Ether & Smith Reviews
Reviews
5.0 out of 5 rating
5.0 out of 5 rating
59 Reviews
100% recommend it
Awards
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![Rachael]()
Rachael B. Sent on 10/07/2023The best decision we ever made!
The BEST decision we made for our wedding was hiring Ether and Smith, Emma and Allen, as our photographers. I still am so blown away by the experience we had working with them. They are incredibly personal and go above and beyond to make you feel excited and prepared for your wedding day.
Emma was so knowledgeable about engagement locations that match your aesthetic, and we went with her recommendation for our engagement shoot. My husband and I are not really photo people, but we had SO much fun. Emma is confident and gave great direction for natural, elegant shots. After this shoot, we knew we had hit the jackpot with this team. Our engagement photos are STILL the talk of our friends months later.
When our wedding day finally came, we were so completely at ease knowing Emma and Allen were going to get great shots, which allowed us to enjoy our wedding and be 100 percent present in our day! They have such an eye for classic, timeless, romantic, fun, soft, beauty shots. All our friends and family were so impressed watching them work. They finished are edits so so early and we are in love with the photos. Every, single, one of them. They captured the big moments, and all the meaningful small moments too. We are so grateful to this team for making our photography dreams come true.
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![Katie]()
Katie S. Sent on 09/24/2023Book them now!!
Bride Here: Ether & Smith is AWESOME! Our wedding planner sent over a page full of potential photographers and Emma’s beautiful style and approach to photography stood out and really worked with how we were hoping to document our day. She is extremely talented and knows just how to use the light and venue to make the perfect photos. We were SO excited to hear they were available on our date and Emma was so great taking me through the various photography options and she worked with me to get the scope to exactly what we needed. And man were we not disappointed. Both our engagement and wedding photos were everything we could have hoped for. She really spends the time to learn what you are looking for and then she executes it perfectly.
Not only are the photos at the end of the day literally our most prized possession, but the whole process was SO organized. A lot goes into making sure you get the photos you are looking for on your wedding day and Emma has it down to a science so you do not have to worry about anything. You get all the key photos you would expect and then some. She helped us make the list of family portraits that we had to get and then took those photos in such a fun and efficient way. We didn't feel rushed but we also had A LOT to get through and she did them all. She also had a great survey filled with real wedding examples photos to gauge the other photos you're looking for. Details around what an unplugged ceremony means and how that changes the photos to questions like were we looking for more or less candid shots of our guest. I really cannot put into words how much this planning and organization impressed me but also made the wedding day STRESS FREE. We just had fun and Emma and Allen did the rest.
My husband (see his notes below) HATES taking photos. At every family event it is like pulling teeth to get him to be in a photo, he is always trying to take the photo so he gets out of it… Emma made taking photos so so fun. We both had a great time and felt so comfortable. Emma is directing you the whole time and helping you get the perfect shot, angle, smile, etc. She is saying things to make you laugh and keeping you moving so you end up with a variety of poses and locations. We almost passed on the engagement shoot as we had already sent out our save the dates but I am so glad we didn't. It really was the best practice round for our big day and it gave both me and my husband the confidence to just enjoy the wedding and know that Emma will make sure we get all the shots. Also Emma helps you think through ALL the possible engagement shoot locations and outfits. She puts together the perfect set of photos that complement our wedding photos and are also perfect for our wedding website!
We can't recommend Ether & Smith enough. They were perfect for us and we are so happy to have these photos as our memories from this time in our life. Also did we mention they send the photos really fast! Emma over delivers on everything.
Groom here: I hate taking photos. I normally have a 3-5 photo limit for any event, so having to go through multiple hours of photos was not an exciting prospect. However, Emma and Allen were fantastic. Emma recommended we meet up for an engagement photo shoot prior to our wedding so we can learn the process and get comfortable working together. It was an excellent recommendation. She not only made the process fun and enjoyable, but the pictures she took were incredible! The day of the wedding our photo session went flawlessly. She and Allen were great to work with and got amazing shots of us and our guests! Stop waiting and book them for your wedding!
