap! :)

We had a fabulous experience with Essence. The original photographer I had picked out became unavailable a couple months before my date, but Karen quickly replaced him with another great photographer. Our photographer fit in so well with the part and even let one of my friends interested in photography shadow her throughout the day, talking to her and telling her how to get great shots. She was very friendly and had a lot of cute ideas! Would definitely use them again!

We could not have chosen a better company for our photography and videography. They were VERY responsive and VERY helpful. Both our videographer and photographer were very personable and really meshed in well with out wedding party. This was by far the best vendor we had for our special day. I would highly recommend Essence for anyone's photo/video needs. I thought we paid a fair price for the services we received.

My husband and I were referred to Essence by 2 different couples who used their services for their weddings. My husband and I were in one of the weddings for one of the couples who referred us so we were able to see their photographer and videographer in action. I was impressed by the picture quality and creativity that Essence provides. I was extremely happy with our photographer Mike and our videographer Josh. Mike and Josh worked very well together. They were very easy to get a long with and they understood what my husband and I were looking for with pictures and videos. They got along with our entire bridal party and our families. My husband and I haven't seen our proofs yet, however, we have received our Blu Ray wedding video already and we were very pleased with how it turned out. We have no doubt in our mind that our proofs will be just as good!

Looking at our album from last year the memories are coming back. I have to be honest we had lots of problems on our day from people showing up late to our flowers being wrong but it turned out to be a wonderful day of course. The ONLY vendor I can say I was 100% happy with was Essence which did the photography and video. Not only were they helpful and easy to communicate with during the planning, but the day of the wedding the photographer was like my personal counselor helping us stay positive with all the other problems. The album was beautiful, my Mom was happy (hard to do - sorry luv you mom) and bottom line they MADE OUR DAY. We also got video and loved that too - people were saying don't bother with video but SO GLAD we did. We could have spent a LOT more with indpendent photographers - Essence was less where we were wondering what do you give up? Answer: Nothing - great job!

I shopped around a lot of our wedding photos. Photos are something very important to us, and you only get one shot for those. Our photographer was Lorelei, and I would recommend her not a problem. My sister is also going to be using her for her wedding, and so far after her engagement shoot she is just as satisfied. Their pricing isnt knock you off your chair like some photographers out there, and I just got done designing our wedding album, and that couldnt have been easier to do. They have such an easy to use interactive website page for your album that you can change things of a switch and move around. Its hard to describe but if you go in (which you should) for a consult they can show you and explain it better. I'd have to say I'd for sure at least make it a stop in there to see what they can offer for you.

Essence was fantastic! Our photographer was so much fun to work with! He was relaxed, natural, and made me feel comfortable right away. We was my go to guy to calm my nerves before the ceremony. We had a HUGE wedding party and he was so patient, but perfectly directive when he needed to be. He was so flexible when something came up we wanted captured. He got all the shots we wanted and more. His smiling face and great attitude help make our day. I would recommend Essence to any friend or family member getting married. Thank you Essence for being amazing and exceeding our expectations!

There cost was average but we did not mind spending the little bit more when after the wedding all that will be left are the photos!
We loved our photographer she was a great match for us.
We really liked how they got to know us at the beginning and matched us up with some one instead of just assigning some one to us.

Eric was our photographer at our wedding on 10/1/10 and we couldn't be happier with how everything went! He was so attentive to everything we wanted and we had so many people tell us what a great job he did catching every moment of the night! He made everything perfect! Thank you Essence, especially Eric!

Olivia was our photographer and she was so much fun. She was so helpful with posing us and suggesting different things. We haven't gotten our proofs yet and we can't wait to see them. I will make sure to update my review after we see our pictures

We are not completely done with Essence, but so far so good. We loved our photographer. She was very thoughtful and upbeat the entire day even though she was working very diligently. I cannot wait to see our photos. The few peeks I got were great. I can only imagine how the rest will look. I would recommend Essence to anyone. In fact, that is how I found Essence through a coworkek's recommendation.

