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SMPNY Reviews

SMPNY

SMPNY

New York, NY
4.2 out of 5 rating, 22 Reviews
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Reviews

4.2 out of 5 rating
4.2 out of 5 rating
22 Reviews
84% recommend it
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  • Quality of service
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Awards

22
SMPNY 1
SMPNY 2
SMPNY 3
  • Demar
    Demar Sent on 06/11/2019
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    Best wedding photographer ever!

    Sarah is the BEST wedding photographer ever. She is detail oriented, on top of everything in a way that is unparalleled, is extremely professional and also FUN!! She even pulled out some amazing dance moves at the end of the night, all while taking the most incredible photos! We could not be more happy with our decision to work with Sarah and her team. They go above and beyond to deliver exactly what you want.. and more!! We love you Sarah!
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    Olivia M. Sent on 06/07/2019
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    Great experience & photos

    Sarah and her team were amazing! We had a pretty tight timeline for pictures between our ceremony and reception and were worried we wouldn't be able to get it all in but Sarah was so efficient and flexible with us that we were able to take pictures in our desired location and still make it to cocktail hour right on time, which friends and family swore to me would not happen! Not only was she able to accommodate our timeline the day of, but she made it stress-free, seamless, and easy for us which allowed us to to enjoy every minute of it. Our pictures came out incredible and were available 3 days after our wedding! Can't wait to work with Sarah and her team again soon! :)
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    Stefanie Sent on 10/09/2018
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    Amazing photos from wedding weekend and our engagement shoot in Brooklyn. Came in and met with Lisa to pick photos for album and she was great at suggesting ideas and helping me decide between images. Cant wait to see the album design! We also ordered an album from our Friday night dinner as well.
    • illustration stars

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  • D
    Debbie Sent on 10/15/2015
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    Everybody at Sarah Merians has been wonderful to work with! Tina did an amazing job with our engagement photos. On the day of our wedding, Sarah and Tina were wonderful! They felt like part of our family and made everybody feel relaxed and comfortable. Our wedding party repeatedly commented about how amazing they were throughout the day. The photos came out absolutely beautiful and we can't stop looking at them! It is going to be tough to choose which pictures to put in our album! The videographer was also wonderful and we cannot wait to see the video! Thanks again Sarah, Tina and everybody at Sarah Merians for being a part of our wedding and giving us wonderful photos to always remind us of our special day!!
  • User4465945 Sent on 07/10/2015
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    Sarah is a true professional with a great eye. Sarah and her team spent hours on end capturing special moments. She began with my daughter 's "getting ready" with bridesmaids to first look to private shots of the birde and groom before the wedding. Sarah took control and knew every step of the way what needed to be done on a timely basis. She captured the true spirit of the ceremony and the vibrancy of the recption afterwards. During the recption you never knew that Sara and her team were snapping away . Within a week after the wedding we had already recived all the proofs to review for albums..unbelievable turnaround time!!! Without hesitation I would recommend her.
  • User4465943 Sent on 02/11/2015
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    Sarah Merians and her team are awesome-- there's no other way to describe them.

    The pictures from my wedding are absolutely amazing and bring a tear to my eye when I look at them. (And I'm usually not one to be emotional at all.) As the old saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words..." but I have to say that Sarah's pictures are worth a million and more! She captured everything -- the flowers, food, and of course family and friends. There are details from the day that I never saw, but thanks to her photos, I can now see every flower arrangement, appetizer, guest, etc.

    My heart is full knowing that this very momentous occasion has been captured with the beauty and elegance that only you could have been able see through your lens.

    There's no reason to look any further than Sarah and her team for special occasions of all kinds.

    She has a new fan for life with me and I only hope that she'll be able to be with us when more celebrations and momentous occasions come around in the future.
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    Michelle Sent on 11/24/2015
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    Working with Sarah Merians and her team was a true dream for my wedding. They were extremely accommodating, professional, and a true pleasure. Liel & Sheila captured my wedding day beautifully and I would highly recommend them. They snapped every shot that we wanted, and felt more like guests than the photographers. Every time I called the office and spoke to Lisa or Stefanie I felt like I was calling to chat with a friend! They always answered all of my questions and made sure they honored all of my requests. I can't wait for the next opportunity I have to work with the whole Sarah Merians crew again!!
  • User4465937 Sent on 06/13/2013
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    I haven't gone in yet for my album appointment, so this is just rated based on everything leading up to the wedding and the day of. Stefanie was always on top of things and checked in to make sure everyone had all the information they and we needed.