Photos by the amazing Ether & Smith.
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![Valerie]()
Valerie C. Sent on 06/23/2023The most beautiful work
Let me start by saying that my husband and I loved working with Emma & Allen. We literally can’t stop looking at our wedding photos and smiling from ear to ear. All our friends & family are also blown away by the photos. Emma was so detail oriented and communicative from the very beginning. This was something I truly appreciated as photography was #1 on my vendor list. I wanted to have a timeless collection of photos to look back on and I knew they could be trusted from the very first time I looked through their portfolio and read about their vision. Ether & Smith was worth every cent and if I could do it all over again I would hire them over & over. We couldn’t be happier with their service and they were so fun to work with which was a MAJOR plus. If you’re looking for true talent and the best hype woman it will be Emma from Ether & Smith! -
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![Michelle]()
Michelle Sent on 10/06/2022Ether & Smith is a dream come true!
I honestly do not know where to start... Emma and Allen are perfect. They were beyond what we could've asked for and more. It was such a dream to work with them from engagement shoot day to the wedding day. My husband and I absolutely hated taking photos and I had anxiety leading up to the engagement shoot day because I didn't know how they would turn out. As soon as we met them at the engagement shoot, all the anxiety went away. Emma and Allen were so bubbly, outgoing, and they really made an effort to get to know us. Emma knew exactly how to pose us and we didn't feel awkward. It just felt like we had been friends for years and it was just another hangout! Emma and Allen are incredibly professional, helpful, and experienced. They really know what they are doing and they spend so much time easing the stress of wedding day photos with helping you create a detailed photo timeline and even going as far as asking who not to pose next to each other to avoid unnecessary wedding day drama. The engagement and wedding photos were returned to us so fast and they came out absolutely stunning. We honestly cannot thank Emma and her team enough for delivering such beautiful photos that will last a lifetime. I can go on about how incredible Emma and Allen are, even our family/friends at the wedding noticed how amazing they were! Lastly, Emma did everything in her power to ensure to make it on our wedding day even though she was still recovering from giving birth. We cannot thank her enough for spending the day with us (also during 100+ degree weather) to capture the best day of our life. Choose Ether & Smith, you will not regret it! -
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![Kiana]()
Kiana C. Sent on 06/17/2022By far our best vendor team
Choosing Emma and Allen of Ether & Smith for our wedding photography was far and away the best decision we made in the entire planning process. They were our favorite vendor team by a mile. Emma is HIGHLY organized and thorough - her guides and general attention to detail saved us a lot of stress. (The guides also led to better final images because we knew which mistakes to avoid!)
She is also exceptional at capturing stunning photos where you, your partner, and all your guests look gorgeous. I was nervous about photography in general as I'm not super photogenic, and yet somehow she managed to take dozens of elegant, editorial, whimsical, striking photos that are actually flattering of me and my husband!! I couldn't be happier with how the photos turned out. Emma has an amazing talent for posing her couples in a way that makes them look natural and hot.
And, to top it all off, her and Allen are SUCH good vibes. Your photographer is the vendor you spend the most time with, so it's important to choose a team that you like having around. Emma and Allen are both chill and calming yet also somehow upbeat and funny, which is exactly what you want on a day that can be stressful and chaotic.
Long story short, they were absolutely outstanding and I can't recommend Ether & Smith highly enough. -
![Beth]()
Beth T. Sent on 03/26/2022A Dream Team
I started following @etherandsmith on IG for years, because I had fallen in love with their soft, ethereal photos. I dreamed about being photographed by them one day, and to have photos as beautiful as theirs. After I got engaged, they were the first ones I contacted to inquire about photographing our wedding – after I booked them, I was SO EXCITED!