We were very pleased with how our pictures turned out. Our photographer was friendly and easy to work with.

Recommend! Kevin, our photographer, was awesome! He was flexible and happily took our suggestions throughout the day.

I haven't even seen the finished products yet, but based on the wedding day, they were AWESOME!!! I could not have asked for a more laid-back and creative photographer. LOVED working with her!

We worked with Megan S from Essence and she was absolutely wonderful! We had a big wedding party (8 bridesmaids/groomsmen, 2 ring bearers, and 2 ushers) and she was able to get everyone organized and in pictures very easily. Essence in general was great to work with. They were very informative and honest about how many photographers we needed. I can't wait to see the final pictures!

Our photographer fulfilled every detail we could ever think of and more in our wedding photos. We are very grateful for how she was before our wedding, on our wedding day, and in receiving our photos. Communication was excellent and she was flexible. Very reasonable cost especially for everything that we got in the package. You will be very satisfied by choosing them!

Eric Lipe was a fantastic photographer! He was a delight to work with!

I really enjoyed working with Essence from the beginning. I thought that their process for choosing a photographer was great, and helped us narrow down what types of photography styles we liked. Our photographer, Robb, was amazing to work with. He was unobtrusive, but always there capturing the shots. He climbed on furniture, laid on the ground, threw the camera in the air, everything! He was flexible and had a ton of ideas about poses and locations for the pictures. He was funny and interacted well with our guests, who were very impressed with him. There are a couple of poses/shots that I know we didn't get, but I would probably say that even if all we had done that day was take pictures! I haven't seen our proofs yet, but just based on my personal interactions with Robb and Essence, I would recommend them for another wedding! Their package included everything we needed at a price we could meet, which was really important to us-who has an unlimited budget these days?! Overall, our experience was very positive-thank you Essence!

We are very happy with the service Essence provided. We havent received our pictures yet but Im sure they will be awesome. Ed was our photographer he was wonderful and handled everything and all of our "NY" bridal party very well. Nick was our videographer. He was awesome, and very professional! I highly recommend Essence to shoot your day !! Thank you Essence, Ed and Nick!!

Essence was wonderful to work with for our big day! In preparing they were great at really putting me at ease and the director even responded to my emails with the million questions that I had leading up to the wedding! Our photographer was really nice to work with. She was flexible with whatever we wanted to do regarding pictures, and also had some great ideas of her own. They were recommended to us by a friend, and we would definitely recommend this company to others. We were really pleased with it all!

Essence was awesome!!! Photography was #1 on my priority list and I am so happy I hired Essence!!! Everyone was very professional and very nice. They were patient and I changed my mind a million times. Very easy to work with.

Our photographer was great, very nice and cool to work with. She blended with my family and friends so well!!! I didn't even notice she was there!! She helped me with anything I needed and if I wanted something she got it done. Very helpful with suggestions and our proofs came back in 3 weeks! Our pictures are beautiful!!

If you choose Essence you won't be disappointed... One thing I wish I did was video, we just had my aunt videotape with her camcorder because I didn't think video was necessary... I was wrong :(

The day goes by so fast it's like a dream, get video, it's worth it:)

Eric was wonderful and the pics that i have of my wedding tell a story and i love them.

Words can't describe on how our wedding pictures turned out. Eric was awesome and full of energy. I am not the type of bride who likes to be posed for pics and Eric did a wonderful job capturing the moment and these pictures tell the story of my wedding day in the moment and I love them. The hardest part was picking out the ones for my album. Essence did an amazing job and everything I hear someone is getting married I tell them to go to Essence they have the best value by far. Thanks Essence and Eric for making my wedding day a day I will remember forever.

Our photographer was amazing! He took such beautiful pictures. He kept telling me that he was on "bride time." This meant that I didn't need to feel rushed, and if I needed him, he would be there. He also offered to get us anything whenever we needed anything even if it was a drink! He was awesome! The company was so professional and I have already referred couples to them!

