Where to begin with this team? If you don't read any further, know that my wife and I give the S7MP…read moreteam the highest recommendation possible.
My now-wife, Zakira Duff and I got engaged in September 2019 and started planning our wedding soon after.
We eventually settled on June 13, 2020 and one of Zakira's friends, Ryan, recommended S7MP as a great photography/videography team, and we contracted with them in early January 2020.
We were very impressed with the quality of their work, how they seemed to shoot more diverse couples than other studios we looked at, and offered more competitive pricing compared to other studios of equivalent quality.
The complimentary engagement photo shoot that was included in the wedding package was also attractive.
Both Zakira's and I's grandmothers passed away before our wedding and we wanted to include a special tribute to them by blowing up pictures of each of us with our grandmother, with them in a faded 'ghost' form. We asked the S7MP team if this would be a feasible project for them, and anticipated having to pay extra, but Victor readily agreed to take the project on, free of charge, and we would just have to pay for the blow-ups later on. This gesture was extremely appreciated, and his work was excellent, and inclusive of touch-ups.
However, COVID occurred, and we tried re-scheduling our wedding to late August 2020 at first, for which S7MP flexed with us at no charge, and then we pushed to July 17, 2021, and luckily that date worked for the S7MP team too.
In the lead-up to the wedding, Mina, was on point with getting us prepared, and figuring out a date for our engagement shoot.
My wife and I live in TX, and travel to Chicago was not the easiest to fit in our schedules, so we were able to get our engagement shoot in 2 days before our wedding.
Everything was so hectic in that week, and my wife was close to cancelling the engagement shoot, but we are both very glad we did not do that.
It was great to meet Victor, Mina, and Joseph and develop rapport before the wedding, and the quality of their work stood out immediately at our shoot in Lincoln Park.
Joe and Victor got super creative and artistic shots of us, and the lighting was perfect. They were amongst the best photos Zakira and I have taken in the 5.5 years we've been together.
Besides their work, they were pleasant and punctual to work with, good people all around, and we felt super comfortable during our shoot, in the hands of true professionals.
Their team also worked fast to get us our pictures delivered within 24 hours, in time before our wedding, and Victor also put together a 60 second video teaser of us within a day, absolutely beautiful work that we were able to share with our guests in a final pre-wedding email.
The day of our wedding their team was prompt, arriving even 15 minutes ahead of an 8 hour schedule (thankfully, since we were rushing around the whole day), and took great shots of me in the groom suite, and then moved up to the bridal suite.
We then rushed over to take wedding party shoots at a nearby park none of us had been to, and the S7MP team quickly adapted to the environment and arranged a first look with Zakira and I, and then a bunch of excellent wedding party and bride/groom shots.
The ceremony start time was approaching, and Ubers/Lyfts were unreliable in the city, and Mina was super helpful in ordering an Uber for the bridal party so we would make it on time.
During the wedding, their team was super engaged and worked efficiently throughout the ceremony and reception, with Joe making sure to get pictures of each table, and positioning the bride/groom with as many family members as was reasonable.
The blown-up grandmother portraits were prominently displayed on easels during the wedding and many of our guests appreciated them, with tears in eyes.
Our guests remarked that the S7MP team were nice people and fit in well with our group, and had interesting conversations.
Zakira and I couldn't have asked for anything more. We felt our event was captured from every angle, and we went home smiling, a truly beautiful day!