Working with them is an entire EXPERIENCE. From the first inquiry, Emma sent out galleries she had previously taken at my venues, so I could get an idea of what the photographs would look like. Shortly after, she mailed me a beautiful booklet (written by her) on everything wedding-related, from engagement outfit suggestions to timeline tips based on her expert opinion. She has an online portal on various engagement shoot locations, depending on what theme/vibe you wanna go for. When I approached her about my idea to do an almond blossom engagement shoot, she dived deep into research to make it happen. My now-husband told me that he was initially very neutral about the idea of shooting in “just an orchard” but when he saw how passionate she was during our session, he felt so encouraged and got really excited too – Emma is the best hype woman ever! Even during that brief one-hour session, we felt like we had already made such a great connection with Emma and her husband Allen; we got to chat about our common interests, like Disneyland & anime. We were excited for our photos, but even more so knowing that we had hired such great people. And as expected, our engagement photos were everything I could hope for. Did I mention that she got our full engagement gallery back to me in TWO DAYS? I feel like that’s unheard of, but with Emma, everything is possible ❤️
In the months leading up to the wedding, Emma was very communicative and sent us emails to keep us organized and on track. One of which was the photography timeline questionnaire – 14 pages of questions she wants to know about your priorities and preferences for your wedding photos, so that she can customize a timeline specific to YOU. It was so fun to fill it out because it made us think hard about our priorities, and what we wanted. And our wedding photos truly do reflect what we had requested in our questionnaire.
Fast forward to on our long-awaited wedding day, Emma & Allen arrived early and went straight to work. BTW, they have the BEST energy and are able to hype up their photo subjects so well, there is no room for nervousness or photo shyness with them around :) Our ceremony venue was at a golf course and there were a lot of goose poops on the grass, but Emma had no problem kicking them out of the way so that we wouldn’t step on them for our photos. If that’s not dedication, we don’t know what is. My MIL even commented how “the photographer was still hustling so hard, even though she’s pregnant!” And for Allen: I can’t even count how many of my friends said, “Your photographer was SO FUNNY. What a cool guy.” He is just effortlessly hilarious, and brought so much good vibes to the wedding. Some of our guests were starting to drift into the background of our formal family photos and he was quick to usher them out in a firm but professional manner. These two really get the job done, and are an absolute dream team. Even before seeing the final photos, our parents told us that, “However much you have invested in them, they are worth it” and we completely agree. If it’s one thing you should splurge on for your wedding, it is absolutely the photography, and it should DEFINITELY be by Emma & Allen!
Within 24 hours, we received 100+ “sneak peek” photos – I told Emma this was the most “peeking” I’ve ever been given haha! And then we got our full gallery (1000+ photos) less than 2 weeks after the wedding! I seriously don’t know how they do it. I ended up favoriting the majority of the gallery because everything was so beautiful, and I still can’t believe these gorgeous photos are of US & OUR GUESTS. We are so so happy and grateful. After the wedding, I noticed that a lot of our friends also started following @etherandsmith on IG, probably because they recognized how stellar they were at our wedding (and saw how much we raved about them!) – hopefully they’ll hire them for their future weddings too so we can see Emma and Allen again hehe! Words can’t even express how talented they are – I just hope my review can at least provide a glimpse into what it’s like to work with this amazing duo. Their portfolio speaks for itself, but along the way, you just won’t be able to help but fall in love with them as people. -
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Rebecca C. Sent on 11/29/2021
Omg they are the best
Emma and Alan at Ether&Smith had made my life very hard, because...
- it's SO HARD to pick which photos are my favorite, because ALL PHOTOS, hundreds of them are SO GORGEOUS. I really don't know which ones to frame. I might need to ask Emma which ones are HER favorite because I just can't do it.