    Our photographer Shelia and her assistant were great. Shelia always made sure everything was okay and she genuinely seemed so happy for us and honored to be a part of the day.

    About a week and a half after the wedding low-res pictures were already posted online (so guests can purchase for a premium) and we were sent proofs with just the logo on the bottom corner so we can pick which we want for our album. So while you can't give these out or blow them up for framing or anything, it's still great to see everything so soon after the wedding!
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    Ally Sent on 05/09/2012
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    Tina from Sarah Merians was amazing! She was so pleasant and professional. She captured unbelievable pictures and moments at our wedding and we could not have been happier with her creativity and photography. We are sooooo happy to have chosen her and Sarah Merians
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    Elisheva Sent on 02/29/2012
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    We LOVE our Pictures.
    Our engagement photo shoot in grand central station was also great.
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    Svetlana Sent on 12/12/2007
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    Wonderful people to work with who listen and know exactly what you want. You also get to choose from a great selection of photographers and videographers based on their work.
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    Christina Sent on 08/01/2008
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    Jamie Cabrezza was our photographer and she was amazing! the pictures came out beautiful and she did an amazing job!
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    Elizabeth Sent on 03/23/2017
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    My husband and I absolutely LOVED working with Sarah, the photographers and everyone at Sarah Merians Photography and Video Company. They were so much fun to work with not only during our wedding but throughout the entire ordeal from the time we chose to work with Sarah until we received our album.
    Our wedding pictures and the pictures from our engagement shoot were absolutely amazing. We received digital files of our photos within days of our wedding and we received our wedding album on our six month anniversary. Not only did we get our album in a far shorter time period than any other married couple that we know has, but the album itself, from the design and layout to the physical quality of the album is nothing short of spectacular.
  • S
    Shevy Sent on 07/30/2013
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    Sarah was wonderul to work with. I really trusted her judgement throughout the day, and I just knew she'd get the shots that we
    wanted. More importantly, she managed to push through
    for the shots despite the absolute madness going on around her. She shook it off every time and handled it with the utmost professionalism.
  • R
    Rebecca Sent on 01/20/2014
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    We were lucky enough to have Sarah herself for our wedding along with 2 amazing assistants. They accommodated everything we ask for including an extra person to photograph the guys getting ready and making the 7 block walk from hotel to venue. Our photos were amazing, it took hours to decide which to put into our album, which came out as a work of art. We were only able o have 1 meeting regarding our album and its more then I dreamed of! We went to grand central first for pictures and had a blast. I never felt bothered at the wedding to take pictures, yet they captured everyone important to us! We will use them again for our next big event!

    SMPNY's reply:

    Thank you so much, Rebecca, for your kind words. We were lucky to be a part of your special wedding day.

