Melissa Cervantes Photography
Full wedding (ceremony and reception) pricing
Prices start at $5,200
Elopement pricing
Prices start at $3,000
Packages
Prices start at $3,000
About Melissa Cervantes Photography
Melissa Cervantes Photography
I have 12 years of photography experience, 6 years in the industry and have shot more than 180 weddings. Safe to say, this IS my passion. Couples and wedding photography can be SO stressful--the pressure to look and be a certain way or follow trends is INTENSE. Wedding stress is real and I am anti it all the way. For my couples, they're job is just to show up and have fun. I will do ALL the rest!
I don't do basic. I don't do cheesy. I don't do trends. I focus on who you are as a couple and telling your story artistically and truthfully. I'm here for your journey. And I'm here to make it look as cool and wonderful and happy and raw as it is. I'm for the adventurous, intensely real and laid back couple who wants badass photos without the stress. If you're reading this and inside you're just going "YES! That's me." then you're definitely apart of my tribe and I would love to work with you! XO, Mel P.S. If I've invited you to inquire that means I think I could work with your location and budget! Don't be shy!
Services
Services
- Bride-only session
- Engagement session
- Extra hours
- Image editing
- Online proofing
- Printing rights
- Second photographer
Photo formats
- Digital
Melissa Cervantes Photography packages
The Wedding Day Collection
8 hours
Peak pricing $4,800-5,800
This is what you need, plain and simple. I love curated, thoughtful options. I like trusted pros to tell me what I need and then I like to follow that advice. It's how I do things. Simple. Easy. Direct. And I tend to attract folks who feel the same. You can add things as you like and your wedding requires but the bare bones of who I am, what I offer and what I believe every wedding should have are contained in this collection.
- Complimentary engagement session
- Customized wedding day timeline
- 16 hour roundtrip travel included
- Hi-res gallery for downloadable images
- 8 hours of continuous wedding day coverage
The Wedding Weekend
25 hours
Peak pricing $8,500
Weddings are more than just one day, especially when it's a destination for you or your guests. Get me for the whole weekend (subject to availability)--rehearsal dinner, unlimited hours on wedding day, day-after brunch, portrait session, adventure outing--you name it, I am THERE for 3 days.
- 25 hours of photo coverage split over 3 days
- hi-res photos via online gallery for download
- A customized wedding day timeline
- Complimentary engagement session
- 16 hour roundtrip driving travel included
The Wanderlust
8 hours
Peak pricing $3,500
Off-peak pricing $3,000
This package is for weddings in areas I actively want to work in that don't require an engagement session. Saturdays start at $3,500, non-Saturdays start at $3,000. No travel fees, happy to customize this to fit your needs. If I've invited you to inquire with me, this is the Collection I have in mind for you, possibly with some modifications. Let's chat!
- Hi res gallery of downloadable images
- 1 photographer for 8 hours of wedding day
- No travel fees
Reviews
Write a review5.0 out of 5
7 reviews
The BEST!
When we started the wedding planning process, we both agreed that capturing the day meant the most to us. In the search to find a photographer, we were immediately drawn towards Mel's work. We explored her Instagram and website and found the ways that she captured those "little " moments in the weddings to be something that we loved! After a quick Zoom meeting with Mel, we both knew that she was going to be perfect for the both of us. During our engagement session, she made us feel so comfortable and was so personable and made us forget that we were in Downtown Chicago, with so many people looking at us. And to top it off, she took some GORGEOUS photos highlighting us. Fast forward a year later to our wedding date of 11/2/24 where Mel not only made sure that we captured the best moments of the day, she played a key role in the day itself - becoming part of the wedding party. Her planning, communication and professionalism leading up to the wedding, knowing exactly where to capture the perfect moments, what to do, staying on track of time, was such a relief and something that we did not have to worry about as a couple. She was fantastic with her interactions with our bridal parties becoming a topic of conversation still weeks after the wedding ("your photographer was awesome"). We can't thank Mel enough for everything. She is truly the best in the business. We could not recommend her more to others. Love you Mel!