- it's SO HARD to keep up with Emma because she answers all of our questions, pre-booking and post-booking, for engagement and wedding so fast and in such details that she literally helped plan my wedding. She gave excellent opinions for my engagement dress and location, and she helped me check all the bridesmaid dresses to make sure they will photograph well, and she even helped me pick out ceremony chairs' color and location of sweetheart table based on the the lighting and how the photography will look.
- it's SO HARD to get all the calls from friends' friends and family members asking for more photos and who my photography team was because they've never seen photos like mine. Multiple guests came up to me afterwards raving about Emma and Alan, saying how they were so friendly, professional, and took the time and effort to go around and take photos of guests in addition to photos of the wedding party. They really took photo of EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING, and all photos were so beautiful and dreamy. My younger sister had already said she wants to use them for her wedding as well.
- it's SO HARD to call her just my photographer because she felt like a friend throughout the process and on my wedding day. She was at the venue before her contracted time to set up and scout for location, even thought she's already been to the venue. My husband also took longer to change into his last outfit because he was a bit tipsy at the end of the night. But Emma and Alan waited patiently for him to finish changing so they can capture us in our traditional outfit before heading out. I was so thankful of them for doing that because again, the photos are GORGEOUS.
Last but not least, one thing you will notice from my review is how much I value and trust Emma's opinion. Within few communications of speaking with her, I just knew Emma and Alan were my photographer not only because they take beautiful photos, but because we can TRUST them.
My husband and I both agree that Ether & Smith was the best money spent for our wedding. Like many brides, I was hesitant to invest so much in photography for one day. But now that the whole process is complete, with the final photos in my hand, this investment was worth it for us, and we cannot be happier with how the photo and experience turned out. -
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![DeeDee]()
Deedee H. Sent on 11/08/2021Hire them now!
WOW okay where do I even begin with Emma. She is just INCREDIBLE at what she does!!! I really feel incredibly blessed to have had her as our wedding photographer. We first met Emma and her husband Allen for our engagement photos and right away we felt like we clicked with them. My husband (fiancé at the time) normally hates taking pictures, and even he said after the engagement shoot she did such a good job at making him feel comfortable in front of the camera. Fast forward to the wedding and she produced some of the most beautiful photos I could have ever dreamt of. I’m truly just blown away by them. Every photo she captured looks like it could be in a magazine. Not only are the beautiful, but she did such a great job at capturing the joy and happiness of everyone. I will cherish these photos forever and ever.
Another thing about Emma, she’s very communicative! With something as important as this, you definitely want to make sure you have a photographer who responds in a timely manner and also listens to any questions or concerns you may have 😊
I really can’t say enough good things about Emma and Allen. A true dream team! If you are reading this, please do yourself a favor and reach out to Emma. I promise you will not be disappointed!! -
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![Julia]()
Julia M. Sent on 10/17/2021Best wedding photographer ever
Emma from Ether & Smith is absolutely the BEST - her work speaks for itself. Romantic, ethereal, beautiful, and timeless. She has an excellent eye for style and detail and always captures the best lighting and angles. She’s also a great communicator and coached us through poses very smoothly. We loved how easy and fun it was to work with her and her husband Allen. During our engagement shoot in LA and our wedding in the Bay Area, Emma was so prepared and had done a ton of research on our venues. We’ve had several friends and vendors recommend her previously and we’re not surprised why. Choosing her to be our wedding photographer was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. Would highly recommend Ether & Smith! We’ll definitely be back for special occasions and other photo shoots in the future! -
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![Michelle]()
Michelle Sent on 09/25/2021Best Wedding Photographers in the industry!