Pleasure to work with over the phone and in person. Captured the beauty of the day. Creative, fun, and unique photo positions. Nice variety of songs to play throughout video. Ability to design your photo album with neat computer program and have fun with it. Tip: Spend more more money on photo/video than details of the wedding since these contribute to the lasting memories you'll have forever.

Beautiful photos. Easy to work with. We loved our photographer. He scouted the venue for beautiful backgrounds and unique and personal photos for us. They had a ton of options for every budget.

I was at a friend's wedding that used Essence and loved the photographer. We had Olivia at our wedding and she is great. The photos were beautiful and the pricing was very fair.

Photos came in this week and are more beautiful than I ever could have imagined. I would use Essence again in a second!

From the 1st meeting we were blown away. The photographer Eric was the nicest and funniest guy. He had us laughing and was so polite. I couldn't have asked for a nicer guy.

So far everything has been great with Essence! We had an amazing engagement session with Karen! It was perfect! Mike and Ben were at the wedding and had a lot of fun with us. Still waiting on proofs, but other than that. They were really great to work with and set a very high standard when we were shopping for photographers!

I wanted a picture everyone one in my family could remember. They made it happen here at Essence photo and video. I definitely recommend it to any who wants a memory to live forever.

OMG...they were awesome. Seemed like pricing was a little high, but our photographer, Rob, was unbelievable. Found out pricing was right in line with other vendors and I'm sooo happy we went with them.

Of all the services for our wedding, photography was the most important to my husband and me. Essence was fantastic from start to finish. Their consultation was very informative and they answered all my questions, which I had a ton of! The planning process was very thorough and they helped us prepare for our wedding with many tips on scheduling times for photos. Our photographer was on time and got all the photos we let them know about in the planning process, plus many more photos that were very artistic, which I love! After the wedding, they designed an album for us and we were able to make as many changes as we wanted before ordering it. Everything went so smooth, we were very, very impressed with Essence!

Beautiful pictures! My photographer was very professional and helpful.

Our photographer was easy to work with, had fun with us & my bridal party, and really nice. I received multiple compliments from my guests on how professional he was. He seemed to know how to get a smile out of us and gave us easily understood directions for beautiful, artistic pictures. I definitely recommend Essence!

She came on time, and took pictures of exactly what my daughter wanted. She was professional and very friendly with some great ideas.

The staff was very helpful in the pre planning stages and covered all pricing, packages and photograph information in a very professional and organized manner and fully informed you of your choices. They really listen to what you are looking for and match you to a photographer carefully. Our photgrapher was great and very flexible and friendly. The turn around time for getting our proofs back was less than 3 weeks!

"Talented and amazing" are a few of the words I would use to describe my photographer. He did such a great job at capturing the feel and style of our day. The 500 facial expressions he captured alone of my husband and me were amazing. Everyone loves our pictures and we will cherish them forever.

Picking Essence was an excellent choice, thank you Essence. I recommend and can't say enough about them!

We are very happy we chose Essence for our wedding photography. Our photographer, Megan Sullivan, was fantastic! She was very friendly and easy to get along with, which is very important considering how much of our wedding day was spent with the photographer. She made it much easier for my husband and I to feel comfortable having our pictures taken. Her eye for photography is remarkable, and she had some wonderful ideas that have translated into stunning "wedding party" photographs of me and my husband in downtown Chicago. She was laid back and not at all intrusive, which is exactly what we were hoping for in a wedding photographer. Our families and friends thought she fit in perfectly at our wedding and was very easy to work with as well. Having just viewed our proofs, I must say that the quality of her work has exceeded the very high expectations that were set on our wedding day. We feel very lucky that she was available for our wedding, and we would very highly recommend her to anyone looking for a wedding photographer.

The pictures we received from Essence were beautiful. The planning process with the photographer was very good and our wedding day went just as planned. I have received many compliments on the pictures from my family.