Photography review
Melissa Cervantes Photography was a joy to work with! Melissa is an excellent communicator and a true professional. She delivered high quality, moody and authentic photos that perfectly captured the special moments from our wedding day. She helped guide us through the day, keeping us on schedule while also making the photo sessions relaxed and fun. Melissa is so creative and talented with a camera - she was able to compose beautiful shots that felt natural and unposed. Her flexibility was also greatly appreciated. We highly recommend Melissa for wedding photography. She brings energy, passion and artistry to her work, while also putting couples at ease. We will treasure the gorgeous photos Melissa took on our special day.
10/10 experience!
Our wedding day was the most important day of our lives (thus far). We placed a lot of value in having quality photography for our big day, and Mel did not disappoint! Having Melissa capture our wedding was THE best decision we made when planning our day. Mel is a dream to work with. She brings the talent, insight, boss energy, and the party! She was super easy to coordinate and communicate with and took out the anxiety provoking part of having pictures taken of yourself (and even made it enjoyable!). Her work is incredible and speaks for itself. We were blown away by the final product and are immensely grateful for how these memories were captured. Many of the photos are proudly displayed in our home. We are glad to call Mel a friend and would highly recommend MCP for all your photography needs.
Hands Down Best Photog EVER
This review is so overdue it makes me sick, but the reason I've put it off for so long is because I've struggled to come up with the words to fully capture how I feel about Mel and what she contributed to making our special day E V E R Y T H I N G I could have ever asked for. If you don't want to read my whole novel, here's all you need to know: Mel is incredible. As a human being, a woman, a friend, a professional, a photographer - all of it. She will take care of you. I would've paid 10x as much as we did for the memories Mel gave us -- both actual memories WITH Mel and the memories she captured in her photos. From the very beginning I knew I wanted Mel in my corner. I find it SO admirable and refreshing that she takes seriously whether she meshes with her prospective clients or not. She KNOWS that the photos are going to pop off that much more if the vibes between client & photographer are *chef's kiss* -- she's not just chasing anyone down for the money or the exposure. To me, this made Mel really stand out. Vibing with Mel also meant I felt comfortable (because she allowed me the space to) text her with questions/concerns or for advice during the planning and she ALWAYS made me feel better about whatever I was worrying about. Mel is a friend, a sidekick, a bada**, ready-for-anything, go-with-the-flow-but-also-command-the-flow hype woman professional. I'm not kidding when I say that a large portion of my core memories from wedding day are with Mel. And I don't mean because she was following me around with a camera all day, I mean because of the actual hilarious, heartwarming, lifesaving interactions with Mel that stick out to me more than conversations I had with our own wedding guests. Imagine spending all day with someone who isn't making you laugh, providing you relief from the stress, tending to you and just making you feel like an absolute prize all day!!?! Couldn't be me. Wouldn't be Mel. She's d*mn good company. We had a large wedding party which can be annoying for any vendor but especially a photographer. Mel never made us feel bad about that. She stated the facts, made clear what she needed and then made. it. happen. The groomsmen in our party were not great listeners and Mel dominated in getting everyone's attention back. My bridesmaids were basically crushing over how much of a boss she is. And because of how much of a boss she is, she kept ALL things on track, even things she wasn't originally responsible for. She is THE ultimate wedding expert and has an answer for everything. Not every photographer could do what she does, so thank god for Mel knowing her strengths and positioning herself to share the power of those strengths with all of us. Nothing could've prepared me for the emotions I would feel looking through the gallery Mel delivered. Utter shock and awe -- our photos were uniquely ours but still dazzled with that same Mel magic I fell in love with when I found her on IG. After our wedding, I looked back on our day and felt sad thinking about moments I missed or wish I could redo. Her photos completely took all of that away. It was all accounted for. You can trust her to have listened to your needs/wants, to have taken any unique or awkward circumstances into consideration and to have captured moments you'd probably be sad about missing (even the really small, less obviously-important ones). Book her. Book her for the max duration that you can. She's the best in the biz and nothing could convince me otherwise.
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