Emma & Allen – Where do I even begin? I first met Emma at my best friend Kathy’s wedding in Cabo, MX. Emma was Kathy’s wedding photographer and I was able to see Emma in her element – so organized, thoughtful, and funny! I knew that I wanted to hire Emma and her husband, Allen for our wedding. My husband, Christian and I met Emma & Allen for our engagement photoshoot in Malibu and felt an instant connection. We shared stories about our pets and talked about life as if we’ve known them for years. It gave us an opportunity to really get to know Emma and Allen. We could not have picked a better photographer team. This duo knows how to make a wedding run seamlessly, yet still manage to get all the important shots and capture all those special moments! Photography was a top priority for us and we knew we wanted to work with a team that made us feel comfortable. Emma and Allen were both so easy going and we got along so well. Throughout our wedding planning process, Emma and I were in constant communication. I shared my idea of having an all-white bridal party (bridesmaids wearing white) with Emma and she gave me ideas on how to bring the vision to life. Throughout the planning process, Emma would send structured/detailed emails with tips on how to prepare for the big day and ways to help mitigate delays, etc. She was very thorough and detailed. As a detailed-oriented person myself, I can always appreciate a well-thought out plan and planning for contingencies. There were several moments throughout the planning process I had questions about the flow of the day and Emma would reassure me and walk me through her vision and how execution would look and feel like. The day of our wedding, Emma took the lead and guided our videographer team through all the important shots. Finding the best spots and ensuring that lighting was everything! She gave clear and helpful directions on how to pose, where to look to us and our wedding party. She truly is a visionary! I fell in love with Ether & Smith’s photography – it is the epitome of dreamy, ethereal and timeless moments. Photos that told a story and transformed these memories into so much more. We are beyond impressed with their photos and can’t wait to have Emma & Allen photograph us again. To top it off, Emma’s dedication and passion for what she does shines through – She sent us our sneak peeks followed by our full gallery all within 5 days after the wedding. We are forever grateful for Ether & Smith for being a part of our special day. We love looking through our wedding photos and reliving all those special moments with our family and friends. If you are looking for photographer for your engagement/wedding – look no further, Ether & Smith is amazing!!! -
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![Kathy]()
Kathy D. Sent on 12/30/2019They are amazing!
Emma and Allen from Ether & Smith are absolutely PHENOMENAL and their gift for photography is beyond compare. They are truly the dream team when it comes to giving you the grand experience and you will not regret your decision when hiring them.
Photography was such a priority for the both of us and the minute we laid eyes on Emma’s portfolio, we looked no further. We loved the dreamy and timeless aesthetics she offered in all her photos while capturing the essence of every single moment authentically. She is truly a visionary with a gift for delivering a romantic story through her photographs. Not only are all her photos beautifully captured but she is such a detail orientated, organized, creative, and fun person to work with! Even from her first email exchange, she demonstrated such professionalism and enthusiasm with all the resources she provided us in order to execute our wedding experience perfectly. She provides you with a client portal (tips regarding engagement and wedding photos, etc), overall structure of your engagement/wedding timeline based on your photography preferences, helpful wedding tips leading up to your big day, and quickly answered any questions you may have along the way.
We booked Emma and Allen to do both our engagement and wedding photos. They were extremely quick with delivering the completed galleries (engagement photos took 1 week and wedding photos took 2 weeks) and I am still speechless with every single photo! They were absolutely breathtaking and I’m still blown away by how well they captured every emotion that was experienced on our wedding day. They went above and beyond to research the perfect locations for every shot and made this such a fun experience for us even for our wedding party and guests. Emma was also a natural at making us feel so comfortable with her great sense of humor and direction when it came to posing for the camera.
Their work is magical and we are in LOVE with our photographs! Looking over these photos still brings tears of joy and such laughter for us because we are reliving every moment all over again. We could not be more thankful enough to have Emma and Allen capture all these priceless moments and treasured memories for us on our special day. They are truly one of a kind and the BEST at what they do! I would highly recommend them to anyone I know and assure you will not be disappointed with your decision if you go with Ether & Smith! -
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![Ting]()
Ting Sent on 11/24/2019Love love love
Emma and Allen from Ether & Smith are incredible. They were so much fun to work with, and we were such an integral part of our engagement and wedding experience that I seriously can’t imagine having getting married without them. Where do I start… first of all, Emma’s photography is STUNNING! I am in awe of all the pictures that we received from our engagement shoot and our wedding day. Her style is light, romantic, airy and dreamy, and she captured everything that I loved about our wedding day, from tender, intimate moments between my husband and I, to all the candid moments that mattered with our family and friends.