Megan was my photographer and I highly recommend her. She gave us what we asked for, candid pictures and direction for artistic pictures. I have a proof book full of gorgeous pics.

Essence was very professional from start to finish. My photographer, Travis, was very personable and great at helping guide us with pics (and everything else). We selected many pictures to be shot of our family and bridal party, and he got all of them while having fun with us at the same time. I waited to make this review until I received my album, and I love it. I made a few changes to the first design they made, but they did it quickly and did what I asked for. They even photo shopped a few photos that needed to be tweaked. My photographer was awesome and my album is great. Everything I expected. I endorse Essence wholeheartedly.

We booked Dave Grelck, and he was great. Not only did he capture beautiful shots, but he blended in very well with the wedding party - especially when we all packed in a hot limo for photos around the city. In addition, he was with us for 12 hours (most other places have an 8 or 10 hour limit).

We loved the Essence! Our photographer was Melissa Emory and she was absolutely amazing! She had such great ideas and payed excellent attention to detail. I know our photos will be awesome. She worked so hard for like 12 hours and truly cared about capturing every moment of our wedding! I am so thankful for all of Melissa's work. She is a great photographer! The Essence provided great service and an excellent payment plan which makes it easy for my husband and I to get all the photos we want! I don't think there are any other photography companies like the Essence and I am so lucky I found them for my wedding.

Everything was fantastic with Essence! My photographer was so nice to work with and really helped guide us all day. She stayed until the end of the night and we are very pleased with how the pictures and the album turned out.

I highly recommend!

I had two friends use Essence and I loved the pictures from both of their weddings. My wedding was the best ;-). My photographer worked her butt off all day. She was at my house at around noon and stayed to the end of the reception. I was very pleased with their pricing. Not the cheapest, but very reasonable. I was very happy with Essence overall.

All the people at Essence were really great to work with. Very passionate and professional. My pictures are fabulous!

Everything with Essence went so perfect! The best part was my photographer, Mike Beleck. Essence did a great job matching us up with the right person. We all loved him and the pictures he took. Very journalistic, which is exactly what we requested. We highly endorse Mike and Essence!

My photographer was very artistic and great in giving my husband and I suggestions for our pictures. We were blown away by the pictures and it was hard to choose for our album. Our album turned out fantastic! They designed everything for me and even made a few changes that I requested for free. We are eternally grateful for the pictures we will treasure forever!

Have not gotten album yet, but Essence was a great pick. Proofs, a little hard to see if you have a larger wedding party, but great pictures overall. They could host the proofs a little longer than 60 days online though. Value is great as the bride and groom, but if you want to buy separate pictures they are expensive. If you're not in a hurry and can wait a year, Essence does release everything to the bride and groom, and you can print your own pics, which is great! Have no knowledge on how the video turned out yet. Price below included photographer, wedding album, proof book, online hosting, release of all (1018) pictures within a year, videographer, wedding video, and copies.

If I were to have my wedding all over again, Essence would be the first vendor I would hire. Sean was my photographer and he was all around great. His pictures were amazing with some very unique ideas. He was very helpful throught the day and very professional. My sister used Essence and I had a great experience too. Highly reccommend!!

Service was good.

We could not be happier with Essence! From the beginning, they were very helpful in showing us their photographer's work, to how great our photographer was on our wedding day, to getting all of our beautiful photos, to designing our album with their design group. We are all thrilled with the results!!

I loved, loved, loved my photographer! He was amazing and I am so excited to see my pictures in a few weeks! He came up with some many unique ideas for cute pictures and did all the traditional at the same time! I would suggest Essence, especially Eric Lipe to anyone!

I can't say enough about how great it was to have Essence. My best friend used them last year and when I saw her proofs I knew I had to have them. They definitely didn't disappoint at my wedding. True professionals and the pictures were stunning! Thank you!!