    With love,
    The Sarah Merians Team
  • U
    Umang Sent on 10/14/2008
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    THANKS!
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    Greg Sent on 01/21/2007
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    Jeanette Sent on 05/22/2008
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    We were very satified with the end product but there were a few bumps in the road. Our photographer Jamie was very good. Our video is great too but SM is a bit pricey.
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    David Sent on 04/17/2009
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    for me they were expensive and the photographer didnt care or maybie he didnt like me! i might try again some day becuase it could have been that one guy! i suggest try it and see if you get good or bad results!
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    Lindsay Sent on 01/28/2008
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    We used Sarah Merians Photography on recommendation from our Event Manager at the New York Botanic Gardens. We were told that they are allowed to photograph in areas of the gardens that others photographers are not allowed because they have a good relationship. As I had been extremely careful in every decision I had made up until that point, I decided to just go with the recommendation and take a break from being overly detailed oriented on this one.
    When we went for our consultation, we were told they had a number of photographers that shot in slightly different styles and we could go through their portfolios to pick out the style we liked. I expressed a desire to have a slightly more candid and photo journalistic style and a few portfolios were chosen for us to see. I found a photographer, who's work I liked and we booked him. We would receive 8 hours of shooting and an album including 50 images, as well as a 1 hour engagement photo shoot. Any additional prints or albums would be paid for at extreme expense and we have no rights to the images.
    A pre wedding photo shoot was included so that we could meet the photographer and he could get to know us a bit...this went well and we enjoyed the opportunity though we weren't totally thrilled with the results.
    The day of the wedding our photographer arrived with his assistant nicely dressed in a tux. However, he never asked where I was interested in shooting and whisked us away without any discussion to start a marathon of shooting. I was a bit stressed so I didn't get the chance to explain I wanted to shoot in front of the waterfall a bit and for there to be more candid or goofy shots, but I figured everything would turn out okay. Our photographer did make some inappropriate comments to one of our bridesmaids which made her quite uncomfortable during the picture taking too.
    Still, I eagerly awaited our pictures after the wedding as the entire event had really gone perfectly and I just couldn't wait to relive the memories. When they arrived, I can't express how disappointed I was. The pictures were all extremely stiff looking and the color was awful. They were all sort of orange-yellowish, as though they were taken in the 70s. Our photographer had also failed to capture any of the details that I had worked for hours to create. We had a wish tree created by the florist which was absolutely gorgeous that there wasn't a single picture of and the ring bear's box which I had specially created and lined with moss also not captured. Basically any detail that I spent hours working on was to be forgotten. There were some nice candid black and white shots of people dancing from the reception, but in general I was very disappointed.
    When we went to the session to build our album at Sarah Merians, I attempted to express some of the disappoints I had regarding the color and stiffness of the portraiture to the woman who was helping us and she completely invalidated my concerns. Saying the color was fine and that it was our fault that the pictures were stiff looking because we must have just been too nervous. Strangely, family and friends had captured many much more character filled images and with bright colors which looked much better than many of the images we received from our professional photographer.
    All together I was quite disappointed with my experience. Yes, I should have been more careful in choosing a photographer and picked someone who was specifically more photo journalistic in style. Still, I think the fact that friends and family captured better shots than our photographer is somewhat inexcusable. We did end up with a lovely album....almost entirely black and white which is unfortunate given how lovely and bright the rose gardens we shot in were....but still lovely. Out of the 1000 or so shots we found 50 great pictures that were bound in a beautiful fashion.
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    Bonnie Sent on 02/08/2010
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    If you want to spend top dollar and get just a few pictures with your husband and none of any of your guests - pick this company. They are unprofessional, disorganized and rude. Our photographer took mostly pictures one would never want to put in an album - no group shots, tons of close ups of the same random people over and over. He was also absent for big gaps in the night. Our parents have no pictures of their freinds and none of them dancing at our wedding. Its not fixable, as you can't rewind the clock, but the company has not even been very accomodating. We also found it intersting that they were not at all shocked by the poor quality work that their photographer produced. It did not seem like a one time issue. I can't speak for Sarah Merian herself, but I wouldn't trust this vendor with such an important day.
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    T Sent on 03/14/2010
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    We also had a terrible experience with Sarah Merians and ended up successfully suing the company in small claims court. Our wedding was in September 2008.

    Below is a summary of some of the problems we encountered.

    1. The photographer's assistant didn't bring a camera to the wedding, so we had one photographer instead of the two that were promised.

    2. The DVD was delivered late and one copy was defective. When we asked to have it replaced, they delayed for almost two months before telling us that they no longer work with the videographer, couldn't provide another copy and might not even be able to recover the raw footage. Eventually, they recovered the footage but wanted to charge us $600 to convert it to DVD (even though they were supposedly giving it to us to make up for not being able to provide the edited version). We refused and they sent us the footage in its original format (small tapes) which we will now have to convert ourselves.

    3. Our actual photographer was nice but her pictures weren't very good. In retrospect, she was disorganized on the day of the wedding and didn't make sure to take a lot of pictures with the key participants (for example, there are only a handful of pictures of me with my father).

    4. Our wedding album doesn't look very good. A number of the pictures are pixilated and look like they were printed on a home printer.

    5. After the wedding, the company refused to give us the high resolution digital images of our wedding pictures that were included in our contract. We fought with them for months and the employees refused to put us in touch with the owner, Sarah Merians. When we finally spoke to Sarah, she was extremely nasty and made it clear that she only cared about extracting as much money from us as possible. Ultimately, she said that she would only give us the high res images if we paid her an additional $1,500.

    Because they had almost lost our video footage, we were worried that if we let any more time pass, we would never see our pictures. So, we paid the money and then sued to get it back.

    The reviews on Yelp.com and knot.com describe similar stories.
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