Being the subject of Emma’s photos is an experience in itself - she gives great direction and has a lot of ideas for poses and expressions, while being hilarious and dishing out compliments left and right! She made us laugh and gave us the confidence we needed to look our best! My now-husband and I, as well as my family and bridal party had a blast taking photos with her! We got so many compliments on our choice of photographer!
Emma is super organized, responsive and reliable, and equips you with a ton of resources so you will have all the information you need with her tailored advice, printed guides, online client portal and detailed schedule. She works incredibly fast - we received sneak peaks the NIGHT of the wedding, and our full gallery 2 weeks later - I was speechless!
I am so grateful for all the beautiful memories that Emma captured, and I would highly recommend hiring Ether & Smith to photograph your wedding! -
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![Lauren]()
Lauren Sent on 08/16/2019Hire them now!
Emma & Allen are simply THE MOST INCREDIBLE photographers I've ever worked with. I work in the entertainment industry in LA. I was a film major and work as a director. I'm SUPER picky about shot composition/lighting/etc. and I have never been more pleased.
We shot our engagement and wedding photos with them, which I highly recommend doing, since you'll get TWO sets of incredible photos and get to work with them twice.
Emma essentially doubled as my wedding planner because she helped me set the timeline for the wedding day. She really made everything go flawlessly. They are the most professional. Always on time, always on top of everything. She got every photo I wanted on my wedding day. She took WAYYYY more photos than I expected. She got them to me in RECORD time. The most wonderful experience from start to finish working with them.
I'm still gushing over our incredible photos. THANK YOU!!! If you're thinking about using them, DO NOT HESITATE. WORTH EVERY PENNY! We will cherish these photo memories for a lifetime (and very likely be back for family photos in the future). -
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S Sent on 09/27/2017I cannot recommend Emma enough! She and Allen are such an amazing team. From the time we met them at our engagement shoot, to the moment we received our final wedding photos, we have been blown away. They capture amazing shots, are fun to work with, are very professional, and the album options for their work are gorgeous. We can't wait to receive ours and cherish it for the rest of our lives. We had so many compliments from others telling us our photos look like they should be in Wedding magazines.. thank you Emma and Allen!
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![Tiffany]()
Tiffany Sent on 08/03/2016We love Emma & Allen. They are so eccentric & quirky and I just love how Emma sees things. She frames beautiful imagery and knows how to put you in natural poses and make you look amazing. We went through hundreds of photographers and hundreds of hours of research to find the perfect match, and we're glad we found Ether & Smith. Our engagement session was short & sweet and we got some amazing shots from it. It just made me more excited to work with them on our wedding day! They were spectacular and very reassuring when it came to our requests and desires on our wedding day. I really wanted to have good photos of my daughter and I, but babies are so unpredictable! Emma assured me that before the day was over, she'd get great shots of us, and she did :) I am so happy with our couple portraits. Everything looked ethereal and heavenly. I understand that a wedding photographer's job is very difficult and they can't be everywhere at once, so what I would recommend to brides is just that you be very very specific with any shots you would regret if you didn't have. Emma is very organised and does almost everything online. Payments, and correspondences. She is very prompt and attentive! She was so understanding that I needed to break up my final payments into multiple payments. She has a very comprehensive survey and shot list for you to fill out. If I can be completely honest, I would say that Allen is less adept at Emma at getting money shots, and there were some moments when during family shots, some family members were cut out, or my husband's hair was crazy and no one told him or took an extra shot to make sure everyone's eyes were open, but that would be my only suggested improvement area. I think if Allen stepped up his photography game, this team would be a massive force!
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