Our photographer made us feel very comfortable. I loved that Essence's photographer stay for 12 hours and got pictures all day and night. They creatively captured my wedding without being intrusive at all. He got great candid shots that I love and was very professional. He did an amazing job and I recommend Essence to anyone!

Just great! We loved our photographer and our pictures were absolutely wonderful!!! I highly recommend!!!!!

Essence was great! I have had countless compliments on our album. Our photographer was fun and upbeat the whole day. Great service!

Essence did an exceptional job at our wedding. I'd give them six stars if I could. Photographer was so positive and great to work with. Prices are reasonable, we spent about $2,400 for everything. It included the photographer for the day, proof book, large canvas, and the magazine style album with the upgraded cover.

Essence's pictures at my wedding were great! I've gotten nothing but compliments on the pics. I can't recommend them highly enough.

We had our wedding pictures done by Essence. Our photographer, Ed, was great to work with and did a wonderful job. He was so patient with our families and rowdy bridal party. He managed to not be intrusive, but also be everywhere. He gave us some very creative ideas for pictures. I could not have asked for better pictures. Their design group did all the work for me and made a beautiful album.

I would definitely recommend Essence. They worked with us wonderfully every step of the way.

I'm not the most photogenic person and I don't like to be photographed, but my photographer made it so easy and fun. She made our pictures look so amazing and I was surprised that some of the pictures were of me! She made me look beautiful!! I can't imagine a better photographer for us.

From the first day we met until the time we received our album, it was an absolute pleasure dealing with Essence. We were impressed with how professional our initial meeting was compared to the other photographers we interviewed. The planning they did with us before the wedding made the wedding day go very smooth. Our photos are soooo beautiful and the album is unreal. They even gave us a new service of theirs, something scrapbook, for free. Even though it was not out yet when we signed our contract.

everything was fantastic! my photographer was very friendly and helpful with picture ideas. i received my proof book and was amazed at how many beautiful pictures she got. i would recommend essence to everyone.

Essence Photography is the best! We had nothing but great service from them and my photographer Mike Beleck was great. He took every shot that was asked of him and more. The service from the office personal was ans still is fabulous. The price for their service is right on and what you receive in their packages is well worth it. Mike was not in your face taking pictured he was around but not there., if you know what I mean. We are in the process of making our album and the layout Essence came up with for us was great and awaiting our next meeting. I can't wait to see how it all comes out. I can't say enough about Essence you should contact them now don't wait you won't find any better.

Could not have been any better! It was nice to have Essence exceed our expectations. We were impressed with their professionalism and style. Our photographer was phenominal and very artistic. We got tons of journalistic pics, the style we preferred, that were amazing. Our album was difficult to design only because we had a hard time reducing our pics down to under 140. We were very pleased with everything Essence did for us and would highly recommend them, as we have done to our friends.

The quality of work they do compared to the prices they charge make it Essence a bargain. I've recommended them to all my friends. They did an amazing job!

Karen was our event planner for this vendor and she was just a joy to work with. She was able to pick out a photographer that would be easy to work with mine and my husbands personality. Jason was our photographer and he was just great. I was in the church basement 2 1/2 hours before the wedding and he walked into the basement while my bridesmaid and MOH were there eating chicken nuggets, our first meal of the day. He just smiled, made sure that I was comfortable and anything if I needed it, he would go grab it. We told Jason from the beginning when he called us, to use his discretion, and that he's the artist we're paying to get great professional and candid shots throughout the wedding. This company will taylor to your wedding. We shopped at Edward Fox and Fred Fox studios and Essence was the winner. The made us feel comfortable in their store and didn't pressure us to sign a contract right then and there. In my opinion Edward Fox and Fred Fox are really uptight and just there for the buck. Essence didn't pressure us, and since my fiance couldn't come the first meeting, Karen was ready and willing to sit down with us again and present everything to my husband. They even gave us little business cards to put in our thank you cards so our guests could order pictures from the wedding online, instead of going through my husband and I. Essence only wanted $500 down and then another $700 AFTER the wedding. Everyone else wanted the full payment before the wedding, so Essence being so easy going, it helped a ton. I would recommend this to anyone who's having a birthday party or wedding!

I went to the Essence in Naperville (the newest location), and after researching dozens of photographers, I was floored with their professionalism and value! We got so much for just what our budget fell into. Liz was the kindest album planner and my photographer was very knowledgable of poses and angles. Thanks Essence!

Our photographer, Bill Dolsen was absolutely incredible. He arrived to our event earlier than I paid for, and stayed later and did not charge me. He took over 1000 pictures, all of which are beautiful!

Essence Photo and Video did an amazing job at our wedding. Trevor did a wonderful job capturing our wedding day and Lorelei did an amazing job putting our wedding album together. The wedding packages offered has something for everyone and we did not feel that anything was missing from our pictures, it was on of the best experiences of our wedding.

Excellent value for the price! Great photojournalism. Hardly knew the photographer and videographer were there. Great job.

Our photographer was amazing, everything was perfect. I would (and have!) recommended these photographers to all of our friends!

Amazing!! Our photographer was very professional and friendly. Half the time you barely knew he was there, which was important for my husband. We got an amazing proof book with about 1000 pictures. The proof book is what helped to sell us. There is no need to use a magnifying glass when looking at the pictures, they are each about the size of a wallet sized picture. They offered a wide variety of albums and services. The prices were based on the album selected. Even though the photographs took slightly longer to get after the wedding, it was well worth the wait!! Designing the album was easy, the only thing to remember is how many pages you get. We wanted many more pictures included, however, it was quite a bit more money to add pages and pictures to the album we chose. Depending on how much is spent on others ordering pictures after the wedding, you can own all your pictures right away, or like us, we had to wait a year. Not a big deal to us though, we have the CD with every picture and have not ever had a problem using the CD.

We were so please with our photographer and Videographer. Everyone that saw the photos and video were amazed at how great they were. I received a lot of comments like, we have never seen so many great photos!, these are the best wedding photos we have seen.

I would highly recommend!

My husband and I absolutely LOVED our photographer. She was amazing! Our family and friends can not believe how beautiful and unique our wedding album is. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Essence! Thank you!

Zeke and Criselda Carrera - 10.4.08

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Our photographer was the best! He could not have been any nicer or more accommodating. He was very friendly to my spouse and I, our families, and our entire wedding party. Thank you very much for everything!

Ashley and Bob Hansen - 1.3.09

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We absolutely loved our photographer! He had a great personality, he was very friendly, and took into account our special circumstances. He did a great job with our pictures and we have enjoyed looking at them over and over again! We would HIGHLY recommend him and your company to anyone who is getting married.

John and Jesse Bodel - 12.27.08

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We absolutely LOVED our photographer!!! He was awesome, very easy going, but knew exactly what he was doing. He was so easy to get along with!!! Our families and friends raved about him and his assistant. I would recommend him to everyone!

Ryan and Bella Hitzke - 1.31.09

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Our photographer was very easy to work with and made both of us and our families feel quite relaxed on a very stressful day.

Alan and Jessica Wu - 2.28.09

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Our photographer was absolutely excellent! I have recommended him to my friends getting married. He was very professional and detail oriented. Thanks!!!

Jerry and Jill Drabik - 2.28.09

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Essence Photography has been at The Arboretum Club often and the photographers always do a great job. They are creative, polite, professional and very easy to work with. Essence really cares about their clients and makes sure their clients are happy and comfortable. I would highly recommend Essence to any Bride and Groom!

I have worked with Essence Photo & Video for a long time. When Essence is working with my clients I am at ease knowing that they are being well taken care of and their photographs and video will be nothing short of spectacular. Essence Photo & Video are very professional and take great pride and care in training their photographers. I highly recommend this company for any event you do.